Standardize Principles – Personalize Approach

World class organizations align themselves around a set of principles that have stood the test of time like; using the scientific method, creating standard work for people paced activities, engaging operators in the preventative maintenance of the equipment. While almost all these organizations agree on the principles, a visit to each would reveal a variety of approaches. And it is hard to argue any are wrong.

Approaches for Daily Management

Most organizations begin to build Daily Management systems once they have seen the value of measuring their ability to execute their strategy daily at each level of the business. Most realize they will need a way to measure activities on the shop floor that will roll up to the location level and tell everyone if they are meeting the strategic objectives. The principle of managing a strategy daily at all levels has stood the test of time.

But is it best to use electronic data or dry erase boards for hour-by-hour tracking? Is it ok for the leadership team to all look at a big screen TV with metrics trending data or should there be dry erase boards at this level as well? Should every board at every activity look the same with the same data? How about each facility in a multi- plant organization? Should the location level boards all look the same and ask the same questions?

World class organizations unlock the value and personality of their unique businesses by leaving the approach up to the location. They do not negotiate on the principles. The strategy has to be articulated. It has to be translated into metrics that connect at each level of the organization. Every measure must have a target connected to the business goals. But the look and the method are usually left up to the team.

Help your organization stay strong on standardizing the principles used to run the business but also allow the team to personalize the approach they use to apply the principles.