Engineering Management

As you get ready to purchase the next computers for your team, what form will they take? Vast storage networks provide access to your data from anywhere in the world. Will you opt for desktop equipment as you always have? Forego the "luxury" of local mass storage? When you need a portable PC, will you be satisfied with one that lacks features you've come to expect, like optical drives, even if touchscreens make interfaces more user-friendly? How will other members of your team respond? Will they be willing to make the switch, or will they remain loyal to more full-featured equipment?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering Management, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering Management today.

Everyone is talking and the media is buzzing about the huge advantages of storing your data on the "cloud" so you can get to them from anywhere in the world. Proponents assure us that safety is their primary concern, and your private files will remain just that. But no system is 100% secure. Balancing convenience with security will represent the next great challenge in corporate computing. How much of your data will you be entrusting to the cloud? Where will you draw the line? Why? What security measures will you take? How confident are you that your measures will be enough?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering Management, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering Management today.

In another month, Windows 7 will be a reality. Have you been following the press coverage of this major new release? Have you postponed buying new computers so you could fore-go the dubious pleasures of implementing Windows Vista? Did you implement Vista? What are your plans to install Windows 7? Will you upgrade? Will you install Windows 7 and run your XP machines in the indigenous emulation mode? Have you looked at the hardware and software requirements to do that? Will you nurse along the older machines you already have? Will you continue to bide your time until the first service pack comes out? Until the next Windows release?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering Management, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering Management today.

Businesspeople today cannot survive without their cellphones. Does that mean that you have to take a call anytime, anywhere? Does your cellphone interfere with your non-work activities? How often have you been interrupted in a meeting by a call? How do you handle it? How do you react when the person you are talking to answers a "sudden" call? What protocols have you established to minimize such disruptions? How well do they work? How often do you carry on a business conversation in a public place? How carefully do you ensure that you don't inadvertently reveal confidential information? Does someone nearby have the right to object to your intrusion on their private space? Why or why not?

The preceding article is a "sneak peek" from Engineering Management, a newsletter from GlobalSpec. To stay up-to-date and informed on industry trends, products, and technologies, subscribe to Engineering Management today.

Jidoka and Poka-yoke form one of the two pillars in the house of Lean. (The other pillar is JIT, or Just-In-Time manufacturing.) Jidoka is defined as "providing the ability to detect abnormal conditions and immediately stop work". Poka-yoke is defined as "error-proofing or mistake-proofing a process".

Generally, mistake-proofing has three levels: preventing errors, reducing the impact of an error, and identifying errors. The following sections provide some real-world examples of each.

Preventing Errors

• Specially-shaped parts that can be installed in only one direction are designed to prevent installation errors.

• In the software world, many applications are programmed to prevent certain values from being entered into a form.

Reducing the Impact of an Error

• An airbag does not prevent an automobile accident from happening, but it can reduce greatly the human cost and anguish from a car accident.

• The SawStop®, a saw that can detect a human finger and immediately stop the saw, can save the operator from serious injury.

Identifying Errors

• Smart Bolts from Stress Indicator, Inc. are bolts that change color based on how much they are tightened. The help users avoid under tightening and over torquing conditions.

Learn from Deming

One of Edward Deming's 14 points is this: "Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by creating quality into the product in the first place."

Manufacturers mostly rely upon inspection (which usually occurs after a product is made) to determine the quality of the product. Often, the results of the inspection are not fed back to the process that created the error, or the cause of the error is not readily known. By building systems and cultures that immediately stop the process when an error is detected, the process can be improved to reduce or eliminate those errors from occurring in the future. This will eliminate waste and provide for satisfied customers in the long run.

How are errors and problems handled at your organization? Are your people rewarded for bringing attention to problems? Can you share any examples oferror-proofing where you work?

Additional Resources

Here are some links to additional resources for Jidoka and Poka-yoke.

A brief tutorial on mistake-proofing written by John R. Grout and Brian T. Downs

http://www.mistakeproofing.com/tutorial.html

Wikipedia Article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomation

Society of Manufacturing Engineers – Lean e-newsletter

http://www.sme.org/cgi-bin/get-newsletter.pl?LEAN&20021209&1&

Previous Posts about Lean in CR4's Engineering Management Blog

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/7657/A3-Reports-Methodology-and-Process

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/7101/Lean-Manufacturing-Part-1

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/7106/Lean-Manufacturing-Part-2