Change management

Accountability

In a factory, accountability is critical. Without it excuses can be created, ownership is unclear and tasks fall between the cracks. In this case study, two value streams, A & B, each with its own leader, shared the same starting processes. These starting processes were managed by the leader from value stream A for whom it was difficult to prioritise between the two sets of customer processes - deliver her own KPIs or Leaders B’s? Leader B could fall back on blaming leader A’s decisions for her failure to deliver and the team in the starting processes didn’t know if their loyalty lay with their line leader or the leader who’s product they were making. In the baseline state, accountability was lacking, flow of product was poor and customer service was being impacted. This didn’t just impact production but also supply chain, raw materials and quality release.

Designing and End to End Supply Chain

The objective of the process was to create an end to end supply chain for each value stream, where everyone within it knew exactly what they were accountable for. Ultimately this would improve production output and customer service. Working fully with the area leaders a number of scenarios were discussed, and the pros and cons evaluated. To do this, modelling was employed, as well as scoring each solution against its potential to meet the objective. A future state was agreed in which the starting processes could be split between Leader A & Leader B. Supply chain, quality & raw materials teams could also directly report into either Leader A or Leader B, rather than their current functional reporting lines where priorities could be unclear.

Change Impact & Management

The change impacted over 50 employees to varying degrees. Some new roles were created, some roles were lost and many roles changed or were placed under new leaders. It was important to manage the change well - ensuring people were communicated to clearly and regularly, changes and timelines were clearly defined and there as a process for two way communication to quickly deal with any queries or individual concerns. In addtion to the primary impact to people, existing governance structures such as daily performance meetings had to be redesigned. New signage and terminology was created.

Lessons Learnt

This project required a blend of traditional project management techniques as well as change management tools. Tools like a project charter, action plan, Gantt chart and risk log all played an important part. These were however supported by a great communication plan, stakeholder analysis and a clear view of the why, that the team could clearly communicate - why are we doing this? Collaboration, communication and teamwork were vital.