Today's blog will focus on one of the aspects of visual management known as production control. In some environments, the approach is known as process control, but the concepts are identical.
Production (Process) Control Board
A production control board is used to monitor standard work. Before monitoring an improved process a whole mess of lean stuff has already occurred. At this point, the process being improved will have completed the following list of activities:
- takt time will have been calculated
- a loading diagram will have been completed of the current conditions
- waste will have been identified and removed
- a new loading diagram will have been created with the waste removed and the work balanced and if necessary leveled
- a new staffing plan will be created to support the new loading diagram
- standard work will have been written
- next we need production control
Production control is calculated in units per hour in lieu of hours per unit. So it is the inverse of takt time. If the takt time is 20 minutes, then the production control target is 3 units per hour. If the process is running to takt time, then 3 unit an hour will be produced. Production control documents the plan versus actual condition.
In its most simplest terms a production control board would look as follows:
Time Plan/Total Actual/Total Comments
hour 1 3/3 3/3 none
hour 2 3/6 2/5 ran out of supplies
hour 3 3/9 4/9 added a resource to catch up
hour 4 3/12
hour 5 3/15
hour 6 3/18
hour 7 3/21
hour 8 3/24
This allows everyone working in the process to see at a glance how the process is operating. Are we ahead or behind and why? If we are behind, it is because waste is creeping back into the system? If we are ahead are we skipping quality steps, or adding resources beyond what is necessary?
The key to production control is to display, hour by hour, the status of both the plan and results of a given process. This allows corrective action to be taken in real-time to ensure waste is staying out of a process. The people doing the work fill out the board. Staff and management are responsible to take action to correct the non-standard condition.
Every lean initiative should end with two things; standard work and visual management. The recommended type of visual management of a process is production control.
Lean Blessings,
Ron
Ron Bercaw
President, Breakthrough Horizons Ltd
Shingo Award Winning Author
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