Maintain industry standards with process management: From drift to discipline

Process management is the key tool in management to realize efficient processes with predictable results. In my 38 years in manufacturing nothing has had more business impact. It is worthless to know a best practice and not have the organizational discipline to execute it consistently.

Following standards is a massive organizational challenge. Most fail. Failure does not occur with an intentional decision to not follow a standard; but rather, organizations “drift” from a standard over time. Procedures and standards are often tribal knowledge in an organization; but employees change due to attrition, change roles within the organization, or seek shortcuts to save time/eliminate waste as knowledge of the “why” of a procedure/standard fades into history. Management does not escape blame for drift; they stop auditing, training, or commenting on a process standard.

What does this have to do with maintenance and reliability? In my experience, maintenance is 30 years behind operations in controlling drift. Who is tracking your lubrication compliance to the standard? The right lube, at the right time, applied with precision, and in the right quantity. Is this being audited by a second party? Are you sampling the grease to ensure it continues to meet specification? Is your “audit” just a checkmark on a PM sheet?

Excellence comes from discipline, and discipline emerges from a process that is audited to prevent drift. Examples of application to maintenance: the planning process, kitting process, outage execution process, preventative maintenance tasks, wrench time, motor management, bearing and belt installation. Management must decide which processes are to be managed to deliver the business goals.

We are overworked now; how can we find the time to audit standards? This is the trap! The work you are doing not to standard today is causing tomorrow’s failures. What could your employees be innovating or improving if they were not moving from crisis to crisis every day?

Doing a job right and holding these standards through time will rapidly deliver long-term stability and a lower cost. The key to process management is to strive to have everyone be the owner of a process by segmenting the critical practices down to very small yet critical processes. In this state, everyone is “watching” their small slice of the business highlighting problems and opportunities.

Process Management Details

I'm going to use the example of a car wash business for simplicity. 

Process Manager - this is the person in the organization that is tasked with the responsibility to control the selected process. Process managers have lots of freedom to act and create, but all follow the same outline.  

Specific Accountabilities of the Process Manager  

1. Document and graph output measures (results) critical to your process. Calculate statistical upper and lower control limits and place these on the graph. Place internal specifications on the graph. Completing these tasks, the system is graded "RED" – tracking output measures.
   • Car wash examples: first time through clean cars; % of windshields with no bugs; Dollars of car damage per month.
2.  Document and graph which plant input variables impact or determine the output variables above. Calculate statistical upper and lower control limits and place these on a graph. 
   • Car wash examples: pressure drop across water filters; concentration of soap solution.
3. Training: Create, maintain, and communicate to all stakeholders all documents outlining work procedures required to maintain process control.
4. Execute and record critical weekly (or appropriate frequency) shop floor audits to ensure craftsmen standard work is being completed on time and with precision.
   • Car wash example: the PM observes soap concentration three times a week.
   • Car wash example: the PM verifies the rinse solution pressure three times per week.
   • Completing steps 1, 2, 3, and 4, the system is graded "YELLOW" – tracking input variables.
   • To achieve “GREEN” Status – short-term process control: three months in a row with 100% output measures and 100% input variable graphs being in control and in specification.
   • To achieve “PURPLE” Status – long-term process control: 12 months in a row with 100% output measures and 100% input variable graphs being in control and in specification. 
5. Change Control - The PM is accountable for getting approvals for all process changes.
   • Car wash example: PM wishes to change the soap concentration from 5.1% to 4.9%.
6. Corrective Actions - The PM is accountable for documenting all corrective actions to the process from non-compliance to standards to performance numbers being out of control or company standards.
   • Car wash example: random PM audit found 2 of 3 process variables not in compliance.

Quality System Manager (QSM) - this role owns and has expert knowledge of the process management system in total and acts as a coach and guide to creating robust process managers. This role also conducts routine audits of the managed systems to ensure integrity and compliance; typically, monthly. The results of these audits are summarized each month and communicated to the plant leadership team.

Specific Accountabilities of the Quality System Manager

1. Own the standards (which are documented) for process management, as well as standards and systems for document control, change control and corrective actions. This includes requirements for advancing a managed process from Blank (no progress) to Red (tracking output measures) to Yellow (tracking input variables) to Green (Short term process control) to Purple (long term process control).
2. Act as a teacher and coach to all process managers.
3. Act as an auditor of all managed processes.
4. Own summary reports to sponsor(s) of the status of all managed processes.  

Sponsor - this role is at least one layer higher in the organization than the assigned process manager, such as Production Manager. This is an active role where the process management system is discussed in meetings, emails and in performance reviews/expectations. The sponsor also audits process manager systems at least once a quarter.  

Specific Accountabilities of the Sponsor

1. Know and communicate the business case for the process to be managed.
2. Consistently support the actions of process managers.
3. Participate in periodic audits of managed processes (each process once per quarter recommended.
4. Knock down barriers to success for PMs.
5. Set expectations for QSM.
6. Work with the QSM to develop a routine process to recognize the best process managers.  
7. Make organizational changes necessary to create a process discipline culture exist at the plant.

Be careful not to make the processes too large and complicated. Just 30 minutes to two hours a week is the total time required per managed process. Car wash examples:

• Good - Windshield not cleaned on the 1st pass.
• Bad - car cleaned first pass.

See the difference? The latter is too vague. It includes all quality issues with a car wash: dirty wheels, bugs on bumpers, cleanliness of all windows. Right size the process to be managed to make an impact to the business without overwhelming the process manager with problems.

I detailed a plant wide process management system above. However, you can implement this yourself in your department or as an individual. Hoping tomorrow will be better is not a plan. Stability begins with managing one process; how about yours?