basictraining
are not intended to be examined in their totality over numerous discrete time periods. They are designed to illustrate
what’s happening now and to stimulate improvement, corrective action, and deeper probes into those performance elements that are deviating from expectation (in any direction).
WHAT SHOULD BE ON A DASHBOARD?
The consulting answer—it depends. It depends on whether
you are in transportation or distribution. It depends on
your organization’s mission—and what factors define success. It depends on what your customers value. And the
style and preferences of your top management.
That will almost surely mean that there are different
dashboards for different areas, and that’s OK.
For example, in a distribution center, you might be
tempted to make on-time shipments a metric. But your
customers probably don’t care. They are only concerned
about on-time arrivals, and that might be a better dashboard element for the transportation (or 3PL) function.
Then, there is the issue of how to integrate dashboards
into a cohesive enterprisewide view, and these are tricky
waters. The next greatest failing after providing too many
dashboards is hammering people for improvement in metrics that they cannot directly affect.
But it is fair to do two things: show all associates the dash-
boards that indicate how the company is performing—as
informational items only, and teach all associates how their
local dashboards contribute to the enterprise whole.
OUR TAKE
Find the balance, the critical few, the keys that relate directly
to individual units and that people can interpret and relate to.
Figure out how to integrate local dashboards and metrics into
a more cosmic enterprise view. Use visible results to motivate
continuous improvement. Keep it real. Find out who’s been
naughty or nice. And let it snow, rain, or whatever.
It’s that simple … and that complex. ;
Art van Bodegraven may be reached at (614) 336-0346 or avan@columbus.rr.com.
You can read his blog at http://blogs.dcvelocity.com/the_art_of_art/. Kenneth B.
Ackerman, president of The Ackerman Company, can be reached at (614) 488-3165
or ken@warehousing-forum.com.
