Selection criteria for Shop Floor Management Software

What are the right selection criteria for Shop Floor Management Software?

1. Support for Leadership Performance

One of the key questions to be asked when selecting a system, particularly in the context of Shop Floor Management, is the following:

To what extent does the tool, as a digital leadership instrument, support leaders in their SFM-typical leadership tasks and roles in day-to-day business?

1. Creation of transparency; the software should be able to:

• • Enable manual data entry

  • At the same time, data should also be able to be entered online and digitally (e.g. from ERP, MES systems, etc.)

  • Data should be able to be aggregated automatically along the cascade 

  • KPIs should be easily configurable so that specific cases can be displayed individually

  • Configurability also applies to the board structures in order to meet company-specific requirements
    
    

2. Support for deviation management; the use of SFM is essentially about continuously improving the work system and processes through troubleshooting and problem-solving measures and making them more efficient and cost-effective. We therefore consider the following features and functionalities in the software to be particularly important:

• • Guided error correction process

  • Guided problem-solving process (e.g. according to the A3 method)

  • Direct linking of deviations with the countermeasures in deviation management; this data can then also be used as "knowledge" for solving future problems 

  • Support in prioritizing measures depending on the severity and frequency of incidents
    
    

3. Support in creating commitment in leadership;
   here it is important to support leaders in concluding agreements and enabling follow-up.

• • Controlling and tracking Go&See measures;
    e.g. in the context of error correction process and problem-solving

  • Controlling and tracking feedback 
    to improve transparency/ information

  • Tracking and controlling multi-process/multi-project environments;
    according to the motto, how well do we perform as a company in various business processes. From the sales process to the order fulfillment process to the problem-solving process - to name just a few examples

2. Cross-functional support through shop Floor Management throughout the entire Company  

SFM does not end in production; the potential also lies in the administrative functional areas in particular.
This raises a further question when selecting a system:

To what extent does the system support the full range of applications in the cross-functional and cross-process use of a company?

After all, process and task management plays an important role, especially in functional areas with an office focus.

1. When selecting a system, it should be carefully considered whether the software should be limited to the sole application in production or whether the options of a software system that can be used across all functions should be utilized.
   Essential functions and features at this point are:

• • Process control/ Workflowmanagement,
    for controlling processes and orders in process and project environments. This means that office functions such as planning, development, purchasing, sales, quality, etc. are also addressed here.

  • Task management
    for controlling tasks from processes and projects etc. in the respective specialist teams

2. In this context, it is important that the following collaboration principles are implemented as features in the software:

• • „Connected Organization“:
    Linking of all process and task boards in order to forward process tasks to the specialist team boards that have to complete these tasks. Links between the task/team boards are also possible, e.g. to obtain support services.

  • „Single-Point-of-Task“:
    This means that there is a clear location for the various specialist tasks in a company. Here, the tasks are processed at the value creation-/process level. These are the respective specialist teams with the corresponding specialist skills. In addition to responsibility for implementing the specialist tasks, they also have resource sovereignty and responsibility for implementing the priority specifications.

  • „Work-in-Progress“-monitoring:
    Ensures that no more worklist is released than a team can process in the next cycle or sprint so as not to jeopardize the reliability of collaboration due to waiting times and excessively long lead times.
    
    

3. Connectivity

The tool for digital SFM should work well with other systems in the IT landscape, e.g. to enable easy data exchange between the various systems; this raises another question that should be considered when selecting a system:

How well the software can be integrated into existing IT landscapes?

Data and system integration are particularly important aspects in the age of digitalization and Industry 4.0.

• • Platform:
    The software should ensure platform-independent operation and be based on an open platform (such as MS AZURE or AWS etc.).

  • Cloud operation and database:
    It should be possible to operate the software as SaaS on a "public cloud" as well as on-premise on a "private cloud" with full flexibility in the choice of database technology.

  • Interface:
    Data should be exchanged via state-of-the-art interfaces, e.g. via connectivity layers such as REST-API; micro-services

  • Hardware, Browser, operating system:
    The software should be hardware-independent in the end device area and run with all common operating systems and browsers.

     

Are you interested in digitizing your Shop Floor Management?