Control

1. Control Plan:
A control plan was prepared to ensure  the improvements made would be sustained following implementation.  The control plan consists of the following aspects;

This acted as an aid to assign actions and track their completion.  I found wk 14-wk 16 extremely busy trying to get actions completed myself and to also follow up with others on their actions.  I spent a lot more time on this phase of the project than originally forecast. I have captured this in the lessons learned section below.

Documents to support the new standard:
All documents to support the new standard were finalised and approved in wk 14.  Prior to this project being completed, there were 10 different SOP's in relation to assembly/disassembly, which was confusing for staff within the area.  On completion of the project there is now only 1 assembly and 1 disassembly SOP. These have been made more visual and easier for employees to understand. 

Feedback on these new improved SOP's has been excellent.  Because the SOP's are so visual and standardised they are easy to follow.  These SOP's were used as an aid when training all crews on the new standard.

Train the Trainer with Subject Matter Expert
I carried out a training session with each of the production guys that were on the Kaizen team.  The purpose of this session was to introduce the TWI (Training Within Industry) method to them and to go through the sequence of the training they would deliver to each of their shifts.

"Training Within Industry (TWI) is a set of learning disciplines and problem solving tools that enable people doing work to effectively create, improve, train and sustain standard work, while increasing productivity through problem-solving.” 
Ref http://www.twilearningpartnership.com/about_round_pond_consulting_serv.asp
You can find more information on TWI at the above link. 


Training sessions for Production crews 
The training sessions delivered were based on the TWI method.  The training was carried out as a 1:1 training session with each production member for 4 hours.  You can see the method and sequence in the slides below;

It was the first time this method was used and the feedback on the training was really positive. It highlighted how critical following the new standard is, as this training was a huge investment of time for the company.

Trial of the new Standard
I conducted a trial on the standards developed and the 5S mats with a production team member and the production support engineer.  The trial followed the same sequence as the training.  The purpose of this trial was to ensure the mats were fit for purpose and the standard sequence flowed correctly.  This was also an opportunity to time each phase of the process, which has assisted in the cost saving/improvements achieved analysis.

You can see a picture of the 5s mats below, these are now in use during the comprehensive clean process which involves, disassembly, cleaning & assembly.

Engineering Equipment Picture Library
Every part was inspected and pictures taken to store in a picture library.  These will be used as a reference point to monitor damage to equipment going forward.  Following the training, trial and launch of the standard, the engineering department are confident we have achieved our goal in reducing spend on parts/equipment repairs and replacements.  This will be monitored on a monthly basis as part of routine engineering equipment checks.

Adherence to the new Standard
We are using the PDCA - Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle to ensure the standard is adhered to and improved when necessary.  Now the standard has been developed and all of the crews have been trained we must ensure that adherence is checked and monitored by the production supervisors.  If the standard is not being followed we must find out why by using RCA and VOC.  The standard will be continually updated to ensure we have the most accurate and best practise methods to complete the process. 

The checks will be carried out as per the below diagram.  This will now become part of the production supervisors, manager's & Director's standard work.  A check sheet was prepared for use during each GEMBA, this will document the process step number and whether it was followed by the production team member. 

You can see the list of roles and responsibilities in the table below to ensure adherence to the standard.

SPC Charts to monitor comprehensive clean times

SPC charts are being used to record the time taken for each comprehensive clean. These are live documents and are being filled in manually by the production team member.  These will be reviewed to monitor progress on the reduction of comprehensive clean times.  If a time is recorded above or below the control limits a comment must be made and an action taken if required.  These are now in use and times have been recorded, which has enabled me to forecast the success/result of the project.

KPI  to monitor adherence to the standard
The following KPI will be updated following a review of the GEMBA Check sheets.  Target for compliance is 100%.  If the target is not reached SMART actions will be taken following RCA & VOC.

The data for the graph above will be entered into the following excel template.

5s Audit sheet & KPI

General 5s will be monitored within the process room to ensure parts/tools are not missing and there is a high level of housekeeping in the area. These audits will be carried out at the beginning and end of every shift by a member of the production crew.  Target for compliance to the 5s standard is 97%. SMART actions should be taken when the KPI is off target.

2. Cost Saving Calculations:
I forecast the cost savings with the assistance of Engineering, Production and the Director of Operational Excellence/EHS - who is the project sponsor.  Following the cost saving analysis we believe the project has achieved its goals and been successful.

3. Lessons Learned
I conducted a lessons learned exercise with the team and project stakeholders on completion of the project.  You can see them listed below;

• Having a manager on the team was a major benefit
• The Kaizen room was a great location to conduct all the document updates, meetings and training sessions
• The team should have been given more notice about their involvement in the project
• The team worked well together - having a cross functional group for future projects is recommended
• Going forward, training time should be included in the original project brief that is submitted into the company PPM (Project Portfolio Management) system
• Would allow more time to get actions completed following the Kaizen event as the last few weeks were very pressurized trying to get actions over the line.

Feedback from Production staff 
Following the implementation of the project, I conducted a VOC exercise with the production staff.  The purpose of this exercise was to get their feedback on the improvements made.  I grouped their comments which you can see below;

• Worth carrying out similar project in all process rooms
• Well managed and communicated project
• Happy with Engineering solutions for difficult tasks
• Small parts aren't going missing - don't spend hours looking for a nut/bolt
• SOP's really easy to follow and work well as training aid - especially for new employees
• Crews are taking more care with the parts
• The material of the mats is quite tacky so it takes time to lay them out, but once they are on the trolleys they work well
• Positive impact on changeover times
• Every task is standardised which makes it easy to do it the right way
• The transfer of engineering task to production has reduced change over time
• Could the SOP's be developed for two people working together in tandem? - (this is something CI are looking into following this query)

Overall I am extremely happy with the outcome of the project.  I have learned a lot over the last few months, especially in the use of the tools.  There was a lot of interest in the project as it was part of the companies PPM - (Project Portfolio Management) system; therefore I believe this has been a really good development opportunity for me.  I'm now looking forward to the next one :-)