Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The key component to managing any project in an operation is the work breakdown structure (WBS).  It is the very essence of what tasks and steps are needed, who will perform them, and when they are due to keep the project on task.  It takes effort to build the WBS to be effective, but there are several tips to remember to help.

An example of a WBS for a dinner party
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First, keep the tasks small enough so that one person can work on them independently on a full time basis.  By assigning the task to one person, you have established responsibility belongs to one person and he or she knows it is all on them to keep on track. If the task is too big, one person will be overwhelmed and the quality of the completed end item will suffer.  If you have two or more people assigned to a task, each may think the other(s) will complete it and as a result no one will see it finished.

Second, keep on top of the program schedule.  This sounds like a "no-brainer" but from my experience some project managers believe tasks can be performed on auto-pilot.  Depending on the project you should have at least one or two schedule reviews every week in order to address schedule challenges or delays.  It will happen so it's a good idea to be able to be ready to establish work around actions that will bring tasks back on target.  Management will ask what you are doing to fix the problem so have a plan developed quickly.

Third, get management's understanding that sometimes you need help.  There will be times when you need additional help due to unforeseen circumstances.  You or your designates may not be able to fix it by themselves.  That's why it's a good idea to sit down with your boss and get their buy in that they can get you help immediately if you need it.  A good manager will have a sense of urgency and support that will drive them to borrow or pull resources to you to help complete the process.  You won't really know until it happens but it's essential to prepare them for the possibility of a request in advance.

Establishing work tasks is essential to successful operation
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24/7 Support

Operations rarely work only 9 to 5
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The most effective part of any operation is the ability to run 24/7 to keep product moving.  It is also one of the worst parts of an operation if you are an employee who likes the Monday though Friday day shift.  How can you keep full support of your operation without  alienating good employees who value free time to spend with family, hobbies, etc.?

For a lean operation, many of the Monday to Friday day crew will have to support second shift and/or weekend operations. The simplest way to do this is set up a rotation with the day crew to support a week or two of nights and weekends during the calender year.  A master schedule set up at the beginning of the year to cover the entire year is the first step.  An Excel spreadsheet works well and is filed in a group file on the organization's designated drive where all employees can access it. Of course you should have a backup if something happens to the original.  This lets everyone put it anything appointments that can't be missed (i.e. weddings, graduations, vacations).  Before or after this the lead will set up the shifts to get full coverage for the operation while ensuring everyone has a fair and equal turn at supporting the "off hour" shifts.  Any adjustments can be made at any time during the year so it is a very fluid schedule.  If a person is scheduled to work the weekend, he or she can arrange to shift their schedule for that week, having Monday and Tuesday off for instance. This type of system was successful when I worked at Boeing and ensured all shifts were covered with engineering support.

Another method is the use of pagers/company cellphones.  This is a less effective in that if an employee lives far from the operation, driving in may take time and the operation will be delayed longer.  In addition it is often difficult to fully  describe a problem over the phone and get a true sense of the issue at hand.  Sending pictures of the Internet may require a laptop with special secure access installed, not necessarily available to a personal home computer.

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