doing more with less
TRANSCRIPT
DOING MORE WITH LESS
Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
March 14, 2017
Nebraska Rural Water ConferenceKearney, Nebraska
Utilities are generally in the public sector
But they can learn from the private sector
One lesson is how to do more with less
Many companies are bloated and bureaucratic
But some are models of efficiency
Prominently, both Honda and Toyota
Good historical reasons to work efficiently
Toyota couldn't pay for materials in advance
Just-in-time was necessary, not optional
Japanese gov't worked actively against Honda
Cost advantages - the only way to compete
To do more with less, think efficiency
If "cheaper" is the goal, you're bound to fail
This is the part a lot of people get wrong
The priority has to be waste reduction
Toyota calls these "wastes" muda, muri, mura
You're not going to call them that
Your enemies make your operation "WIDE"
1. Wasted effort
2. Inconsistency
3. Downtime
4. Errors
1. Eliminate Wasted Effort
Don't do work that doesn't need to be done
Simple Taylorism has been around a long time
Count motions, eliminate repetition
Documentation is a place to start
At least be conscious of effort involved
Don't define "efficiency" too narrowly
Document for known reasons
Don't let documentation become a monster
Koch's "Charts for Charles" debacle
Eliminate trivial or unimportant work
Replace it with useful, purposeful work
Less time on nonsense
More time on investments in future value
What has future value?
Preventive maintenance
Training and study
This extends to decision-making, too
The brain is energy-hungry
Don't waste energy on dumb decisions
Create templates and checklists
Think efficiently about thinking
High mental-energy tasks vs. low
Schedule mental tasks around mental energy
Small-scale outsourcing: Remote assistants
2. Eliminate Inconsistency
Find the right way,then follow it consistently
Document how you do them
Find ways to do them better
Experiment with new approaches
Don't be afraid of experiments
Experiments are the foundation of evolution
Stick with small, low-risk experiments
Good experiments start on the front lines
Upgrade when necessary, then standardize
Industry standards can be a resource
But don't let "standards" become an anchor
Procedures should be living documents
People are hesitant to document
It shouldn't be intimidating
Record the steps
Record your decision-making trees
Think like you're programming a computer
Great way to start: Take and print pictures
Documentation: Do it for institutional memory
Very important in the current retirement wave
Always consider ease of maintenance
If you maintain it, you get to know it
Maintenance familiarity leads to operational expertise
People feel helpless with their cars today
Few people do their own car maintenance
But have you seen a hacker kid at work?
Familiarity comes with tearing stuff apart
Maintenance is a skill-development practice
Active engagement with equipmentleads to consistency
Cross-training can have a huge impact
Fresh eyes on old problems
Learning by teaching
3. Eliminate Downtime
"Be always ashamed to catch thyself idle."- Benjamin Franklin
Pace your work - always be doing something
Move the football down the field
Nobody likes scrambling when they fall behind
It's still OK to take breaks during the day
It means you even out the load...
...so you can look forward to an even pace of work
Smooth out your workloads
Avoid frenzied periods and rushed work
Get a real grip on what you do and don't control
If something isn't within your control...
Plan ahead to do less of other things that are
If it is within your control...
Take a step back and put it in order
Create an equalization basin for your work
"But I do better when there's a deadline!"
Rush periods result in sloppy work
Downtime means you're not really useful
(not justifying your paycheck)
Get rid of workplace downtime
Get your downtime at home or on vacation
Smooth out workloads to do the work better
Smoothing work also means you always look busy
Self-worth is enhanced by doing meaningful work
"Human dignity and self respect are underminedwhen men and women are condemned to idleness."
- Margaret Thatcher
Fulfilling, paced work makes people happy
And happy people make measurably better decisions
People who look busy have an easier time getting help
"Help a man to help himself,but do not expend all your efforts
in helping a manwho will not help himself."
- Theodore Roosevelt
4. Eliminate Errors
"Well done, is twice done."- Benjamin Franklin
Get rid of errors
Track performance, then check results
Create templates within office software
Use conditional formatting to highlight aberrations
Once you find a problem, trace the cause
If you don't know why you're making a mistake,you're going to repeat it
Ask why.
Then ask why again.Then ask why again.Then ask why again.Then ask why again.
The "Five Whys" go to the root cause of a problem
Deliberately eliminate those root errors
Take tips from industries with very big risks
Aviation
Military
Nuclear power
Use humane names, not codes
Don't stop until you've traced original causes
Do you have eye injuries because your people are careless,or because they're self-conscious about wearing
eye protection?
See why cost savings can't be the top priority?
Eliminating root errors may cost money up-front
Savings may only add up over the long term
But utility customers are around for the long term, too
Don't let go until you know the root cause of the error
To recap
Eliminate WIDE
Wasted effortInconsistency
DowntimeErrors
What did we never ask?
"How much will this cost?"
If you only cut costs, this process won't work
Costs cannot be the focus
This is a process for getting things done better
You have to trust the process
Better work will result in savings
But that can't be the objective!
The objective must be to cut waste
As you eliminate waste...
You will get more done with less
Questions?
Thank you for your attention
Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates
@djgongol on Twitterfacebook.com/djgongol
References
All photographs, images, and illustrations are the original work of Brian Gongol. Copyright and all other rights reserved.
The books shown in the preceding slides served as highly valuable resources in the preparation of this presentation and they are all recommended reading.