You're facing material flow bottlenecks. How can you track and analyze data to uncover patterns?

Uno de los puntos importantes para el segumiento de datos es tener la información en tiempo con pizarrones o pantallas en los que se pueda ver el status, esta información debe cargarse en el ERP, para la toma de decisiones.

Implement robust data tracking across your process. But remember: don't measure if you can't collect data consistently. Don't analyze if you can't sustain the effort. Don't act without thorough analysis. Use ERP for real-time metrics on inventory, production, and shipping. This sustainable, data-driven approach ensures targeted, effective bottleneck resolution.

I think data tracking is the most critical step for any improvement activity. Ensuring that data is balanced, non biased, accurately collected by all concerned is important. Due to these reasons, all manually collected data need to be tested thoroughly for its sanctity. As long as possible, mechanism to be adopted to be foolproof so as to minimise the errors in collection. Alternatively, automatic devices which can ensure the collection happens itself without anyone intervening in the process. Role of IoT is becoming more and more important to ensure auto data recording or generating auto logs.

Leverage Power BI for data analysis and automated alerts. Set up mobile notifications for deviations from expected metrics. Complement with Kanban/shadow boards for visual process management. This dual approach - digital alerts plus visual cues - provides immediate bottleneck awareness, allowing for quick, informed interventions to maintain smooth material flow.

The ultimate goal for pattern analysis is to know where the bottleneck is. Sometime, this can be as simple as walking to the shop floor at regular intervals and observe which work station has max pile of inventory at peak production hours. In the case of service operations, data analysis is more critical. Any tool which can plot the data automatically directly from the source of data is good.

Value stream mapping is one tool useful for this analysis where material flow rate, cycle time and time available to complete task (takt) is measured. It brings out the complete picture of potential bottleneck points.

Once the bottleneck points are identified, this is the time where subject matter experts have to give their inputs along with the project team on alternatives available to remove bottlenecks. Depending upon TAKT and flow rate required for entire process, either additional points may be put for parallel processing or rate may be reduced. This Is typical line balancing problem.

Esta sección clave para definir e identificar patrones en el flujo de la operación. En la medida que se realiza un monitoreo sistemático que permita descubrir la anomalía y pueda ser tratada.

Monitoring should be the key job of the operations team to know any deviations in the process. Control Charts are excellent tools to set the boundary conditions which gives visual cues when the process may be going out of control.