DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION

Tool: Visualization

Challenge & Selection:

Visualization is a great tool that helps a person to convey his/her ideas to the stakeholders

and in turn get their views as well. I also believe that visualization is a great technique to avoid

any kind misunderstanding in a group project and everyone can put their ideas clearly on the

table. This helps a lot since it is important to clearly understand the problem before beginning

any project. Visualization also plays a significant role, when a diverse group of people are

being addressed.

During my apparel internship, I was given a project to improve the quality of outputs of all

the assembly line in the shirt manufacturing factory. After identifying the types of defects and

calculating the DHU% (Defects per hundred units), we made a possible cause and effect

diagram which showed that the checkers of each assembly were ignorant of the defects and

were not able to grasp the idea of quality as a significant role in production. Hence, there was

need for training not just the checkers but also their supervisors. The challenge that I faced

was to convey the idea to both the managers and the checkers (many of whom were not

literate), that quality is as important an aspect as meeting production targets, before actually

starting to improve quality of the outputs.

Application:

The main aim of their training was to discuss with the assembly line checkers and managers

that why quality is important, and above all how can they be benefitted by the same. Before

I started the session a video was shown to the participants in order to understand the basics

of quality and how small steps taken can lead to big profitable changes. In the training session

fundamentals were discussed with help of comic characters and different photographs taken

by me, of their working process and the defects that were occurring again and again. Then

the participants were asked to identify the defects in the given samples. A major issue that

was raised during these sessions was that in order to complete their targets for the day, they

often missed many defects. Upcoming sessions all of us put combined efforts in devising

various ways through which these defects can be identified in limited time frame. This was

done by first preparing an inspection process for each part of the shirt and in order to make

this clearly understandable the checkers were encouraged to prepare a pictorial process chart

of the same. The same was displayed near their workstations. Checkers were encouraged to

draw the corrects diagrams of different parts of the shirt, and then with help of quality

technicians we developed work aids for them to speed up their checking process.

Insight:

Overall the results were tremendous, efficiency of checkers was improved, they were better

equipped to do their job, and DHU% reduced drastically. By visualizing every step of this

training, the entire quality team was able to overcome many obstacles and were now better

aware for the issues that might come their way in the future. Also, the Visual Tool was so

successful that the factory management thought to use it in its other departments as well

including the cutting and finishing departments. Another important step that they took was

to hold meetings where the entire quality team participated and the visual tool became an

imperative part of it!

Approach:

After witnessing the results, I realised that involving the checkers from the beginning could

have resulted in even better understanding of the issues faced by them, by me and the

management as well. Also, many of them were not comfortable with the idea of giving

interviews, which also made me realise of asking them to submit illustrations of quality

related issues that they faced on a regular basis. This approach will be considered by the

managers at the factory for other departments.


DESIGN THINKING FOR INNOVATION Tool : Visualization Challenge & Selection : Visualization is a great tool that helps a person to convey his / her ideas to the stakeholders and in turn get their views as well . I also believe that visualization is a great technique to avoid any kind misunderstanding in a group project and everyone can put their ideas clearly on the table . This helps a lot since it is important to clearly understand the problem before beginning any project . Visualization also plays a significant role , when a diverse group of people are being addressed . During my apparel internship , I was given a project to improve the quality of outputs of all the assembly line in the shirt manufacturing factory . After identifying the types of defects and calculating the DHU% ( Defects per hundred units ) , we made a possible cause and effect diagram which showed that the checkers of each assembly were ignorant of the defects and were not able to grasp the idea of quality as a significant role in production . Hence , there was need for training not just the checkers but also their supervisors . The challenge that I faced was to convey the idea to both the managers and the checkers ( many of whom were not literate ) , that quality is as important an aspect as meeting production targets , before actually starting to improve quality of the outputs . Application : The main aim of their training was to discuss with the assembly line checkers and managers that why quality is important , and above all how can they be benefitted by the same . Before I started the session a video was shown to the participants in order to understand the basics of quality and how small steps taken can lead to big profitable changes . In the training session fundamentals were discussed with help of comic characters and different photographs taken by me , of their working process and the defects that were occurring again and again . Then the participants were asked to identify the defects in the given samples . A major issue that was raised during these sessions was that in order to complete their targets for the day , they often missed many defects . Upcoming sessions all of us put combined efforts in devising various ways through which these defects can be identified in limited time frame . This was done by first preparing an inspection process for each part of the shirt and in order to make this clearly understandable the checkers were encouraged to prepare a pictorial process chart of the same . The same was displayed near their workstations . Checkers were encouraged to draw the corrects diagrams of different parts of the shirt , and then with help of quality technicians we developed work aids for them to speed up their checking process . Insight : Overall the results were tremendous , efficiency of checkers was improved , they were better equipped to do their job , and DHU% reduced drastically . By visualizing every step of this training , the entire quality team was able to overcome many obstacles and were now better aware for the issues that might come their way in the future . Also , the Visual Tool was so successful that the factory management thought to use it in its other departments as well including the cutting and finishing departments . Another important step that they took was to hold meetings where the entire quality team participated and the visual tool became an imperative part of it ! Approach : After witnessing the results , I realised that involving the checkers from the beginning could have resulted in even better understanding of the issues faced by them , by me and the management as well . Also , many of them were not comfortable with the idea of giving interviews , which also made me realise of asking them to submit illustrations of quality related issues that they faced on a regular basis . This approach will be considered by the managers at the factory for other departments .