Por que a melhoria contínua é mais importante do que nunca
If within the last couple of months you’ve found yourself longing for what life used to be like, you’re most definitely not alone. March ushered in a very strange new world, as the spread of the novel coronavirus forced businesses to make massive changes to operations as usual, evidenced by social distancing, face coverings, more strenuous cleaning regimens, and staff working remotely where possible.
The sudden nature of these activities has been like venturing into uncharted waters for many companies. As such, it’s understandable why they may be reluctant to “rock the boat” any more than they need to when there’s comfort and a sense of reassurance in the routine. This is especially true when “how things used to be” were working just fine.
However, as many companies are discovering, processes that seemed to be working could have used some fine-tuning after all, given the difficulties they’ve since experienced in the midst of economic shutdowns and supply chain disruptions. Continuous improvement has always been an important methodology for businesses looking to remain competitive; but now more than ever, it has become essential to face the challenges presented by the novel coronavirus.
What is continuous improvement?
There is always room to make something better. Continuous improvement is all about the unyielding pursuit of that better place, outcome, or result on an ongoing basis.
“Changing circumstances can cast a spotlight on poor processes.”
Everyone likes to think that they’re constantly striving for the pinnacle of success. This may be the case, but frequently, changing circumstances can cast a spotlight on processes that seemed to be A-OK, but turned out to be anything but.
Panic buying lays bare inefficiencies
A classic example is the toilet paper shortage that affected supply chains nationwide – and around the world – in the early days of the coronavirus crisis. Of all the sections of the grocery store, one you could almost always trust would be plenty stocked was the toiletry aisle. But due to a surge in panic buying – prompted by erroneous fears that grocery and corner stores would suddenly close – shelves were bare for weeks on end. Indeed, as reported by Reuters, during the height of the shortage in mid-April, quase 75% dos supermercados Nos EUA tinham sinais "fora de estoque" em corredores em que o papel higiênico não era tradicionalmente vendido. Mas o suprimento escasso continuou a rolar de uma semana na próxima. O Covid-19 tornou-se um nome familiar. Essas etapas projetadas para aprimorar a produção incluíram a produção de menos variedades - algumas das quais levaram mais do que outras para concluir - a obtenção de mais materiais de fornecedores de embalagem e aumentando o número de entregas para e para suas instalações. Mas o planejamento da capacidade é uma estratégia que as organizações produtoras de mercadorias seriam sensatas para priorizar, independentemente de terem sido fundamentalmente impactadas pelo Covid-19, como nunca se sabe quando os recursos serão esticados.
Initially, the assumption was the shortage would be short lived, as nothing would suggest the virus increased toilet paper usage. But the scant supply continued to roll from one week into the next.
Of course, the easiest way to correct an imbalance where demand is greater than supply is to produce more, but as the New York Post reported, the U.S.’ “Big Three” of toilet paper production – Kimberly-Clark, Proctor & Gamble, and Georgia-Pacific – had already been operating at 100% capacity before COVID-19 became a household name.
After re-evaluating their processes to see where improvements could be made, suppliers made a few strategic adjustments. These steps designed to enhance output included producing fewer varieties – some of which took longer than others to complete – obtaining more materials from packaging suppliers and increasing the number of deliveries to and from its facilities.
A greater focus on capacity planning among these companies may have helped them better handle the ongoing shortage, which at this point seems to have finally subsided. But capacity planning is a strategy that goods-producing organizations would be wise to prioritize regardless of whether they were fundamentally impacted by COVID-19, as one never knows when resources will be stretched.
German automaker Volkswagen recently trial tested a version of it called automated operations planning, which was designed to help increase manufacturing volume of certain prototype vehicles, Supply Chain Dive relatado. O método também foi utilizado para informar seus processos de tomada de decisão sobre se a capacidade interna deve lidar com uma ordem de produção ou se deve ser opcional para terceiros. Isso foi usado para informar uma série de declarações "se" e "else". Requer maior visibilidade, especialmente quando se trata de gerenciamento da cadeia de suprimentos. A adição de novos métodos, ferramentas ou estratégias-como a que a Volkswagen experimentou-pode ajudar a aumentar a transparência e explicar os estressores atuais e ainda a serem manifestados. Kaizen é um
The automated decision support system leveraged spreadsheets that gathered data from the firm’s enterprise resource planning software program. That was then used to inform a series of “if” and “else” statements.
By the study’s conclusion, VW determined that both manufacturing volume as well as personnel utilization rose sharply through automated operations planning rising 25% and 26%, respectively, in comparison to the manual processes used originally.
As Industry Week points out, improved planning requires enhanced visibility, especially when it comes to supply chain management. Adding new methods, tools or strategies – such as the one with which Volkswagen experimented – can help to increase transparency and account for current and yet-to-be-manifested stressors.
The Shewhart Cycle: PDCA
The manner in which continuous improvement presents itself depends largely on the industry. Kaizen is an Abordagem frequentemente usado nas indústrias de manufatura, mas as organizações também podem querer considerar o ciclo Shewhart. Essa abordagem para a melhoria contínua é composta por quatro partes ou fases, Conforme observado por As carreiras do balanço:
1. Plan: reconhecer e identificar o problema ou oportunidade e reunir um plano de como resolver ou aproveitar isso.
2.
3.Do: On a smaller scale, test out the plan to see if the solution works or does not, making sure to record the results.
3. Verifique: analise os resultados em detalhes mais finos para medir completamente a eficácia da solução ou a falta dela.
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4. Mas você não precisa trabalhar mais para competir melhor. É tudo sobre funcionarAct: Assuming that the plan of attack was successful, implement the change in real-life mode, or test it again but on a larger scale.
A commitment to ongoing improvement is key to success in times of adversity. But you don’t have to work harder to compete better. It’s all about working Smarter. O USC Consulting Group tem ajudado organizações em todo o mundo a alcançar seu potencial desde 1968, traçando um plano e ajudando -os a colocar esse plano em movimento. Estamos confiantes de que podemos ajudar sua empresa a alcançar a excelência operacional. Entre em contato hoje para saber mais. (Vídeo)
