Standardized Work – Cross-Training – Cellular Operation

These three concepts link together to produce an efficient and harmonious work environment for administrative tasks. Teams that combine these skills will develop a strong and respectful supportive relationship and perform at World-Class Level.

Flexibility

One very successful operation represents advantages in several ways, one being the Flexibility of the teams and the whole organization in order to comply with the different requirements from the customers. Rigid frames where a person would do always the same job are now quite scarce. People need to become more Versatile in order to survive the new ways of doing business.

Although it looks like this is very hard to achieve, it actually is not. Human beings are happier when they can change operations during the day. One enjoyable aspect of this is the fact that by sharing the different tasks assigned to a group or Area of Responsibility (as I like to call what in the past was called “Departments”), the individuals Learn all the operations and develop a stronger communication. As a result we are creating a “Synergy”.  Synergy is vital in collective efforts and Team-Work. Synergy is the sum of each individual’s efforts to achieve success in the whole contribution of the group.

Standardized Work

Of course there is a process we need to follow before much success shows up.  First of all we need to dissect each operation to its minimal steps. This means describing in minimal detail each of the operations, that we will discover are comprised of several smaller actions, movements, and segments or sub-operations.

This is a great step because as we discuss it with all the stakeholders we will see that there are different ways in which each person deals with those details. By communicating among them and combining their experiences, and their creativity (that we should encourage), we can find immediate improvements in the efficiency of each operation. In many cases we discover there is duplication or unnecessary actions.

By developing this analysis of the operations, all the team is learning the different processes and how they can help each other ease many of those actions. The process once improved and agreed among the people in charge, Must be Written and enriched with pictures of each step when possible. This will be our SPS or “Standard Process Sheet”.

In the old culture of “Tribal Knowledge” that comes from the times when people did not know how to write, but would pass the knowledge to the next person by just doing the same things, there was no way to improve the processes. Standardized work serves a very critical purpose: Get everyone to do things the same Best Way that was agreed by all.

Of course at the same time we encourage Continuous Improvement having them understand that the SPS needs to be updated each time that someone comes with a Better Way of doing things. A written detailed description of the operation (SPS) also is of great help to train new people. Make sure your SPSs are well detailed and use Color Pictures preferably. People enjoy seeing color pictures, better than black and white. You want your Team Members to Enjoy seeing those SPSs.

Cross Training

When this is achieved you will have developed the Cross-Training so indispensable in these new requirements of faster, leaner, more efficient operations. Cross training has many advantages:

• More versatile workforce
• More adjustable teams
• Faster  response to changes in demand
• Labor is more evenly distributed
• People feel more fairly treated
• Everyone is happier

Keep cultivating this discipline and update it as the need for new operations may come up.

Work Cells – Cellular Operation

The shortest definition of work-cell:  A group of people who have a clear idea of what is expected of them as a Team and are willing and empowered to interact and cooperate with each other to succeed.

Cellular Operation represents an opportunity for each individual to interact freely within the cell, help each other, and make up for any unexpected change or absence of a Team Member. The Cell needs to be flexible and people need to have easy access to all the information, supplies, and documents. Be open to move desks, file cabinets, tables, printers, etc.