Q-06Operations
The same mistakes keep happening
Work takes too long, gets redone, or depends on one person being there.
When the same mistake repeats, the cause is usually the way the work is set up, not the person doing it. Write the steps down, find where it goes wrong, and agree one way of doing it.
4 things to look at
- No written steps. Everyone does it their own way.
- Checking at the end. Mistakes are found after the work is finished.
- Hunting for things. Materials, tools and information are not ready at the start.
- One person holds the knowledge. When they are away, the work stops.
Checks you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time. Do them in order. If they answer the question, you do not need us.
Pick one job and write every step
From the moment the work arrives to the moment it is finished. Small steps count.
Time it three times
Different days, different people if you can. Note the fastest and the slowest.
Mark where it waits, repeats or goes wrong
Those marks are where the time and money go.
Ask your quickest, most reliable person how they do it
Write down what they do differently. It is usually preparation: they set everything out before they start.
Question every step
Is it needed at all? Can it be done once and not every time? Can it be done earlier? Can it be made simpler or safer? Then write the improved steps on one page and put it where the work is done.
- You are too involved in the work to watch it.
- Staff see the problem differently from you.
- Mistakes are costing customers or refunds.
- You are about to buy software or equipment to fix it.
Process Review
Make one important piece of work better, faster or cheaper, without making the other two worse.
From N$1,299
Related questions people ask
Will new software fix this?
Sometimes, but fix the steps first. Software put on top of a confused process gives you a faster confused process. See before you buy software or equipment.
Is faster always better?
Only if quality and cost do not get worse. A real improvement makes the work better, faster or cheaper without damaging the other two.
Related questions
I am about to buy software or equipment
What to settle before you compare products or sign a quote.
OpenI am busy but not making money
Sales are coming in, and there is still nothing left at the end of the month.
OpenI want to grow but do not know what to do first
Many ideas, limited time and money, and no clear order.
OpenTell us what you are trying to decide.
You do not need a business plan to talk to us. Say what the business is, what you want from it and what is in the way. A Business Check-up costs N$199 and comes off any other service you book within 30 days.