Direct and Binary Communication

People are the resource in most organizations that help material and information flow. They are the often the source of information and the recipient of information that keeps the operations moving and producing. The form of that information is best relayed with two critical characteristics; direct and binary.

Direct Communication

Direct communication is best described as – from the requestor to the supplier. Basically, it is stating that the person who has the request is the one to ask the supplier. This may seem obvious, but there are several occasions where that is not the case.

For example, if we send a schedule to an extrusion press for product the age oven would like to process in their next practice then we are essentially using a third party. The ideal would be for the age oven operator to communicated directly to the press operator telling them exactly what they are requesting.

Another example would be asking a safety committee member to communicate a new personal protective equipment policy to their peers. The committee member is acting as a conduit for the information, while the ideal would be for the safety manager to communicated directly to the team members.

Binary Communication

Binary communication is best described as – as close to yes or no as possible. Basically it is saying that the requests to the supplier should as obvious as yes or no, on or off, make or don’t make, stop or go…black or white. The same is true of the response from the supplier. That may seem obvious, but there are several occasions where that is not the case.

For example, anytime we ask someone for “some” or “a few” as a request or we suggest something will be done “soon” or “ in a little while” as a supplier – these are not binary requests or responses. The ideal would be “I need 7 parts in 1 hour” and an ideal response would be “we will have 7 completed in one 1 hour”. Even better if this communication is made visual with space on a shop floor or blanks filled in on a form.

Another example is a request for action by a leader. It is not binary to say, “will you please get that done as soon as possible.” It is much better to say, “ we need you to be completed by 7 am tomorrow morning.“

Help your organization improve the flow of information with direct requests and responses that are binary and clear.