-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Addressing the Gap in Process Performance
April 26, 2022 | Nolan Johnson, PCB007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The first steps in process improvement are to determine what the gap is and why it happens. Having a process is not sufficient; the process needs to be effective as well. For those responsible for creating and maintaining processes, the ultimate goal is to create a procedure that becomes self-perpetuating, that seeps into the fabric of the company’s culture. For better or worse, plenty of procedures do indeed become ingrained in company culture. How does one go about ensuring that company culture is loaded with effective processes that deliver a positive outcome? That is the question, to be sure.
Analyzing Performance Problems, authored by Robert Mager and Peter Pipe, was published in 1970. Even 50 years later, it is still one of the most definitive—and digestible—books on the topic of skill gap analysis. Their model presents a thorough and effective method for troubleshooting performance problems.
According to Pipe and Mager, first identify the performance problem. To do so, make the key metrics:
- Measurable
- Observable
- Performance-based
Armed with the metrics, the next questions are critical to the analysis:
- Is it worth solving?
- Can we apply fast fixes?
- Are the consequences appropriate?
- Is there skill deficiency?
- Are there other causes?
- Which solutions are the best?
This analysis process is captured in the flowchart for Mager and Pipe’s model.
While this model might seem almost simplistic, my personal experience is that the power of the model comes from the simplicity. This model is not attempting to determine the specific fix; that is a separate scope. Instead, Mager and Pipe are merely attempting to perform the triage, to identify the nature of the breakdown in performance. Once the root cause of the breakdown is understood, the type of resolution can be determined. How exactly that resolution is implemented, of course, is often highly situationally dependent. There may be more than one solution, in fact. And in terms of the current challenges in upskilling, is this 50-year-old method still meaningful?
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2022 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Podcast Review: On the Line with… Designing for Reality
05/09/2024 | Duane Benson, Positive Edge LLCAs a technologist, if I were forced to come up with just one recurring theme that I might call a professional “nemesis,” it would be the difference between theory and reality. A lot of technology we have at our disposal works well in theory but falls short when reality hits. That’s not the only reason I chose to listen to and review On the Line with… Designing for Reality, featuring a series of conversations with ASC Sunstone’s Matt Stevenson, but it certainly helped that the title caught my eye.
Dragonfly Energy Announces Breakthrough in Lithium Battery Production: Eliminating Harmful 'Forever Chemicals'
05/09/2024 | Globe NewswireDragonfly Energy Holdings Corp., an industry leader in green energy storage, has made a significant breakthrough in battery manufacturing with the successful production of PFAS-free electrodes in lithium battery cells.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—The Pre-Manufacturing Process
05/08/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsI have been working with Nolan Johnson on a podcast series about designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. By sharing lessons learned over a long career in the PCB industry, we hope to shorten learning curves and help designers produce better boards with less hassle and rework. Episode 2 deals with the electronic pre-manufacturing process. Moving from CAD (computer-aided design) to CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) is a key step in PCB manufacturing. CAM turns digital designs into instructions that machines can use to actually build the PCB.
Altus Equips SSTL with Advanced Cleaning Technology for Electronics
05/07/2024 | Altus GroupAltus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment for the electronics manufacturing industry, has announced the successful installation of an advanced PCBA cleaning system at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL).
RTX's Advanced Ground System for Space-based Missile Warning Now Operational
05/06/2024 | RTXAn advanced ground system for space-based missile warning developed by Raytheon, an RTX business, is now operational at the U.S. Space Force's Overhead Persistent Infrared Battlespace Awareness Center (OBAC).