Challenge & Selection

I’m the General Manager in a water treatment plant. Although the factory has received  numerous technological upgrades, the facilities are not in good condition mainly due to a lack  of budget, therefore the corrective maintenance requirements are recurring and there are  numerous malfunctions that force permanent interventions. The plant's two main divisions are  Maintenance and Production, which involve almost 200 people.

The confrontations between Production and Maintenance are permanent, and they blame each  other for the failures on achieving their objectives, instead of working together in a common  goal. The heads of each of these sectors are self-focus, and a teamwork’s culture remains to be  developed.

From my position, I believe that I have to increase the synergies of sectors to improve  resolution’s times. I think the best way to achieve this is that each of the actors should have a  better understanding of each other's works, and they should improve their knowledge of the  complexity in the activities and tasks that are being done.

For the activity, I choose the visualization tool, because it is very important that they understand  how the system works, since it could allow us to leverage on key points to resolve questions that  are otherwise hidden.

Application

To implement the tool, we start holding regular meetings with the division bosses, supervisors,  and even the foremen, where we discussed the mains weekly problems. Helping us with a  blackboard we managed to graph how problems occur, and de sequence of events through its  resolution. Finally, a process flow had been drawn where actors, activities, and information  flows were identified. With this tool was easy to see the interactions between the different  sectors, and how the actions of some directly impact the others activities.

Going through this process together we all team members, and expressing it in graphic form,  the delays origins became very clear. Unexpectedly, the natures of delays were really different  to those that we initially assumed. Among the main causes of delays we found:

- That those involved, from their individual criteria, gave less priority to the problems than it  should had had

- Sometimes there was an error in the initial diagnosis, or a bad explanation of the problem, and  this caused a lot of time to be lost in beginning to solve it

- Repetition of the problems was being underestimated, and there was not enough stock of  spare parts, which delayed repairs by adding the purchase times

Insight & Approach

From what I could learn from the activity, the use of graphic tools are very powerful to order the  thought process, awaken creativity and, above all, enhance understanding of the problem.

In almost none of the cases, repairs were delayed because people did not do their individual  work well, which is the assumption from which they all started. The visualization tools allowed  a clear diagnosis and was the initial kick to even begin the search for a solution. People took  dimension of the impact of their actions on the system, and improvements were noted from the  first meeting.

Although the learning process continues, I highlight the use of the tool for its power in the  transmission of concepts and powers in analysis.


Challenge & Selection I ’m the General Manager in a water treatment plant . Although the factory has received numerous technological upgrades , the facilities are not in good condition mainly due to a lack of budget , therefore the corrective maintenance requirements are recurring and there are numerous malfunctions that force permanent interventions . The plant 's two main divisions are Maintenance and Production , which involve almost 200 people . The confrontations between Production and Maintenance are permanent , and they blame each other for the failures on achieving their objectives , instead of working together in a common goal . The heads of each of these sectors are self - focus , and a teamwork ’s culture remains to be developed . From my position , I believe that I have to increase the synergies of sectors to improve resolution ’s times . I think the best way to achieve this is that each of the actors should have a better understanding of each other 's works , and they should improve their knowledge of the complexity in the activities and tasks that are being done . For the activity , I choose the visualization tool , because it is very important that they understand how the system works , since it could allow us to leverage on key points to resolve questions that are otherwise hidden . Application To implement the tool , we start holding regular meetings with the division bosses , supervisors , and even the foremen , where we discussed the mains weekly problems . Helping us with a blackboard we managed to graph how problems occur , and de sequence of events through its resolution . Finally , a process flow had been drawn where actors , activities , and information flows were identified . With this tool was easy to see the interactions between the different sectors , and how the actions of some directly impact the others activities . Going through this process together we all team members , and expressing it in graphic form , the delays origins became very clear . Unexpectedly , the natures of delays were really different to those that we initially assumed . Among the main causes of delays we found : - That those involved , from their individual criteria , gave less priority to the problems than it should had had - Sometimes there was an error in the initial diagnosis , or a bad explanation of the problem , and this caused a lot of time to be lost in beginning to solve it - Repetition of the problems was being underestimated , and there was not enough stock of spare parts , which delayed repairs by adding the purchase times Insight & Approach From what I could learn from the activity , the use of graphic tools are very powerful to order the thought process , awaken creativity and , above all , enhance understanding of the problem . In almost none of the cases , repairs were delayed because people did not do their individual work well , which is the assumption from which they all started . The visualization tools allowed a clear diagnosis and was the initial kick to even begin the search for a solution . People took dimension of the impact of their actions on the system , and improvements were noted from the first meeting . Although the learning process continues , I highlight the use of the tool for its power in the transmission of concepts and powers in analysis .