Progress

So today, I had the plant manager ask a couple of things....what is our containment?

A few different ways that I can ask that question are like this; "What are we doing that gives us assurance that the processes are successful? How do we know that when we hand something off that they are complete and accurate?"

Here are some of the thoughts that I have that I can use to answer this question.
-We have to first establish a clear expectation of what the process should be. Then we need to ensure that it is repeatable and consistent. Then we need to identify what the triggers are, meaning; How does the next process in line identify that they are missing something or how do I as a supplier identify that my processes have been complete and accurate? The second component of that question is the preferred method. It's better for me as a supplier be able to identify what's missing then for my customer does it. It's just like Ikea, when you go and buy a dresser, you don't want to have to go back and tell them "You missed a few screws and a drawer face". That's just bad business. But there is a slight difference here, the two processes that I am thinking about are 2 highly integrated functions and ultimately a line. It will make more sense to have which ever department has the capacity to so the "check" and then create the necessary feedback loop.

My answer to the above question tomorrow will be: We've created a report that will tell us when a date is complete and when you should be expecting the parts. We will distribute this report daily. Further to that, we currently have a reports in the system that tell us what the open orders are and the difference between the 2 is what we need to follow up on. The reports will require time and updates to standard work.

Evidence that I made a small change today in the way I communicate to my piers was this; Instead of saying "We need a task to make sure that we can Cancel orders and Expedite for customer requests"...I changed that to "There is a risk still outstanding that we cannot cancel orders and we cannot expedite for customer requests." I think that there is a huge difference in the 2 ways of saying it. Oh...there's another question I can ask to delve deeper into processes or problems..."What are the risks that you are currently aware of or that may arise?"