To speak as concretely as possible, a short tour of the company is often recommended.
The aim is to jointly determine the scope where improvements are possible.

The first week of an analysis we determine:

• employee productivity
• the time distribution and management skills of the managers
• if machine-driven: downtime, speed and quality losses from which we determine the machine efficiency (OEE))
  We do this by following employees (and possibly the machines they operate) and managers during entire shifts.
  In case of losses, we determine the causes, we look at how the losses are tackled (on the spot or in meetings).
• We map the core process on the basis of live documents and indicate bottlenecks
• We look at how things are planned (work and people) and what the reports are like. We also indicate the bottlenecks here
• We attend a few consultation moments to see how the deviations from the floor are tackled.
• During the entire analysis, we not only look at what happens within a department, but also at how the departments work together.

The second week of an analysis:

• We proceed with floor studies to confirm the estimated opportunity with a sufficiently representative sample
• We work out a project plan to realize the savings potential in line with your strategy
• We present our findings.

Finally, you decide whether or not to accept our project proposal.

Streamlining Processes

Part of the improvements come from streamlining (or reengineering if necessary) the processes.

Mapping processes and their interactions

Together with process owners, we map out the relevant processes (e.g., sales order entry, planning, work preparation, production, maintenance, logistics, finance).

Identifying bottlenecks and devising solutions

We identify and address non-value-adding time and activities, as well as avoidable waste in all processes.

We involve the process owners as much as possible.

Because we take the time to delve into how each department operates, we often discover that the assumptions underlying their operations are outdated, incomplete, or incorrect. In many companies, processes have evolved historically and may have once worked well in the past. When insufficient consideration has been given to the needs of internal or external customers in shaping work methods, there is room for improvement. Each department typically has a consistent internal logic. Thanks to our outsider role, we can address counterproductive working methods across departmental boundaries. Based on the mapped processes, we facilitate the constructive resolution of interdepartmental bottlenecks through collaboration between department leaders.

Daring to look inward as well

Once we have resolved a few bottlenecks between departments, we examine what is going wrong within the departments themselves. As we have visibility over all processes and have already addressed some frustrations and bottlenecks across departments, the willingness usually grows to also identify and resolve issues within one’s own department.

Implementing and embedding

If necessary, new working methods are first tested. Any gaps that arise during this are addressed. Through an action plan, it is agreed who will do what by when to successfully implement the new method. If possible, the old method is rendered unusable.

Organizational Structure

We review the organizational structure and advise if we believe a different structure would enhance the organization’s performance.

If applicable, we propose a better organizational structure with clear responsibilities for each manager, a well-defined job description, and a span of control in line with industry benchmarks.

Management System

A management system anchors the missing management behavior.

Even if the processes are streamlined, management must still intervene with the right tools when things go wrong.

A management system helps plan, monitor, and report (plan versus actual) the relevant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) at the appropriate frequency, depending on the hierarchical level.

To help the organization proactively address deviations from reporting, an appropriate meeting structure is implemented. The goal is to address deviations at the correct hierarchical level. Using action plans, it is agreed who takes which action by when.

Work-to-time relationship and accepted reasonable expectations

• Develop activity lists based on the new processes
• Determine and agree on reasonable expectations through observations together with supervisors – stripped of all lost time
• The correct number of resources is determined based on the planned workload and reasonable expectations
• Develop and implement operational plan/actual reporting for all levels of the hierarchy

Training and Coaching

Coaching leaders

In addition to streamlining processes and developing a high-performing management system, the human factor must be addressed. After all, the new way of working must be embraced by the organization. For this reason, we work with the involved leaders from the very beginning.

We coach leaders in management skills (people management) and in using the management system to manage their departments. This is done through workshops and on-the-job coaching. This also includes identifying and eliminating lost time from their departments’ operations and jointly establishing reasonable expectations.

We place strong emphasis on basic management skills for frontline leaders

In all our projects, we aim to instill a mindset shift necessary for achieving sustainable results.

We use management techniques such as Lean Manufacturing, Total Productive Maintenance, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen, 5S, OEE, SMED, and other methodologies based on facts and figures.

While these techniques are useful, none of them provide a solution for all problems.

If the basic management skills of frontline leaders are lacking, these techniques offer little benefit.

If there are insufficient tools to monitor the processes and if the right people management skills are missing at the management level, then further streamlining of processes is pointless.