Shop floor management

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The English term "shop floor" translated into German means workshop or production. The term "management" is understood to mean all management and leadership tasks for the provision of services. From this derivation, the term shop floor management is understood to mean the management and management tasks of a production facility. Furthermore, shop floor management can be seen as an instrument for “management at the point of value creation”.

The visualization or reporting of key figures is not new and has been used in various variations for several decades. In larger companies, the visualization boards are usually limited to production. Visualization boards result in a number of disadvantages. On the one hand, the numbers are not transparent with regard to their number base and calculation. On the other hand, the key figures cannot be influenced by the employees and those involved can often only react to a problem instead of acting. In addition, there is no feedback on the key figures. "With a well-functioning shop floor management, all workplace-specific information is available in such a way that even an outsider can quickly get an overview of the tasks, processes and goals of the team."

"Shop floor management is not just a controlling tool, but a holistic management instrument".

Shop floor management and visual management

Visual management

Shop floor management is closely linked to the production environment and has proven itself as a management tool in production. The reason for this is that the main focus of improvement measures in almost all companies was initially on production. In the course of time, however, one recognized the considerable potential for improvement in the administrative areas. For this reason, forms of shop floor management have developed into the administrative areas over time. A distinction must be made here between administrative processes with predominantly repetitive activities (office floor management) and project activities (engineering floor management). These variations can be summarized under the term "visual management".

The parts

Components of shop floor management

In shop floor management, the focus is not only on the visualization of key figures. Rather, it consists of several elements. There are overlaps in the statements in the literature. However, additional elements are also mentioned again and again. Peters analyzed various companies that use the shop floor management method and came to the following conclusion: “Pioneering companies concentrate (...) on four central elements. It's about leading on-site, recognizing deviations, solving problems sustainably and optimizing the use of resources ”. Kim Flores summarized the core elements of this method as follows: Transparency in the form of key figure systems with a visualization of the actual and the target state is a central component. Organized and structured cooperation between managers and goal-oriented problem solving are also mentioned as elements of this method. Suzaki completes the statements made with good communication between those involved (management and employees), an operational understanding of the customer, the ability of all employees to learn and the pursuit of the highest quality.

guide

The element of leadership is assigned as one of the most crucial roles in the context of shop floor management. The lean approach therefore places three elementary requirements on management:

  • Hansei
  • Genchi Genbutsu & Gemba
  • Hoshin Kanri

Hansei - The need for self-reflection and an open error culture. At Hansei it is about refraining from accusations and developing a positive culture of error. Against this background, errors should be seen as treasures that offer the opportunity for continuous improvement and further development.

Genchi Genbutsu & Gemba - The leadership of the employees on the spot. It is to be understood as a clear request to the executives to be more often at the place of the action, i.e. in the production (Gemba). The managers should again seek proximity to the shop floor in order to exchange more information with the employees (communication, knowledge transfer) and to develop a better understanding of the cause of the problem when finding solutions. In addition, the managers should perform their role as coach and mentor on site.

Hoshin Kanri - Directional leadership with visionary goals from above. Hoshin Kanri or Policy Deployment is ultimately a goal management system that is used to break down the long-term goals of a corporate vision and the short and medium-term goals of a company into all areas, departments and teams. This is achieved by concentrating on a few demanding breakthrough goals, derived from the vision, and then aligning the entire company to transparent and uniform goals. In the last step, the goals (in terms of time and content) are specified on the lowest levels. The Hoshin approach also strengthens communication and collaboration between the hierarchical levels. Hoshin Kanri consists of three central elements:

  • Daily Management,
  • Cross-functional management
  • Hoshin management

The daily management gives the employees clear goals. The cross-functional management regulates the coordination and alignment of the goals of the individual areas and the Hoshin management aligns all areas and activities according to the corporate goals. In addition to the coordination in middle management, the key figures are coordinated beyond the own area with the help of interface representatives.

communication

Communication is closely linked to the management of employees. "If you want to lead, you have to communicate". The close connection does not change the fact that communication forms a separate supporting pillar of office floor management. Good communication is essential to avoid misunderstandings. This communication takes place at eye level and at the place where the action is, the shop floor. It is important to promote and coach employees' self-management skills. One instrument are Socratic questions, in which the employees are guided by the manager and stimulated to think. With the application of these questions a feeling is created in the employees, in which the employees can claim the success of the solution for themselves. “Getting asked a good question can help employees put information together, evaluate existing ideas and generate new ideas.” Communication is also an important factor in this respect, as the manager can get information firsthand. In this way, decisions can be linked more closely to the local situation. It is not only the communication between the manager and the employees that is decisive, but there must also be regular communication with the interfaces. Possible problems in the process flow can be addressed immediately and resolved as quickly as possible with the regular presence of the interface representatives. Without regular communication, it is unlikely to deliver the required information at the right time, with the least amount of resources and in the required quality.

Visualization

Every employee on the management board should be able to answer the following questions:

  • What is the job and what are the goals of the team?
  • Which key figures are used to measure these?
  • How high is the deviation of the actual state from the target state?
  • Which processes are running and which problems are there?
  • Which improvement steps / measures are planned?

The basis of the visualization used in this context are key figures. “Key figures should reflect relevant relationships in a condensed, quantitatively measurable form.” The number of visualized key figures should be limited to the bare essentials. They can have both control and information tasks. "Company goals that are consistently broken down across the process levels [as defined key figures] (Hoshin Kanri) support the effectiveness of the SFM immensely, since the focus is clearly on the contribution of the processes to the achievement of goals and thus gives the processes in everyday life a customer-relevant orientation." As a result, those key figures must be visualized on the board that align the business area with the company's goals, decisive for the subsequent customers of the process and those that are to be viewed as observational values, i.e. That is, highlight potential problems or obstacles. The SMART principle provides orientation for collecting key figures . The selected key figures must then meet the following requirements. These must be selected specifically and clearly (S = specific). They must be measurable (M = measurable) and accepted by all employees (A = accepted). The target / limit values ​​must be realistic (R = realistic). In addition, every goal has a realistic specification for implementation (T = timely). The key figures can be broken down in different ways. One possible representation is the following:

  • S - standard (security and standard)
  • Q - Quality
  • C - Cost
  • D - Delivery (dates)
  • P - People

Structured problem solving

A systematic approach is a prerequisite for sustainable and structured problem solving. The goal is not to implement complicated methods, but to introduce methods that are independent of the level of education of the employees. The development towards independent problem solving is a learning process that goes beyond the implementation of a training course. The PDCA cycle published by WE Deming serves as the basis for all problem-solving processes. In its basic form, this cycle represents a never-ending improvement process and is divided into four recurring steps. The first step is the planning phase (plan), the second step is to try out the changed solution (do). In the next step, the implemented improvement measures are checked and assessed (check) and in the fourth step the learning successes are evaluated and then acted on.

Continuous improvement process (CIP)

CIP is a central component and prerequisite for implementing a lean culture in a company. This way of thinking thus also forms the basis of the shop floor management method presented here. The CIP method originally comes from Japanese and is known under the term KAIZEN. KAIZEN means (kai = change, zen = the good) change for the better and is intended to force a never-ending improvement process. KAIZEN, with the associated type of process-oriented thinking versus Western innovation and result-oriented thinking, is the decisive difference between Japanese and Western management. The introduction of a lean culture means changing the mindset of employees, but also, above all, of managers. The aim is to build a learning organization with continuous training of managers and employees, direct use of what has been learned and measurement of the results with simultaneous transparency.

literature

  • Péter Horváth: Controlling. 12th edition, Franz Vahlen, Munich 2012.
  • Masaaki Imai, Franz Nitsch: Kaizen. the key to the success of the Japanese in competition. 3rd and 4th complete Edition Wirtschaftsverlag Langen Müller / Herbig, Munich 1992.
  • Berndt Jung u. a .: 8D and 7STEP. Solve problems systematically. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-446-42571-2 .
  • Claudia Kostka, Sebastian Kostka: Continuous improvement process. Methods of CIP. 5th edition, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011.
  • Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, ISBN 978-3-932298-39-4 .
  • Andreas Reitz: Lean TPM. A lean management system in 12 steps - Effective processes for all areas of the company - Increased competitiveness through CIP - Measure success with the Lean TPM Scorecard. Mi economic book, Munich 2009.
  • Kiyoshi Suzaki: The untapped potential. New management in production. Carl Hanser Verlag Munich / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-446-17607-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, p. 217
  2. ^ A b Claudia Kostka, Sebastian Kostka: Continuous improvement process. Methods of CIP. 5th edition, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011, p. 126
  3. ↑ Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, p. 59
  4. ↑ Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, p. 39
  5. ↑ a b Kim Flores: Shop Floor Management. Quality management and quality assurance , QZ-online.de, accessed on November 23, 2015
  6. ↑ Kiyoshi Suzaki: The unused potentials. New management in production. Carl Hanser Verlag Munich / Vienna 1994, p. 32
  7. ↑ Andreas Reitz: Lean TPM. A lean management system in 12 steps - Effective processes for all areas of the company - Increased competitiveness through CIP - Measure success with the Lean TPM Scorecard. Mi-Wirtschaftsbuch, Munich 2009, p. 269 f.
  8. ↑ Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, p. 65
  9. ↑ a b Remco Peters: Shop Floor Management. Leadership at the place of value creation. LOG_X, Stuttgart 2009, p. 66
  10. ^ A b Péter Horváth: Controlling. 12th edition, Franz Vahlen, Munich 2012, p. 499
  11. ↑ Berndt Jung u. a .: 8D and 7STEP. Solve problems systematically. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011, p. 9 f.
  12. ↑ Berndt Jung u. a .: 8D and 7STEP. Solve problems systematically. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011, p. 10
  13. ↑ Masaaki Imai, Franz Nitsch: Kaizen. the key to the success of the Japanese in competition. 3rd and 4th complete Edition Wirtschaftsverlag Langen Müller / Herbig, Munich 1992, p. 15
  14. ^ Claudia Kostka, Sebastian Kostka: Continuous improvement process. Methods of CIP. 5th edition, Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2011, p. 26