Moving Away from Flying Blind: Identifying and Realising Potential
Introduction: A clear view for better decisions
Many people are familiar with the sensation of experiencing blurred and out-of-focus vision without glasses. However, many people only realise late in life that they need glasses. They had become accustomed to the gradual deterioration of their vision, only realising its severity when they had their eyes tested and everything suddenly became clear.
A similar situation often occurs in companies: They work with processes that have been established for years and work reasonably well, but are not optimal and do not evolve alongside the company. It's like life without glasses — there's only a limited overview of processes and results, information is missing, and decisions aren't made with full knowledge. As with getting used to deteriorating vision, however, we often don't realise how things could be different.
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We don't know what it's like when solutions completely automate work steps
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Nor do we know what it's like when we don't have to manually transfer all the data from one system to the next
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We don't recognise our own problem because we don't test it ourselves
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We can't imagine the benefits of a fully digitalised process
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The first step is to become aware of the current situation and existing problems, so that you can then look for specific solutions.
This blog offers a roadmap to help you start finding solutions yourself.
Example: Customer need/customer requirement
A manufacturer of dry mortar plants is faced with the challenge of meeting its customers' expectations regarding service speed.
Customers have expressed concerns about the long waiting times between inspections and necessary repairs. These delays lead to fears of extended plant downtime, which has already occurred in the past.
This poses a considerable risk to the dry mortar plant manufacturer.
The inadequate quality of service, a shortcoming also highlighted in the latest customer satisfaction survey, could result in customer losses in the long term. A decline in sales is also foreseeable if customers leave. Therefore, improving service quality is crucial in order to strengthen customer loyalty and secure the company's results.
Challenging process structures and their optimisation
A clear roadmap shows that the underlying challenge for dry mortar plant manufacturers lies in fragmented and inadequately managed service processes. These processes are error-prone and require a lot of administration, which is a productivity killer and leads to long waiting times for customers.
There is a noticeable and growing demand for after-sales service. Nevertheless, many machine and plant manufacturers are struggling to meet this increased demand. Process efficiency is often too low, meaning additional orders cannot be processed or are severely delayed.
At the same time, hiring new employees has become a chronic challenge for the industry. It is not an option to find more employees.
So how can service grow without hiring more employees?
By avoiding waste and increasing employee productivity!
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The DMAIC method: a structured approach to process improvement
We use a simplified version of the DMAIC cycle to improve service processes effectively.
DMAIC is a structured improvement cycle in which service processes are analysed using data, improved specifically and stabilised in the long term. Rather than relying on intuition, you can create transparency regarding the causes, develop specific measures and ensure measurable success. This enables you to increase efficiency, customer satisfaction and quality, step by step and systematically.
The procedure begins with identifying a clearly defined problem in the service process. The DMAIC cycle concludes once the improvements have been implemented and stable new standards have been established. To ensure long-term success, it is essential to implement control mechanisms such as key performance indicators (KPIs) and clear responsibilities.
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1. Define:
The Define step begins with the clear identification of service problems, such as long response times. Customer feedback and frustrations are important strategic aspects that are systematically recorded in order to develop targeted solutions.
The problem must be clearly defined from a company and customer perspective and categorised in the right strategic context. The ‘Voice of the Customer’ (VoC) method plays a central role here: it helps to systematically record the expectations, wishes and problems of customers at first hand. The aim is to find out what is really important to the customer and where frustrations occur that may not yet have been recognised internally.
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A comprehensive process description is used to visualise critical points and their impact from a management perspective.
This analysis is supported by two central questions:
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What does this lead to?
This question aims to identify the specific consequences of certain weaknesses. For instance, delayed feedback can result in longer lead times, missed SLAs and dissatisfied customers. -
What would you like to do that you can't do today?
This question examines where current process barriers are limiting business management. A lack of reliable information on open assignments, limited prioritisation or profitability, for example, can lead to decisions being based on feelings rather than sound data.
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2. Measure:
In the Measure step of the DMAIC cycle, transparency is achieved by collecting specific data. Crucially, measurable variables such as processing times for service orders or the number of queries provide a clear overview of the current situation.
This is how it works:
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What exactly do we measure?
Specific parameters are defined that are directly linked to the problem. These include processing times for service orders, the number of customer enquiries, and waiting times. These metrics provide clear insights into where the process may be stalling. -
How do we measure them?
We create a simple data collection plan that defines who collects which data, how often, and which tool is used (e.g. Excel lists, service tools, or simple time measurement). Random samples over a few days are often sufficient to provide a clear picture. -
Where does the data come from?
Ideally, it comes from existing systems such as ERP, FSM or Excel. If these sources are unavailable, clear, customised sources can be used instead.
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Goal:
To provide a clear, actual view of what is really happening, so that targeted improvements can be made later.
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3. Analyse:
This phase of the DMAIC cycle is crucial for identifying and systematically understanding the root cause of a service problem. During this stage, we employ tools such as the cause-and-effect matrix and the 5 Whys method to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence the quality and effectiveness of processes.
The cause-and-effect matrix helps us to prioritise instead of relying on gut feeling.
The cause-and-effect matrix helps us to identify and prioritise the most important factors influencing a specific service problem, such as delayed deployments or incomplete reports. This methodical approach brings structure to the analysis.
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What are the causes?
For example, the documentation for the inspection could be incorrect or incomplete. -
How strongly do these factors influence the desired outcome?
The weighting shows that certain causes have a significant impact on achieving the desired goal.
The cause-effect matrix reveals the decisive influencing factors. The next step is to understand why these problems arise in the first place, in order to reach the root cause.
The 5-Why method
We keep asking 'Why?' until we reach the root cause, which is usually after five questions.
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Goal:
Not only the symptoms of a problem are treated, but its fundamental causes are uncovered.
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4. Improve:
In the Improve phase of the DMAIC cycle, measures are developed that aim to address the root of the problem. The focus is on making the best use of existing resources to achieve rapid and scalable improvements that have a lasting organisational impact.
This is how we proceed:
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Define action:
Specific measures are developed for each identified root cause. The aim is not just to improve the organisation, but to actually tackle the root cause of the problem. This requires an in-depth examination of the underlying causes and a clear strategy. -
Use what already exists:
Instead of developing completely new systems, existing tools and structures are utilised. The approach is to refine, digitalise and simplify existing resources in order to increase efficiency immediately without having to rebuild entire processes from scratch. -
Start small - think big:
Start with easy-to-implement improvements that can have an immediate impact. From these initial successes, a robust solution is developed that is scalable to all locations or teams to achieve maximum organisational impact. -
Use ChatGPT as a co-pilot:
As soon as the requirements from the analysis are clear, ChatGPT can be used to provide practical and realisable ideas within seconds, which are specially adapted to the respective service world. This support optimises the search for solutions and significantly reduces the effort involved.
Example prompt: ‘Name me 5 practicable solutions for the following requirements in the field service of industrial machinery and plant engineering: technicians document incompletely, feedback takes too long, dispatchers have no real-time overview.’
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5. Control:
This step in the DMAIC cycle is crucial to ensure that the implemented improvements have a lasting effect, rather than being just short-term successes. Standards, monitoring and clear responsibilities ensure that processes are long term.
Essential elements of the control phase:
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Standards and monitoring:
Implementing standards that serve as guidelines to ensure the new processes are applied consistently and efficiently. Regular monitoring enables the effectiveness of the changes to be checked and adjustments to be made if necessary. -
The CIP sheet is a useful tool for this.
Using a CIP (Continuous Improvement Process) sheet is recommended as a practical means of constantly evaluating and continuing to improve processes. The sheet serves as a central tool for documenting and analysing developments continuously. -
Regular evaluation:
To prevent the improvement process from stalling, the CIP sheet should be completed and discussed quarterly at the CIP meeting with the manager. This maintains progress and enables continuous adjustment and optimisation of the implementations.
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Conclusion: Efficiency as a competitive advantage
The process of gaining clarity involves identifying current issues and implementing targeted improvements. Structured process optimisation brings visibility and a sustainable increase in productivity and customer satisfaction.
Approaches such as DMAIC enable companies to optimise internal processes and create decisive competitive advantages.
A structured approach with clear responsibilities and continuous review ensures that changes are firmly embedded and that the company is well prepared for future challenges.
Download your workbook now to access step-by-step instructions on the DMAIC cycle and identify your individual potential.
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