The most successful businesses are good at creating a culture of productivity within their workplaces. In partnership with efficiency specialists Vative, we have identified six simple ways to improve your line productivity within days, and two of them are featured in this post. For the full report with all six efficiency tips, download your copy of 'Six Ways to Increase Line Productivity Guide' below.
- Create simple standards
Food handling is about setting consistent standards for safe food handling, but the standards of one person will often be different to another. One way to avoid this problem is to photograph your machine once it has been cleaned and prepared to the required standard. Then, using simple photo editing software, highlight the areas of interest, print the photo as large as possible and laminate it.
This photo can then be attached to the item in question so the operators know what the required standard is. When they finish using that machine or process, they can see at a glance what it should look like when finished. This method can be used on critical control points, and any shared equipment that is typically left in an unsatisfactory condition.
Benefits: Everybody can understand what the required standard is, and this will progress into other areas of the business. A shared lunch room is another good place to introduce this method, as nobody likes eating their lunch in a mess.
- Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
It’s human nature to want to improve, so if you can show where your team is currently at and give them a realistic target to achieve it can enhance their overall performance. KPIs need to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Based (SMART), and in order to be successful they need to be something the team can influence.
When starting out the team probably only needs one critical KPI to manage, until they become used to working with measurable benchmarks. When selecting which KPIs to start with, it’s a good idea to pick something that effects the customer experience. Data needs to be collected regularly - possibly daily or more for high volume production.
Benefits: Because the team can see their results - and the gap to the target - they will find ways to achieve it. Your team will be organically motivated to improve performance towards their most important customer characteristic.
These two simple strategies will set you on the right path towards a more productive and efficient workplace. If you’re keen to discover the other four productivity wins, you can download your copy below.
Want to learn more about the other four productivity wins? Download your free copy of Six Ways To Increase Line Productivity Guide.
