Data doesn’t solve problems, people solve problems

cbeecherPeople in Manufacturing

I had this huge project for collecting more manufacturing data – large budget, management buy-in that gave us a long leash, cooperative and enthusiastic users.  What else could you ask for – it was pretty much the perfect IT storm.

We knew we had scrap, rework, and reprocessing inefficiencies on our line.  These are costs that sort of hide in plain sight for years.  You take it for granted – sure, we have 10% of our parts getting recycled or tossed, just like everyone else.

What?! Why?

A few months into the project, we have a great user experience built and start collecting data, which of course leads to the next set of issues – upper management actually starts thinking about what the heck is going on.  Do I sound jaded?  I have worked in IT for many years after all..  ?

Anyway, now that data is flowing in, we need to take the science of IT out and put the art of IT in.  It’s time to start building reports and interpreting the data.  What does this mean?  How do we apply this new data to our old problems? It’s a common challenge in IT – you’ve had a terrific and clear path up until the moment you realized that everyone (yes, you are in the boat too) was headed in…not quite the right direction.

Classic IT catch-22: “This is not what I want. It’s only what I asked for.”

But you’ve got a secret weapon that will bring this mountain of data and the reporting to life – the very team that has surrounded you from the beginning.  Your users experience goes far further than the experience you designed – get out there and watch them pull a part off of the line.  What are they doing to it?  Why?  What does the data tell you?  How can you make that data meaningful to your user?

Every time you take a users’ decision opportunity and transform it into an intelligent, well-informed decision opportunity, you’ve empowered them to make a difference, added meaning to their work, alleviated burdens further up the management structure, and reduced waste.

Our REVEAL product bridges the chasm separating your most important decision-making resources – the people adding value every day, and the mountains of data you are collecting.

Short of a huge bonus check, what could be better?  Get out there and make it happen.