Why do disruptions keep repeating themselves and how do you solve this?
Almost every production manager recognizes this pattern: something goes wrong, you perform a Root Cause Analysis (RCA), adjust the procedure, and add another checkpoint. A few weeks later, someone is standing at your desk with the exact same problem again. The checklist has become longer, but the disruption hasn’t become any shorter. How do you solve this?
Checked properly, yet still a disruption
Imagine this: a young operator checks the temperature of one of your machines. It falls within the limits you previously defined. He checks the box and moves on. An hour later, an entire batch is rejected.
The experienced colleague who gets called in takes one look and says: “Yes, the temperature was within spec, but not under these conditions. You should have intervened earlier.” So the young operator followed the procedure correctly, yet things still went wrong. Because he did not understand the context.
More checkpoints don’t help if the context is missing
At that moment, many production managers have the same understandable reflex: add another checkpoint, tighten the limits further, or increase measurement frequency.
But when the underlying knowledge is missing, additional checks only increase the administrative burden. The young operator will simply tick another box, while still not understanding what a certain value means in this specific situation, at this moment, on this line. The result: operators become uncertain and frustrated, while experienced colleagues are asked for help more and more often. They become overloaded… and so on.
The question that is rarely asked after an RCA is: is the knowledge required to prevent this actually available? And is it available in a structured, user-friendly way that explains what is happening, why it matters, and what to do when something deviates? In most factories, that knowledge simply isn’t available.
“Operators need the knowledge of an experienced expert, but that knowledge is not always available.”
FrieslandCampina in Beilen used ELICIT’s knowledge system to stay continuously in control of their process. Even when things do not run as usual.
Why you can’t simply write this knowledge down
Some organizations already take a good first step by asking their best operator to write down his knowledge. But unfortunately, that’s not enough. An experienced operator is not always consciously aware of what he knows. After years on the line, much of it becomes automatic and intuitive. Ask him to describe what he does, and you will only get a fraction of what is actually happening in his mind. The combination of signals he unconsciously weighs, the exceptions he recognizes, the situations in which he deviates from the standard: those things do not surface through a form or checklist.
How to actually capture that knowledge
To uncover this knowledge, you need the right questions. Focused questions that reveal the decision logic. That is exactly what we do at ELICIT.
Through an average of five interviews, based on a structured methodology, we extract the experiential knowledge hidden in the mind of your best expert. We then translate that knowledge into a knowledge system that operators can consult at any moment. During deviations, in new situations, in the middle of the night, in thirty languages. As if the experienced operator were standing beside them 24/7.
The next disruption starts here
If the same human mistakes keep recurring in your factory, or if outcomes differ between shifts, that is a sign that the overall knowledge level needs to improve. You won’t solve that with another checklist or extra controls. You solve it by asking: what do your best people know, and how do we bring that knowledge to the rest of the team? Want to know how to do that? Schedule an introductory conversation and discover how ELICIT can make your expert knowledge accessible to everyone.
Relevant subjects
Operator training is often time-consuming
Training operators is often time-consuming because they must understand and operate complex systems and equipment. This includes not only technical knowledge, but also practical skills and safety protocols. In addition, the training process requires repetition and hands-on experience to build the necessary skills and confidence.
Vijf ploegen, vijf werkwijzen: de onzichtbare oorzaak van kwaliteitsvariatie
Vraag een productiemanager hoeveel werkwijzen er in zijn fabriek zijn, en hij zegt: één. Vraag het daarna aan drie operators van drie verschillende ploegen en je krijgt drie verschillende antwoorden. Hoe voorkom je grote verschillen in werkwijze en kwaliteit?
Why do disruptions keep repeating themselves and how do you solve this?
Almost every production manager recognizes this pattern: something goes wrong, you perform a Root Cause Analysis (RCA), adjust the procedure, and add another checkpoint. A few weeks later, someone is standing at your desk with the exact same problem again. The checklist has become longer, but the disruption hasn’t become any shorter. How do you solve this?
How many questions should you ask?
It turns out that it takes an average of 110 questions to describe an operator workstation in a knowledge file.
We also know from experience that an average of 20 parameters and 72 instructions are needed to describe the core, including process monitoring and control (see figure).
The real cause of low OEE: Why human knowledge makes the difference
When a production line comes to a standstill, we often point straight to the technology: a faulty sensor or a glich in the system. But the reality is completely different: long downtimes, poor performance, and inconsistent quality are mainly caused by lost experience and work methods that aren’t properly passed on. Research by McKinsey confirms this. To achieve real improvement, we need to look at people.
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