A shot in the arm, performance "jump start" techniques

There are numerous things I have seen as examples of leading practice in jump starting flagging performance. Some have been really very inventive, while others have been re-application of basic tenets.

In my experience turnaround initiatives need to have three fundamental qualities;

1. they must be easy to implement, with pilots and small projects up and running within days or weeks, not months, 
2. they need to be designed to deliver impacts early and often, and
3. they need to be sustainable. (Defect elimination (for example) when poorly implemented, tends to produce endless lists of design changes.)

Within asset maintenance there are numerous jump start techniques. Most of which came to the surface during the recent financial crisis. They include areas such as CM for operational parameters - not just asset failure, alignment surveys, cleanliness (remarkably), as well as basic issues like torquing charts, time and motion studies and a raft of others. 

Within the usual suspects for jump start initiatives are three stand out candidates. 

• Defect elimination (well implemented) - Focuses on lost production recording and accountability. Drives existing staff to reason through commonly occurring issues and rapidly implement solutions. 

• Capacity Scheduling - Uncovers a raft of issues in running efficient operations. Everything from exposing waiting times through to issues with front line supervision. (And it's always "too hard" at first)

• Equipment Level benchmarking - Often overlooked. A quick shot in the arm for rapid discovery, validation, and transferral of leading practices. 

Everyone of these delivers rapid results, a positive morale boost, and more importantly - Momentum! 

The key here is to gt them in quick, produce the impacts even quicker, and then move on... Build on success and move towards sustainable low cost enterprises. 

The problem with turnaround activities is that they generate so much initial results that they end up becoming the centerpiece instead of what they are intended to be. Just a standard part of operational discipline. 

Good luck.