[Post by Chuck Krugh, October 25, 2024]
As I was considering the topic for this blog, a few ideas came to mind, but I soon realized that I hadn’t yet discussed the Plan of the Week (POW). My first thought: What a glaring oversight on my part for not writing about it previously! Then I realized that I have touched on it in many blogs, although I had never talked about it straight on. Today, I will talk about the why the plan of the week is a critical part of our business operating system for everyone and also why it is important for our management team.
Why is the plan of the week so important? The plan of the week is a way to organize our work each week to ensure that each of us is doing the right tasks at the right time to meet the production schedule or master schedule. The phrase “right tasks at the right time” indicates there is an order in the build process.
You know I like definitions. “To manufacture,” per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is to produce according to an organized plan and with division of labor.
Manufacturers maximize the division of labor to produce the most product output. In other words, they deploy their people to execute the build plan. How well they do this is a measure of their efficiency. Efficient businesses safely produce the most product with the right number of people by being organized. All businesses need people – they just don’t benefit from having more people assigned to a task than necessary.
Ok, an organized build plan… but how does that help us at BIW? I know from experience that sometimes the work environment seems chaotic. It can get more chaotic as the complexity of the work increases. It can also get more chaotic with the size and length of the production line. Finally, it can get more chaotic with the size of the product. That’s a lot of chaos that can happen. We have a large, complex product with a long build cycle and a long production line, so we need a way to combat the chaos.
The POW helps to stave off the chaos monster because it provides a way to organize the work and is tied to the master schedule. This structure and connection doesn’t mean that the POW solves all problems, but it helps prioritize the work to help our teams know what to do and when. No matter where you work at BIW, having a plan not only makes it easier to do your job, it also lets you know what is up next.
For managers, the POW is a tool to manage accountability. If done right, it indicates job assignments, time durations for tasks and contingency work in case scheduled work is completed faster than expected or a problem pops up. Managers should use this tool to measure their team’s performance as well as their performance as a manager.
That’s right, if you’re a manager anywhere in the company, the POW tells you about your own performance! Your ability to meet your POW commitments each week helps determine your success in the position you hold. As a leader and manager, you have to influence what your team is doing to meet the outcome expected – the POW! If you are meeting your POW goals each week, then you are helping the ship meet its next milestone and, ultimately, the ship’s delivery.
The POW is not only for operations or production. It should be used in all areas of our business to ensure we are hitting our weekly goals. Again, think about the organization, prioritization and accountability that this tool brings to the work in any area – engineering, supply chain, human resources, training and so on. Each of these areas have tasks that need to be done weekly in order to ensure that they are meeting their commitments. Those commitments help our operations team succeed when they are performed on time.
Finally, when you as a manager demonstrate your ability to consistently meet or beat your POW, you show senior management that you may be ready for more responsibility. Your ability to make goals and hit targets conveys to me that you are ready to take on new challenges in your career. After all, many of us are here to grow both personally and professionally. Hitting your targets is a clear sign that you want to grow!
See you on the deckplates!
Safely Execute High-Quality Work
Chuck
President, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works
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