Why Don’t People Follow Procedures?

September 1, 2011

It’s a cold and rainy morning as John, a new Production Manager, is driving to the plant. He implemented a new procedure yesterday and he wants to follow-up with his team to ensure everything is going as planned. It’s an important change since it should resolve a nagging quality issue. John is hit with a major issue as soon as he walks in the front door. Before he knows it, it’s been a 12 hour day and John all but forgot about following up on the new procedure. That’s OK, follow-up will wait until tomorrow, right? When John finally gets around to asking his operators about the procedure, he finds that they are not following it at all and each operator seems to be doing his own thing. Sound familiar?

Why wouldn’t the team follow the new procedure since there are such clear benefits? You probably have a theory or two if this experience sounds familiar to you. The Toyota Way Fieldbook states that when people deviate from the original plan, it’s a strong indication that there is a flaw in the plan. This was also one of the main points of Implementing Change – Get It Done! There are reasons why people are not following a new procedure. You need to find out what those reasons are and figure out what to do about it.

Sustaining the improvements can be the most difficult part of the change process. It can be very tempting to move on to the next project in today’s busy manufacturing environment. But don’t let up just yet because you are likely to see everyone drift away from your new best practices if you do not have the right systems in place. There are a few important points if you are to Sustain the Gain:

a) You will need to follow-up with the key players to see what issues they may be encountering. You will often find that you would benefit by making modifications to the new Best Practice. Reserve the right to learn, get smarter, and to continuously improve.

b) You will need to establish systems to support the change. Data may need to be collected for Leaders to review. Data would be helpful if the change involved process set point changes or other measurable parameters. Forms will need to be created to document that the new procedures are being followed for new Quality inspections and other similar changes.

c) Leadership must ensure that there are robust systems in place and follow-up at the right level of the organization to ensure the change becomes a reality. Follow up will be needed to ensure that the change is implemented as intended. Proper follow-up will enable you to work through those unforeseen issues instead of ignoring them or being blissfully unaware.

John learned the value of following up with his team through this experience. He also learned that there valid reasons why his new procedure needed modification. What about you? Have you seen similar examples? Are there other reasons why operators may not follow standardized work? Are you ready to engage your team to get the most out of your standard operating procedures?

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Tags: Change Management, Continuous Improvement, Lean, Management

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http://christianpaulsen62.wordpress.com/ Christian Paulsen

Ann Zerkle posted a link to this blog in her Friday Links feature ( http://rootedinprosperity.com/2011/09/friday-links-49/ ). Ann commented that this article does not go beyond “there’s a flaw.” I posted a few examples of what I have observed on her blog and I’ll list them here as well:

- they don’t see what’s in it for them.
- the new procedure is harder or takes too long.
- there are unexpected negative consequences to the new procedure (safety, quality, etc.).
- poor communication of the procedure and/or benefits. This could be that they were not told or it could be that they did not receive the message.
-they just don’t like change and resist anything new.
-they don’t see any benefit for them, others, or the company.

Best regards,
Chris
http://myflexiblepencil.com/about_david/ David M. Kasprzak

Ann & Chris –

Thanks for the Q&A! Good to see people have thoughts on what they read here, and engage in conversation.
http://www.ganeshmuthiah.com ganeshmuthiah

I find its much easier to implement new process when people understand why they need to follow and how it benefit them.

The reason for not following are just too much to handle, nonetheless – i take it as continual improvement.

Nowadays, i start off by (1)communication with both managers and staff to closed the gaps between mgmt and staff (2)Bring clarity on the change (3)gain commitment to test the process and provide feedback.

After releasing the process, we do 2 rounds of check before close the implementation.

I agree that having a good QMS , proper follow up and further action by mgmt team is important.

Above all,nothing gets done without respecting people.
I find post by Matt Wrye “The Importance of Respect for People” a good read too.

http://christianpaulsen62.wordpress.com/ Christian Paulsen

Ganesh,

It sounds like you have a good process. Deming’s PDCA is the way to go! You state that you do 2 rounds of check before closing the implementation. What happens if you find that you need to make significant adjustments after doing the check step? Do you check 2 more times?

Thanks for your comments.

Chris

http://www.ganeshmuthiah.com ganeshmuthiah

Hi Chris,

Yes- it will be two more check + it goes into quality plan as reminder and record to test the system during IQA. Yes- that’s lots of work because i sometime applies “Murphy’s law” into my work.

I do get complaints about me being pain and quoted “Ganesh means More Work”

To be honest, sometimes i skip if i see evident of commitment and if the impact is low.

Tips-I believe Process & Enterprise Maturity model (PEMM)is a useful strategic think tool for anyone interested in improving business performances.

Please read The Process Audit by Michael Hammer – a HBR article.

http://q-nine-c.com Steve Flick

I disagree that the post only stated that there is a flaw in the system. Following up on system improvements was mentioned – ongoing process monitoring and measurement (obtaining system feedback) is key to sustaining process or system improvements, as is analysis of the key data. I don’t see simple and direct writing as a problem.

http://christianpaulsen62.wordpress.com/ Christian Paulsen

Steve,

Great points! Thanks for bringing your insight and experience to the discussion. I especially like hearing a contrasting viewpoint. The premise of the article is a quote from The Toyota Way Fieldbook so the idea is not my own. I found the quote very intriguing which is what motivated me to make the argument. My interpretation of the quote is not that a flaw is the absolute only reason. At the same time, a flaw could describe many and probably most of the reasons that I’ve seen for people who won’t follow the new SOP. Often times people avoid a new procedure because it proves to be too difficult, causes other issues, or it doesn’t solve the problem. I’d say these are flaws. Other times it’s poor communication, keeping in mind that communication is a two way street and that it can be difficult with 3 or more shifts. That’s a different kind of flaw but not with the new system or process. Operator willingness or perceptions can be a hindrance which isn’t a flaw with the system either.

Thanks again,
Chris

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Why Don’t People Follow Procedures?

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