Where is the "mole" that is sabotaging your reliability program?

Hello fellow practitioners! Apologise for missing in action for a while. I have been working on various asset management roles that have been rather frustrating. I suppose the usual time an organisation accepts that they need a Reliability/ Asset Management personnel is when they would have been pretty deep in the mud pit to get out themselves. Nothing is new when we admit that every Reliability/ Asset Management role is rather frustrating. Only weirdos like us who cannot live without a good challenge would roll ourselves into the mud pit for fun. Perhaps we have an insane definition for fun…

Yesterday, my colleagues and I were discussing the conflicting goals of reliability target against overtime payment to maintenance crew. The more reliable your plant is, the less overtime labour cost will be incurred.

I don’t want to start off on the wrong context that I am against overtime payment and portray that I put full support behind capitalism to pay the workers the least, and extract the most profit out of every hardworking family breadwinner here. This is purely a discussion from our team’s experience, and in my opinion should be managed. The billion dollar question is… How?

Culture at organisation A, we experience frontline maintenance crew collaborating among themselves to “create” urgent overtime work sustainably, either through poor workmanship, or intentional slowdown of work completion.

Notice that I mentioned culture of the organisation, instead of practice of the organisation? You’re right on the money! It is a culture issue, but which part of the culture? Whether we realise it or not, it is applicable to most if not all organisations out there. Culture is built over the years by the organisation’s LEADERSHIP. I capitalised the letters to put a strong emphasis on it intentionally. Imagine below:

Leadership at organisation B, leaders who lead by example, support sustainability, accept individuality, embrace continuous improvements. Leadership that believes in nurturing the next generation, and bringing out the best in you with committed support to train you to do your job well and give their best to groom your career aspirations.

Leadership at organisation C, seniors who boss you around, micro-managing, expect a person to work like a robot precision with no break, strong emphasis of cost cutting, hiring the cheapest, buying the cheapest, yet expect the team to deliver high reliability.

I’m sure by now you know which organisation you want to work for. Leadership makes or breaks an organisation. In reality, organisation B and C are at both extreme ends of the distribution curve. Organisation we work for probably sits somewhere in between with a combination of values from both end of the spectrum.

Every organisation will have their fair share of imperfections. It is an art to balance how much to give without turning employees into a spoilt demanding lot, and how much to hold back without compromising basic reasonable requests. I have experienced an organisation that refuses to send their employees for training purely because it costs money and the leadership believes as the employees skilled up, they would leave. What is the consequential cost to the organisation for not training them? Operating with unskilled labour? Does such organisation still have a chance surviving in an ever competitive market?

Back to the original question of how then do you improve plant reliability without incurring overtime costs? I would suggest you look into a comprehensive reliability program that involves both operations and maintenance. To have a reliably operating equipment requires more than maintenance crew doing a great job, it also require the operations crew to operate it within the constraint that present itself from time to time. With the availability of advance condition monitoring technology, most failure mechanisms can be detected, and replacement can be planned in advance, reducing unplanned downtime and thus overtime labour cost.

Identical plant availability, and reliability KPI should be shared among Operations & Maintenance, overtime payment is to be gradually reduced and finally eliminated further down the road. This will encourage team work and more collaboration between Operations & Maintenance that will lead to a more fulfilled work environment, and higher employee retention.

From another perspective, earnings as a result of overtime work reduction can be converted into incentive payments to all deserving employees. With such a scheme, an organisation can be labelled as stable, reliable and highly rated in terms of its operations and the quality of its employees who produce excellent deliveries with minimum overtime work. This would be attractive and who would leave such organisation for another job.

Feel free to share your alternative or successful experience with me! You can reach me at harry (at) wiwoweb (dot) net

Develop Better Managers by Coaching

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29217/coaching-better-managers

Performance coaching is not about disciplinary action, nor is it about accountability (although it may promote accountability in the long term). It is really about leadership development — teaching your team of supervisors, managers and leaders the skills and behaviors that are necessary to perform their jobs as efficiently as possible in order to get the best results for themselves and the company.

Performance coaching is not about telling your management team what to do; it is about telling them how to get the best results from their people and processes. If you are experiencing mediocre productivity, ongoing conflict or high turnover, you should look first at your management team. They are the root cause for success and failure. There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "For every hundred men hacking away at the branches of a diseased tree, only one will stoop to inspect the roots."

It is surprising to me the number of managers and executives I meet who have no idea how to conduct performance coaching sessions. While facilitating an executive coaching session with a vice president, she told me that she had continually written her managers up and that they continued to deliver substandard performance. Her frustration was evident, but writing people up is self-defeating when you have not performed due diligence in the supervisor's or manager's performance training. It does not teach the skills the employee or manager needs to move forward. It only punishes them for making mistakes and not performing up to expected standards.

Most supervisors and managers want to do a good job, but many do not have the skills to deal with the complicated workforce issues prevalent in today's organizations. Many supervisors and managers are learning as they go. This process is slow, ineffective and costly to organizations, as supervisors and managers bungle their way through each day, trying to do the right things.

To effectively conduct performance coaching sessions, you must first understand the root cause of poor performance. Performance is a function of both ability and motivation. For example, someone with 100-percent motivation and 75-percent ability can achieve good to above average performance. However, someone with 25-percent ability will most likely not be able to perform to expected standards no matter how highly motivated they are to succeed. In the latter case, you will have to identify a strategic plan to provide this person with the skills he or she needs to succeed, or assess whether he or she is in the right position.

Key signs that low ability may be the root cause of poor performance include:

• Evidence of strong effort despite poor performance
• Lack of improvement over time despite ongoing coaching and training

Performance Coaching for Management Development

Coaching to develop your management team allows leaders to leverage the organization's human capital, creating a competitive advantage. Supervisors and managers have a direct impact on how employees feel about working for the organization.

"Once the economy turns around, disgruntled employees will certainly begin to consider a job change," said Lori Dernavich, a business advisor on workplace performance solutions and founder of Lori Dernavich LLC.

Coaching and counseling for management development ranges from helping poor performers improve to capitalizing on high-potential supervisors and managers by keeping them challenged and encouraging them to continuously improve their skills.

Coaching is not a one-way street. Both the leader and the supervisor or manager share the responsibility for positive results. Highly effective performance coaches have the following characteristics:

• Base the coaching relationship on trust
• Are optimists about human nature
• Give people opportunities to take risks and learn from their mistakes
• Practice effective listening skills
• Speak candidly
• Encourage personal accountability and ownership
• Know their strengths and weaknesses and continually strive to leverage strengths and overcome weaknesses
• Are continuous learners

Below are three key strategies for effective performance coaching.

Create a Culture of Involvement and Ownership

Tactics include:

1. Provide the knowledge, skills, tools, resources and education to ensure the supervisor's or manager's success.
2. Share the vision, mission and business objectives, ensuring that they understand where they fit in to the big picture.
3. Set clear standards for results and behaviors.
4. Reward and recognize results and behaviors.

Provide Challenging Assignments

Tactics include:

1. Assess the supervisor's or manager's abilities.
2. Make assignments that align with their abilities.
3. Provide clear direction and expectations.
4. Remove roadblocks and barriers.
5. Trust them to accomplish the task.
6. Reward and recognize effort and results.

Provide Ongoing Coaching

Tactics include:

1. Provide constructive criticism. Meet monthly to discuss the supervisor's or manager's progress and areas where improvement is needed.
2. Document the monthly conversations.
3. Remove barriers and roadblocks.
4. Provide tools and resources.
5. Use effective listening and feedback skills.

Coaches as Mentors

I am frequently asked about the difference between coaches and mentors. It is true that great coaches often become dedicated mentors. The definition of a mentor is: "A person who gives another person the benefit of his or her years of experience and/or education. This is experience that is shared in such a way that the mentor helps to develop a mentee's skills and abilities, benefiting the mentee and the organization." However, there are clear differences between a coach and a mentor. Below is a quick guide to mentoring for improved performance.

Why Mentoring is Different than Coaching

Coaching is not the same as mentoring. Mentoring is concerned with the development of the whole person and driven by the person's own work/life goals. It is usually unstructured and informal. Coaching is much more about achieving specific objectives in a particular way. Coaching is also more formal and more structured, usually around a coaching process or methodology.

In other words, mentoring is less skill-based and more of a relationship-based process. A good mentoring relationship is identified by the willingness and capability of both parties to ask questions, challenge assumptions and disagree.

The mentor is far less likely to have a direct-line relationship with the mentee, and in a mentoring relationship, this distance is desirable. Mentoring is rarely a critical part of an individual's job role but rather an extra element that rewards the mentor with fresh thinking as well as the opportunity to transfer knowledge and experience to a less experienced colleague, peer or employee. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, the following tips may prove useful.

Tips for Effective Mentoring

• The mentee has no direct-line reporting to the mentor. This fosters trust, and the mentee feels more comfortable in sharing uncertainties about his or her abilities, creating free-flowing, open communication.


• The mentor/mentee relationship is mutually satisfying. The mentor gets the satisfaction of watching someone grow as a result of his or her insights. The mentee gains a feeling of being valued, receiving beneficial direction and attention from someone who is respected and admired.


• The intensity of the relationship is matched. It is taking up actual and mental time in proportions with which both people are comfortable. This time commitment is flexible as the mentee's needs change (e.g., there may be several meetings in a short period of time during a very challenging period, then none for months).


• At any time, either party can stop the relationship and the mentoring process. There is no obligation for continuance.


• The mentee is not a protégé. It is not a teacher-pupil relationship, nor does the mentee (necessarily) have the patronage of the mentor.


• An effective mentor gives wise counsel, and the mentee feels comfortable speaking on issues that may be sensitive. Once this trust is developed, the mentor can give advice or assist with tough recommendations.


• The mentor is not mentoring two people at the same time who have a close working relationship. Discretion and confidentiality are paramount. The rules of engagement are stated up front with an agreement between the mentor and the mentee on who should be aware of the mentoring relationship.


• The obligation for continuing is two-sided. When the mentor feels he or she has value to add and the mentee is getting something from the relationship, the mentoring may go on indefinitely. Otherwise, either side can end it without justification.


• Mentoring programs are about guidance and facilitation rather than formal training.

Becoming a mentor is a personal choice. Learning to effectively provide performance coaching is a necessary skill for retaining top talent within the management and front-line employee ranks. It is critical that leadership within organizations do everything in their power to give management the skills they need to successfully get results through people and processes.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

How to Foster a Culture of Involvement

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29196/culture-of-involvement

Building a culture of involvement that includes self-managed work teams is undoubtedly the most challenging of all leadership endeavors, but it is also the most rewarding. Great leaders involve employees from all levels in the business operations. By creating an environment of trust and openness and developing a culture of risk-taking, leaders are able to turn over the responsibility of the daily operations to the employees. These leaders recognize the need and take active steps to produce ownership within the ranks.

The key here is involvement, and the critical question is: "How do you involve employees and motivate them to take ownership?" The best companies know that employees who feel involved in the business feel trusted. This trust helps to create a sense of ownership. A sense of ownership enables employees to empower themselves, making them happier, more fulfilled, productive and loyal.

It is important to note that you cannot empower employees. However, you can provide them with the environment, the tools and the resources to empower themselves.

Keep in mind that the process of involvement is tricky. It takes work, and all supervisors, managers and leaders must be on board. There must be consistency in the rollout, support and accountability processes. For most organizations, especially manufacturing organizations, the level of involvement is very low, if not non-existent.

Deciding to implement a process of involvement is about making dramatic cultural change. You will face resistance. The roadblocks to involvement include:

• Lack of trust – Most employees will be suspicious of a leadership team that has, in the minds of its members, suddenly decided to involve them, ask their advice and listen to their ideas.
• Fear – Employees will quickly realize that they will be required to learn new skills and perform additional responsibilities. They will worry about what happens if they make a mistake (will they be disciplined or lose their jobs?) or if they are not able to learn the new skills (will they lose their jobs, be moved to less desirable positions or be forced to take a pay cut?).
• Resentment – Employees may resent taking on more responsibility, especially with tasks that they perceive to be management's responsibilities.

Despite the challenges and frustrations during the process, creating a culture of involvement is worth the investment. When I worked for Textile Services (Disney's laundries), I was fortunate to have been a member of a committee that changed the laundry operations from a typical, autocratic, authoritarian operation to one of involvement and self-managed work teams. During the process, we thought often of giving up, but in the end the perseverance paid off.

At the end of one year, we saw light at the end of the tunnel. Within the next two to three years, we managed to change the culture, despite the fact that more than 40 percent of the workforce had tenure of 20 to 25 years. When I left Disney three years ago, the culture of involvement was still firmly in place and had been the mode of operation for their business for more than 12 years. The benefits realized from directly involving the employees in all levels of the business were:

• Turnover was reduced from 60 percent to an average of 5 percent annually.
• Prior to the cultural change, the plant ran with four managers per shift, for a total of eight managers per day. This number was reduced to one manager per shift, for a total of two per day.
• On the annual survey, more than 80 percent of the employees stated that they were very proud to say that they worked for Textile Services.
• The customer survey ratings improved dramatically to more than 80 percent satisfaction with all aspects of customer service.
• Outsourcing was no longer a threat.

5 Tactics for Creating a Culture of Involvement

Below are the tactics that we used at Textile Services to create a culture of involvement within the laundry operations. They should be considered guidelines and a good place to start.

Tactic 1: Communicate the vision and ensure everyone is on the same page, working toward a common goal.

It is imperative that all employees buy into the vision if they are going to assist in the execution of the vision. In most cases, they are not paid more to get involved. Therefore, it is critical that the benefits to the employees are clearly articulated by leadership.

One of the roadblocks at Textile Services in accomplishing this goal was the diversity of the employee base. Employees in the laundries represented 15 countries and spoke seven languages, many of them speaking no English whatsoever. Obviously, communicating the vision in English alone was not the answer.

The committee settled on a more creative method of communication. They scheduled several sessions where employees were released from their positions for approximately one hour. The vision and the mission were presented to all employees in groups of 30 to 40.

The laundry leadership team communicated this important message in English with bilingual translators in the room representing every group. The leaders demonstrated the principles of great service through mini-plays or skits. Employees were encouraged to get involved by giving feedback and asking questions at the end of the session, ensuring clarity of the message and expectations of the employees.

Every employee was required to attend one of the scheduled sessions. For those who were not able to attend due to extenuating circumstances, leaders were required to meet one-on-one with these employees to communicate the key message points.

The results were surprising. The vast majority of employees was on board and excited about the future. This led to an immediate increase in productivity and a buzz of excitement in the plants.

Tactic 2: Create a culture of trust by giving employees the knowledge, skills, tools, resources and parameters to make good decisions, ensuring that they will successfully deliver on the vision.

Providing this level of skill and knowledge can be accomplished in many ways. Informally, daily huddles can be held to share information critical to the day's work. An article in the April 2006 issue of Business 2.0 magazine highlighted how UPS starts each day with a three-minute huddle to keep 220,000 drivers and package handlers on time. These meetings ensure that employees are informed of company announcements, local traffic conditions, customer complaints and even a daily safety tip. The strict 180-second time limit helps enforce the company focus of punctuality.

More formally, monthly meetings and training sessions that facilitate two-way conversations are valuable ways to involve employees. For those employees who may not be comfortable sharing information in a group setting, one-on-one conversations are good ways to get people involved.

Providing tools and resources is critical in supporting self-directed teams. You must determine which tools and resources are necessary for the employees to experience success in their new roles. These tools and resources could be computer training, English-speaking classes, effective communication classes, training for implementing new processes or updated standard operating procedure (SOP) manuals.

Tactic 3: Involve employees in the process for budgeting financial results.

Once employees understand the process for budgeting productivity, purchasing supplies, etc., they are more likely to understand their impact on the budget. However, it is not enough to explain the process. To build trust and commitment toward delivering on the goals of the organization, employees should be involved in creating the budget goals.

Some managers would argue that employees cannot possibly create budget goals. Although it may be true that some employees have limited education and cannot comprehend the complicated process of budgeting, only by having a hands-on experience will employees understand their role in making the business successful. They will realize that it is they, the frontline employees, whose primary interaction with the customer has the true ability to impact the customer experience. Employees who are involved in creating the budget will understand their value and importance to the organization. They now have a sense of control over their own destinies, making the connection that success for the organization means success for them.

Tactic 4: Develop training that creates interaction within departments and with customers.

Great training is about more than a strong on-the-job (OJT) training program. Certainly nothing replaces a good OJT program, but consider enhancing it with a cross-utilization or job-shadow program. This type of training builds camaraderie, relationships and empathy for one another's positions. It is especially helpful in situations where the success of one department is reliant on the success of another.

Tactic 5: Build continuous improvement into every step of the operation.

Teach employees the process for measuring operational efficiencies and challenges, and involve them in the continuous improvement process by asking for their opinions and ideas. This is how you leverage the talent, knowledge and experience of your employees. No one knows better than the frontline employees what is and isn't working. They understand where you can gain operational efficiencies to impact the business in a positive way.

A word of caution: The mistake that many managers make is that they ask but do not act, saying things like: "We can't do that," "We don't have the money for that," or "It's been tried before, and it didn't work."

The leader's place in this process is to clearly delineate the parameters, provide tools and knowledge, remove roadblocks, and support the employees in their efforts. This means that leaders must implement employee ideas as often as possible. Supporting the employee by implementing their ideas, even if they seem small and insignificant, builds the leader's credibility and relationships for future endeavors.

Undoubtedly, you will not be able to implement all employee ideas, but what you must do is acknowledge the employee for trying to improve the operation and explain why the idea cannot be implemented. If you do not at least acknowledge employees for their efforts, you may never receive another idea from them, but the most damaging result will be the loss of credibility by the leader.

Reward and recognition is a critical step in the process of continuous improvement and does not have to cost a lot of money. Employees who feel valued are more likely to work harder.

Creating a culture of trust is hard work and means taking risks. Each day, you face the risk that employees will make bad decisions and that those decisions will cost the company money. Taking the time to provide the skills, knowledge, tools and training will not eliminate the risks but will minimize them.

Some employees will carry their sense of involvement to the extreme, despite your best efforts to communicate the parameters. It will be necessary for you to coach and counsel these employees. If they insist on working outside the stated parameters, you may need to take some level of disciplinary action. However, experience has shown that these employees are the exception to the rule and that the benefits far outweigh the risks.

About the Author

Debbie Zmorenski

Deborah K. Zmorenski, MBA, is the co-owner and senior partner of Leader’s Strategic Advantage Inc., an Orlando, Fla.-based consulting firm. During her 34-year career with the Walt Disney ... Read More

7 Ways to Achieve a Culture of Safety

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29160/achieve-safety-culture

How do safety leaders and managers create a culture of safety? Knowing that safety is important is clearly not enough. Slogans like "Safety First" or "Target Zero" may be powerful and eloquent, but they typically don’t produce the buy-in that is necessary.

The only way to change a culture is to get an extremely high level of repeatable buy-in. That means the message from leadership has to be very clear and simple to implement. It also means you have to be realistic about what’s working.

Have you noticed that the job site with the best safety record is the one where the boss makes everyone feel valuable, the people seem to trust one another and everyone gets along well? While there may be a few exceptions, most research confirms that people make fewer mistakes when they feel valuable. They are more loyal and watch out for each other. They are consistently willing to do more of what they are asked to do. All of this results in dramatically fewer incidents and a true culture of safety. But how do you make that happen in your organization or at your location? Here are seven ways to achieve a culture of safety and reduce incidents:

1. Beware of mixed messages. "Hey, you guys, be safe, but hurry up! Don't be so safe that we can't make any money!" The real message is: "Let's get it done before 5 p.m., but if you get outside the safety guidelines, rethink it."


2. Make sure that the people around you understand that you have their back. They will be more likely to have yours. Watch your behavior and treat others with respect. Guess who will not have anyone rushing back into the burning building to save him? That's right, the guy who nobody likes.


3. Be realistic about how people feel about safety procedures. If you have a process or situation that everyone makes fun of or complains about, look into it and make adjustments. There is nothing more dangerous than expecting people to be protected by things they obviously don’t believe in.


4. Remember that many accidents happen indoors in office environments.Approximately 76,000 people each year are hospitalized from putting their feet on their desks and leaning back in a chair. Acting like a big shot is not only obnoxious, but apparently it's also dangerous. In addition, women in high heels who stepped from carpeted surfaces to hard floors had a surprising number of injuries.  


5. Communication skills are the foundation of safety. Let people talk about what’s important to them before you tell them your opinions. People who feel heard are much more likely to listen to you. To make safety happen, you have to be influential enough so that what you say creates actions in others. If people see their input in your safety solution, they are much more likely to have buy-in and much less likely to be injured.


6. Don’t tell the guys in their 20s how brave you were “back in the day” before modern safety equipment. You are your brothers' and sisters' keepers, and that especially means your younger brothers and sisters. On a job site, I once heard a guy in his 50s say to a group of people in their 20s, "You young guys have all this protective clothing and special tools. In the '70s, we were down in there naked with a Q-tip." Challenging someone's manhood makes you part of the problem.


7. Be able to clearly explain the value of a safety procedure or policy in 30 seconds. People buy into what they understand quickly. The leading addiction on the planet is not drugs or alcohol but convenience. People will consistently abandon a safe process that's complicated for an unsafe one that’s not. Keep it simple. It does not matter how smart you are if nobody knows what you're talking about.

Whether you are a leader who is driving safety forward or just a person on the job trying to be good at what you do without being hurt, influence is required. Are you influential enough to make safety happen around you? Do you have the trust and the relationships in place to help safety concepts and procedures remain effective?

For some, it may be hard to buy into how important it is for people to have a supportive environment to do their job. You may think that people should just do what they are supposed to do and be safe, but in reality the overwhelming success of this approach is kind of like listening to NASCAR on the radio; You personally may not believe it makes any sense, but for some strange reason it’s still happening.

About the Author

Garrison Wynn helps people learn how to make the jump from being great at what they do to understanding and developing the qualities it takes to be chosen for the job. As a keynote speaker, advisor and entertainer, he has worked with some of the world's most effective corporate leaders and salespeople. He has a background in manufacturing, entertainment, telecommunications and financial services. For information on Garrison’s speaking or consulting, visit www.keynote-speaker-motivational.com/safety-speaker.htm.

Executing a Continuous Improvement Plan

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29137/continuous-improvement-plan

Every plan for continuous improvement should follow a path based on performance metrics for quality, cost, delivery and safety. For each of these groups, you should have well-defined targets such as to improve by 10 percent, reduce by 12 percent, increase by 9 percent, etc. For each metric, you should have a corresponding objective.

Additionally, you should have communicated the plan and the reasons why you are going after certain items on the plan. It is now time to execute. Each of the items on your plan may need some additional analysis to see exactly what is involved in the improvement of those items.

Are you going to have a team leader by initiative? Are you going to employ value-stream management? Are there natural families for you to follow? Is your continuous improvement effort themed in one area (quality, cost, delivery, safety, morale and/or innovation)?

As you go through the next levels, you are moving from strategic questions to more tactical questions. At the high level, you may want to improve delivery performance by 11 percent. However, before you can attack delivery performance, you need to do some analysis of what goes into the delivery performance. This may include questions about volume, customer mix, new products, standard vs. special systems, days of the week, geography, etc.

My recommendation is that you employ lean and Six Sigma to these next steps so that you are able to effectively sort out which is which. Please be careful that you don’t just do what you have always done. In other words, if your organization is slanted toward Six Sigma, don’t make everything a define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) project. On the other hand, if your organization is more of a lean organization, don’t call everything a kaizen either.

As you are laying out the next steps of your executable plan, you must first decide which approach to use. Not everything is a kaizen; not everything is a project. Selecting the right tool will ensure you the highest impact at the lowest cost in terms of time required.

For purposes of simple definitions, consider the following:

• Kaizen — This is a very rapid approach to continuous improvement. The scope should be such that while you have a problem statement identified, you do not yet have the solutions. Be careful that you are not trying to “boil the ocean” in a week. You are willing to empower a team to execute the improvement process. There are specific and measureable goals and objectives for the problem statement. During a kaizen week, there should be a miniature plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle within the week. You also have a resource who is well-versed and capable of leading a kaizen for you.
• Project — This is a more long-term approach that may allow for items to be scoped on a larger scale. These may include projects that are bigger than a kaizen. In some cases, projects may be made up of several kaizens. There are specific and measureable goals that you are after. You are willing and able to empower a team to pursue the effort. You have a resource available who is capable of managing a project and has enough continuous improvement experience to bring the expertise to the project.
• Do-It — These are items in which you know what needs to be done, but the resources just haven’t yet been allocated to the effort. For example, in looking at the plan, replacing the spindle bearing on a piece of equipment shows up as a reason you can’t perform. Replacing the spindle becomes a “do-it.” Now, just “do it!”

At the end of each of these activities, don’t forget to update your posting(s) and communicate the activities to others. You also need to chart and track the results to make sure that your efforts are yielding the results you seek.

Remember, what you want is a culture of continuous improvement. Along the way, you will reap a great deal of benefits in terms of performance improvements and tactical performance. The end game is always the culture. Never lose sight of that fact.

Help Employees Get the Most from Their Career and Life

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/29061/help-employees-career

While giving an update on the successes of a maintenance leadership mentoring program that was celebrating its ninth anniversary, I was told that the program caused four employees to leave the company. This challenge involved two important issues that should be shared at this time of industry turmoil and the possible need for employees to find new jobs.

The first issue relates to the company’s sponsored program. It was designed to fast-track bright potential candidates to be in positions to replace retiring maintenance managers. Over the first eight years, the two-year program with about 80 graduates recorded more than 120 protégé promotions. Not only were the protégés promoted, but the mentors were promoted. Both groups had grown personally, professionally and organizationally. However, the company’s value received was minor compared to the participants’ value received.

One protégé confided that he was not really interested in a promotion and was concerned that he would be asked to leave. I addressed this by saying: “This program is designed to help the individual achieve his or her potential in life. That life includes family, community, work, education/learning and spiritual growth. We cannot focus on the promotion. You must develop yourself to be able to handle the ramifications of a new position and balance all the other factors.”

All I asked of the participants was to take their experiences, new skills and knowledge back to their family, community and workplace with the hope of helping others to grow. That attitude and behavior would be what would get them promoted.

I met this protégé and his wife three years later, and what he said confirmed my intentions. He had become the go-to supervisor, the unofficial mentor of new and old employees; worked at various positions outside of maintenance; had changed his health habits; was more in love than ever (35 years married); and loved life. He was one of many.

This was the same program that caused four employees to leave the company. However, in helping people find themselves, we use a technique championed by Richard Bolles in his book, “What Color is Your Parachute?” Bolles’ approach is based upon finding your God-given gifts (your parachute) and understanding that you will be most satisfied in life if you are using and expanding them.

Through an exhaustive exercise of defining your skills, values, desires, expectations and possible jobs that fit your profile, you are able to evaluate and identify the gifts that you truly have. Gifts are skills and include writing, teaching, coaching, helping, accounting, working with your hands, planning and any of the remaining hundreds.

Next, you will discover where and when you use these most effectively: alone, in small groups, in large companies, inter-group, in startups, in structured environments, in nebulous situations, etc. Then, what types of people do you work best with? What company values do you seek? What location do you prefer geographically? Where is your family in all of this? (They are foremost.)

When you have worked through the exercises to discover these things about yourself, put down on paper the ideal job defined by the above factors. Then, describe how a typical day would go from the time you awoke, walking through the office door, the work day (interactions, using gifts, how you measured accomplishment, etc.), coming home and the evening activities.

So there you have it, a parachute with many colors. You are laying out a vision for your life. Have you thought about doing that? Isn’t it time to do so? Can you help your employees do the same? Maybe give each a copy of the book and workbook and have periodic sessions on finding yourself.

We had four who did so and discovered they were in the wrong company and line of work. I was personally humbled to have had that much effect on them and their families. Each has done very well since. It was a lesson for the company.

Remember, humility overrules pride.

Communicate to Change Your Culture

Article extract from ReliablePlant newsletter:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/28996/communicate-change-culture

In many of the articles and books that are published today, you see a great amount of improvements in different industries and companies using different methodologies and tools. Many times, it seems that if you use the same tools or methods, you should get the same results. This is not always the case. There is an underlying story to a company that excels in making improvements, and that is the culture. I like to think of the culture as the foundation to effective operation. Culture includes leadership, initiative, teamwork and all of the other nice words we love to throw out.

Webster’s defines culture as “All the knowledge and values shared by a society.” I think the interesting part of this definition is the word “shared.” Have you ever been in an environment where everyone seems anxious to pitch in and volunteer to help others accomplish projects? In these instances, everyone has a shared sense of purpose. Each one of them probably knows how important the others and their work are to the overall goal of the organization. This is a powerful motivator, especially when you understand that the success of the organization relies on everyone. That is also why organizations that are not doing very well normally have a very compartmentalized culture in which individuals think that others are “not important and should go away.”

I am not going to give you some five-step process that will change your culture. What I will give you is a simple piece of advice, and that is to start communicating … always. What I am saying is to communicate with everybody you deal with and find out what drives them to do what they do. Shared goals and attitudes are not just sent down from above but are also influenced by the bottom or true foundation of the organization. Remember that the deck-plate workers are the value-adding group for the company and should be a driving force to set the culture and communication. The management and executives should be the facilitators of the communication process.

You will find that programs and projects will start to run more efficiently, and the atmosphere will change. Keep in mind that this is not an overnight change. It will require time and hard work. Take a bite of humble pie and start talking to those around you to find out what their purpose is and where their beliefs are leading them.

Securing Your Future with Proactive Maintenance

Article extract from Machinery Lubrication newsletter:

One of my earliest mentors taught me there are essentially two types of business activity: present bank and future bank. In other words, there is activity that generates revenue this month or quarter (present bank), and there is activity that will generate revenue several quarters or even years down the track (future bank). Usually, the two activities are mutually exclusive.

Consider a rancher who wants to grow his herd through natural increase. Every female calf he keeps to add to his breeding stock is a deposit in his future bank, but it comes at a cost to his present bank - it’s a calf he cannot sell now. This means for the rancher, like most businesses, there’s an ever-present temptation to borrow from the future bank to improve present bank results. Therein lies the dichotomy: you can’t have it both ways.

Equipment operation is essentially a business activity, and the approach taken to its maintenance involves this present-bank/future-bank dichotomy. At a recent seminar I presented, a student described how very little predictive maintenance is done at the iron-ore mine where he works. Hydraulic components are changed out, and oil is dumped until problems go away. A hydraulic excavator worth $7 million digs $1 million of iron ore a day, so the largely unnecessary replacement of $90,000 worth of hydraulic components and $18,000 worth of hydraulic oil in a single day is tolerated and even encouraged to minimize downtime.

The Value of Proactive Maintenance

The cost of proactive maintenance is much different than that of preventive, predictive and breakdown maintenance. This is because you don’t actually have any kind of impending condition. Proactive maintenance is a vigilant activity of controlling things, as opposed to letting things fail on their own and then simply just changing out components or letting a breakdown occur.

This production-at-any-cost mentality is present bank over future bank in the extreme. There’s no doubt iron-ore miners are making hay at the moment, but theirs is a cyclical business. I remember the last mining recession very well. Miners were guarding every penny. When the current boom ends, these miners will have a real problem. They can’t just flick a switch and go from production at any cost to a lean and mean operation. Their legacy systems and workforce culture won’t allow it - not quickly anyway. They will pay a penalty for not making future-bank deposits to their maintenance systems, practices and people during the boom times.

This is not the only way present bank can be made to profit at the expense of future bank in a maintenance context. Another is borrowing from the future bank to reduce the initial capital outlay for an asset. This future-bank loan is subsequently repaid with interest as a result of less-than-optimum reliability over the useful life of the machine.

In the case of a hydraulic machine, the achievement of optimal maintenance and reliability outcomes is all too often compromised at the outset through bad or cheap design. Oil quality, tank size, filtration, installed cooling capacity, conductor size, connector type and component efficiency are just a few of the corners that are all too easy to cut in a race to the bottom on price.

95%	of lubrication professionals view proactive maintenance as an investment, according to a recent poll at machinerylubrication.com

Even a relatively well-designed (from a maintenance and reliability perspective) hydraulic machine will suffer from reliability issues if left to its own devices over time. This means optimal maintenance and reliability outcomes require a certain level of knowledge and intervention on the part of the end user. If these necessary maintenance interventions are deferred or omitted, the result once again is that present bank makes an increased profit at the expense of future bank.

When proactive maintenance is performed correctly and effectively, every dollar spent on it should come back with friends attached. This makes the expense a future-bank deposit. However, the present-bank/future-bank dichotomy means both discipline and resolve are needed to resist the natural skew to present-bank economics and to keep making these future-bank deposits in good times and in bad.

About the Author

Brendan Casey

Brendan Casey has more than 20 years experience in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of mobile and industrial equipment. For more information on reducing the operating cost and increasing the ... Read More

The saying goes: Change is the only constant in life

You may have read them at some point in your life that 50% start up companies doesn't go past the 5 years mark; up to 75% companies doesn't reach 10 years. Most of the more established companies also fail later in their life due to un-adaptability, which make the case for change a must!

I have walked into organisation with so much internal complains that it does themselves more harm than good. Do ask the complainers, are you part of the solution? If you're not, then you're part of the problem.

Complaining doesn't make a difference, if you don't make a difference to improve, then you are just part of the contributing problems.

First, the leader(s) would have to be a visionary. He would have to teach the organisation how to dream. Without a dream, without a vision, without knowing what they want to be and what they can be, they would not know how to get there.

Second, cost-cutting is so yester-years. Stop unnecessary cost-cutting. Invest in your people's development, coach the right leadership into them. Also, invest in implementation of efficient system that streamline and make work easier. Employees are your biggest asset, without them, your company is just a shell. Invest in them! Be very wary of managers who are cost-cutting experts, they are likely bringing the company to la-la land.

Third, remove those who don't embrace the improvement drive. Stop the blaming culture, stop it right there and then. Instill back ownership, instill back quality right from the top. It's not an employee's fault if he/she made a mistake, it's because your mismanagement of the system which allow him/her to make that mistake possible. In the era of huge generation gap, low population growth, high human resource turnover, the only thing that will stay there and do the job is the system. So it comes back again to invest on your system!

Fourth, reward competency, reward ownership, reward high-performance. Discourage blaming, discourage cost-cutting, and discourage poor workmanship. Only there and then, the hull will start to take a turn for the better.

A benchmark for the flexibility and adaptability of maintenance management system

Article below was extracted from:
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/28900/condition-monitoring-saving

Although the content is suppose to focus on the advantages of good condition monitoring, but pay attention to how maintenance parameters such as criticality, priority and frequency changes dynamically. Notice also the flexibility and adaptability of their system to cope with the dynamism. That is what I would consider a World Class Maintenance practice.

Saving Time and Money with Condition Monitoring

Andy Gailey    

A recent acoustic emission (AE) study identified a potential critical bearing failure that became a planned preventive action for a leading food manufacturer. This also avoided considerable cost and unplanned downtime.
The acoustic emission equipment and the main tool used during the planned inspection routes were manufactured by Holroyd Instruments. This example will show the value of this type of equipment in avoiding a major unplanned event that could have had massive cost consequences for the business. Collateral damage to the associated equipment would have proved very costly, and the lead time to rebuild could have caused extensive downtime that would have meant disgruntled customers not being able to rely on stock availability.
The story began in April 2010 when some initial elevated readings were noted at two node points on a large step-down transfer gearbox that were sampled on a seven-day routine. The distress readings were elevated and triggered the alarm level. They were of concern and evident on subsequent inspections. The third elevated reading that was part of an upward trend instigated a planned work order in the computerized maintenance-management system (CMMS) to investigate and take further action. This equipment could not be taken out of service lightly, as it was at the time constrained by high production demands. Experience with a sister line’s previous planned bearing change also played an important part in the escalation of the risk.

The input side of a transfer gearbox is shown with the output bearing node point on the left-hand side.
On more detailed inspections, it was determined that the bearing with the highest distress was indeed the suspected output bearing. Audible clicks were loud and clear at the output end bearing. The two bearings at the node locations were on the drive line of the motor at the input and output ends of the transfer gearbox. The adjacent bearings on the large, helical step-down gear were still reading low and had no audible clicks. The engineering manager was advised that there was an anomaly on one of the input bearings, that the others were in good condition and that production could continue with targeted condition monitoring. The routine oil sampling was increased from monthly to every two weeks. AE inspections were increased, with spectrum readings now on a four-day cycle. This would give some comparative evidence when the new bearings were eventually fitted.
The planned change of the bearing set was arranged with the production planner, maintenance manager and product specialist. It became clear that the equipment would have to operate for at least another six months until it became available. Contingency plans were formulated for an emergency change if any of the AE readings or oil samples showed advances toward failure. Warnings were issued that this could occur rapidly if the bearing failed. A new bearing set was purchased, and a meeting was scheduled with the bearing manufacturer to examine the used bearings when they were eventually changed in early 2011.
The AE readings stayed at an elevated level during this long waiting phase, and oil sample results showed no elevated readings in the key elements associated with roller bearing failures. During the weeks before renewal, many spectra were taken from all points of the gearbox for future evaluation. This would rule out frequencies from the oil pump and other components around the assembly. An AE envelope spectrum graph before the bearing change is shown below.

As can be seen, there was something creating a spike at 73Hz, which happened to match the frequency of the bearing race. This provided a clue that there was a race surface defect of some kind and not an element breaking down or the cage disintegrating.
The bearing change finally took place, and the production plant was turned around within 12 hours so that the equipment did not incur any unplanned downtime. The used bearing set was returned with the transfer gearbox, and the two units were degreased. On first inspection, they both looked similar and in good order. The elements and cages were then dismantled from the outer and inner races, with care taken to keep them in order and in the correct aspect for reassembly later.
It became clear that on the suspect output bearing, a major spall on the inner race had developed, and every element was pitted with the debris that had emitted. At this point, a representative from the bearing manufacturer was invited to visit and examine the bearings. He concurred that the bearings had lasted very well considering the atmosphere and heat in which they had operated for almost 10 years. This would be considered an end-of-lifetime mode of failure. It may have lasted many more months or could have accelerated to failure within days or weeks. The photograph below is of the spall that measured approximately 10 mm in length and 2.5 mm wide.

Spall damage to the race is shown above with feathered edges and surface pitting in the loaded area of the spalling. Note the next layer of material on the right-hand side that would have given way.
When the remedial work had been completed, additional spectrum samples were recorded and monitored to learn more. Carpet noise levels were lower, and the decibel scale was a third of the previous graph example. The maximum peak was now less than 0.4 decibels, while the carpet level was less than 0.2 decibels.
In conclusion, the systems and tools relied on every day proved effective in capturing this anomaly before it turned into a major event. The key to this was the full involvement of engineering with operations to plan in the remedial work with as little disruption as possible.
Among the lessons learned were that the inspection frequencies at seven-day intervals were correct for this critical plant, the preventive action was started at the earliest opportunity, the equipment enabled the pinpointing of the bearing fault, the audio facility allowed a second reference that linked rpm with the audible clicks and that this all gave sufficient evidence for the planned work to commence at the earliest opportunity.
Root-cause analysis was carried out directly after the bearing change was completed to investigate any future recommendations for servicing this equipment. It was decided that as the bearings had reached their end-of-life cycle, there was no need to alter any future planned maintenance. Condition monitoring with AE had provided the confidence to pick up any anomalies at a very early stage in the curve.

The "micro-skill" that drives Change in Culture

A good article from Reliable Plant newsletter in regards to Change.
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/28886/communicating-effectively-change
Communicating Effectively During Change

Dave Berube, Life Cycle Engineering

I have never been known to be musically inclined, but I can recognize a great song when I hear one. One of these great songs is “I Heard It through the Grapevine.” This particular song has been recorded and re-recorded numerous times over the years by many different artists, and although it may bring thoughts of animated raisins to people in my generation, it is more closely associated with Marvin Gaye.
“Oh, I heard it through the grapevine,
Oh, and I’m just about to lose my mind,
Honey, honey, yeah.”
Just as the grapevine in this song had a strong impact, the communication grapevine remains an extremely powerful medium for corporate communications. The effectiveness of grapevine communication and its use – both intentional and unintentional – should not be ignored.
When coaching clients during major change initiatives, we continuously stress the importance of effective communication. Experience has shown that clients who struggle to communicate also struggle to successfully implement major change. Even post-project analysis of very successful projects often finds the company could have communicated more frequently and effectively at some point in the project.

One of the key success factors in successfully implementing a major change initiative is creating a comprehensive change-management strategy and then integrating it into the project-management plan. Creating a communication plan is one of the most critical elements contained within this change-management strategy. In this plan you identify target audiences, determine key messages, choose the preferred sender and select the appropriate communication channel for that message.
The majority of communication channels typically chosen are formal communication channels. The communication channel that is often forgotten is the informal communication channel, and this brings us to the topic of the infamous grapevine.

So what is the grapevine, how does it work and how can you use it to effectively communicate during major change? I am sure that the grapevine is as old as time itself, but I will discuss its context within modern organizations.

Grapevine Decoded

Every organization has both an informal and formal organizational structure as well as formal and informal communications. Simply stated, the grapevine is a type of informal communication channel. It’s all about people communicating directly with other people outside official channels of communication.

Your background and experience influence how you view concepts. For example, my background in electronics and submarine nuclear power often leads me to relate concepts to equations to enhance understanding. Personal experiences over the years related to the grapevine can also be translated and simplified into an equation to help us understand how the grapevine works. The amount of communication or “chatter” on the grapevine can be explained by the following equation:
Grapevine Chatter = Information Void + WIIFM + Recent News + Insecurity

Information Void

The laws of supply and demand apply equally to grapevine chatter and economics. An information void exists when the information demanded exceeds the information supplied. The supply and the demand of the information are not defined by the organization but by the individual person who desires the information. An information void will be filled with something – either rumors or valid information. The larger the information void, the greater the amount of chatter in the grapevine.

WIIFM

What’s in it for me (WIIFM) seems to show up in many places when we are talking about organizational change. Regardless of the situation, when change occurs our natural tendency is to translate this into a WIIFM context. This is what you are listening for. How does this change affect me, my pay, my family, my free time, etc.? Whether that WIIFM is good or bad, it creates a vested interest. When people have a vested interest, they will want information. The greater the impact on WIIFM, the greater the amount of chatter on the grapevine.

Recent News

Many organizations are stunned at how breaking news hits the grapevine at breakneck speed. Even something as simple as an office remodeling (occurring in our offices right now) can generate significant grapevine chatter. The fresher the story, the greater the chatter on the grapevine.

Insecurity

The impact of the WIIFM factor is exponentially compounded by the level of insecurity that exists. The greater the amount of insecurity that exists within the organization, the greater the amount of chatter that will exist on the grapevine. For example, with the current fragile state of the economy, one can easily see how this factor can become extremely high.

Rumors

As stated earlier, an information void will be filled. When the desire for information is high and the number of facts that are known is low, the number of rumors flying is huge. Most of us have experienced this firsthand, and sometimes it is not a pretty sight. Regaining control of information in the midst of flying rumors is extremely difficult. The longer a rumor is allowed to fly, the more difficult it is to replace it with valid information. While some people try to fight rumor with rumor, the only effective way to combat rumor is with facts. When a large number of rumors exist, an even larger number of facts must be communicated to combat the rumors.

Leveraging the Grapevine

Knowing the factors that make up grapevine chatter – information voids, WIIFM, recent news and insecurity – you can proactively intervene with frequent and effective communication. Fill information voids with accurate information before rumors materialize. Proactively communicate when breaking news is expected. When information (such as impending mergers and acquisitions) is about to be communicated, be prepared and react quickly after the message is released. When communicating change initiatives, ensure that you communicate the impact of the change on the individual.

Addressing the factors associated with grapevine chatter can minimize but never totally eliminate the amount of informal communication occurring. However, by better understanding the grapevine, you can successfully leverage it as part of your overall communication strategy.
One of the tenets of a good communication strategy is evaluating the effectiveness of your communication. This is accomplished by obtaining feedback. What better way to gather feedback than to take advantage of an existing channel of communication?

Tapping into the Grapevine

Over the course of my career, I have been able to tap into the grapevine at your typical places — the water cooler (scuttlebutt in Navy terminology), the coffee pot and the smoke break area. Tapping into the grapevine is not normally achieved overnight. Grapevine communicators are a very selective bunch. They will not share all information with everyone. There must be some level of relationship and trust established, and building relationships and trust takes time. To accomplish this, you must get out of the office, talk to people and most of all listen.

But while the traditional grapevine is thought of as being a face-to-face or oral type of communication, this is no longer the case. Advances in technology and recent trends in social networking have significantly transformed the modern grapevine. Informal communication now occurs through email, texting, Twitter and on social-networking sites such as Facebook.
Implementing major change in an organization is a complex and challenging task. In the end, creating organizational change is about cumulatively creating change in individuals. Successfully leading major change requires successfully leading individuals. To successfully lead individuals through change, you must be able to communicate effectively. You must find new ways to connect to people and communicate in every imaginable way. That includes tapping into the grapevine. Without it, you just might lose your mind. Honey, honey, yeah.

About the Author
Dave Berube, a senior consultant for Life Cycle Engineering (LCE), has more than 30 years of experience in leadership and management. His expertise includes behavioral change management, project management and development, and process improvement within various types of organizations. You can reach Dave at dberube@LCE.com.