The Course

Process industries are highly competitive. There are significant pressures to reduced costs whilst continuously improving the quality of service to customers. In order to compete successfully, 24-hour operations must achieve the highest possible standards at all times.

For a facility to operate safely and efficiently 24/7, it is necessary to apply shift working. However, a multiple-shift operation poses a challenge because of the potential for disconnects caused by the fact that the personnel are changing every few hours. This can result in a significantly increased risk of incidents together with operational problems such as reduced throughput and increased levels of waste. Operating multiple shifts can be like running several different companies at the same time. Each change of shift brings a new team of people with different skills, attitudes and objectives.

What is needed is a detailed understanding of all of the issues that shift working creates. This will then allow strategies to be developed to ensure that performance can be maintained at the very highest levels at all times.

Best Practices in Multishift Operations is a one-of-a kind workshop that reveals how the world's most successful companies manage multiple-shift and 24-hour operations to deliver world-class people and process performance.

The Goals

• Understand the issues associated with 24/7 shift operation:
  • Effective communication
  • Continuity of operation
  • Consistency of approach
  • Fatigue and its consequences
  • Shift-to-shift handover
  • People issues created by shift working
• Identify strategies to deal with the issues:
• How to implement seamless communications
• Ensuring continuity of operation
• Achieving effective shift handovers
• Achieve shift-to-shift consistency of approach
• Be able to identify and deal with fatigue
• Dealing with people issues
• Explore alternative shift schedules that reduce costs and improve job satisfaction
• Implement Kaizen (continuous improvement) around-the-clock
• Learn what has worked - and what hasn't - at other plants
• Develop effective shift supervisors
• Benchmark your performance against that of world-class facilities
• Create an Action Plan for continuous improvement back at work

The Process

This seminar will use a combination of lecture, discussion and group/individual activities. Delegates are encouraged to bring specific challenges and issues they are facing to the session for group discussion. In addition, we will discuss Best Practices currently used at participants' companies so that delegates will have the opportunity to learn from numerous sources. We will close by having each delegate develop a step-by-step Action Plan that will help guide future improvement efforts back at work.

The Benefits

Whether you're looking to create a more competitive operation, develop a high-performance 24-hour work force, minimise the risks associated with shift working or explore alternative shift scheduling systems, this workshop will address practical, proven solutions. This workshop is developed from years of successful implementation expertise, not academic theory.

To optimize the learning process, we:

• Customize the programme to the group's specific needs
• Include group activities so that participants can work on real-world problems that they are facing
• Use case studies to help consolidate the understanding of the topics covered
• Conclude with the development of a specific Action Plan so that learnings can be applied more quickly
• Provide post-event follow-up as required with additional suggestions or recommendations to help delegates succeed

The Results

By understanding the nature and skill of leadership, delegates should be more productive and innovative in their own business environment. This should equate to higher goals and a more productive climate for any organization.

The Core Competencies

Among other things, delegates will learn how to:

• Implement Best Practices in managing multi shift operations
• Create sustainable systems for effective communication
• Achieve continuity through effective shift handover
• Be able to identify and address the issues associated with fatigue
• Evaluate alternative shift schedules for cost-efficiency, employee satisfaction and maximum safety
• Develop and nurture cross-shift teams
• Involve all shift employees in a continuous improvement process that delivers sustainable results
• Develop shift supervisors who are highly effective in the shift environment
• Evaluate current operating performance against that of world-class facilities

The Programme Content  

Understanding the issues associated with shift working

• Communication
• Continuity of operation
• Consistency of approach
• Shift-to-shift handover
• Fatigue and its consequences
• People issues

Building a Competitive Advantage

• Benchmarking world-class operations
• Performance results from successful plants
• Self-Assessment - How does your plant measure up?
• Sharing the specific issues of the course delegate
• Case Study

Effective Communications

• Deliver effective management communication to all shifts
• Improve shift leader-team communications
• Develop effective interfaces across shifts
• Proven cross-shift communication tools & techniques
• Install a world-class Visual Management system

Effective Shift Handover

• Best practices for effective shift handover
• Start of shift meetings

Ensuring Continuity of Operation

• Performance management
• Weekly planning processes
• Effective standard operating procedures
• Teamwork
• Training and developing Shift Teams

Developing Effective Shift Supervisors

• Evolution of the role of supervisor
• Training and developing effective supervisors
  • Technical skills
  • Leadership skills
• Benchmarking performance of supervisors

Continuous Improvement/Kaizen in 24-Hour Operations

• Understanding CI
• Workplace organisation and 5S
• Learning from the Toyota Production System (TPS)
• Continuous improvement systems that involve all shifts
• Developing and implementing cross shift teams
• Management visibility/GEMBA

Dealing with Fatigue

• The body clock and circadian rhythms
• Causes of fatigue
• Ergonomics
• Fatigue Countermeasures
• How to successfully implement cross-shift teams
• Management's role in leading multi-shift operations
• Develop "high-performance" first-line leaders on the plant floor

Pros and Cons of Different Shift Systems

• History of shift working
• Managing the risks of shift work
• Common shift scheduling myths
• Determine the cost-effectiveness of your shift schedule
• Examples of 8-hour and 12-hour schedules
• Fixed vs. rotating shifts
• Step-by-step process to design and implement a "lean" shift schedule
• Analysis of delegates' shift schedules and issues

Dealing with People Issues on Shift

• Managing performance
• Dealing with poor performance
• Discipline
• Consistency of approach
• Counselling skills
• Applying the Learnings
• Group Vision and Action Plan