FORESchoolofManagement

RapidPlantAssessment
Tool
PRCMAssignment
VaibhavAhuja(221160)

AbouttheTool
The Rapid Plant Assessment Process has been used in more than 400 tours of over 150
operations since1998. The information this tool provides has influenced activities and
decisions ranging from benchmarking to competitor analysis to strategic acquisitions. And
theresultsofatourareavailableinadayorless,whereasmostratingsystemstypicallytake
weekstocomplete.
The RPA process is not a substitute for due diligence, when youre making an acquisition,
andlikewise,youllconsiderawiderangeoffactorswhenchoosingasupplier.Butmanagers
alltoooftenignorevisualinformationinfavourofthenumbers,andasaresult,youmight
missvitalcuesaboutanoperationsstrengthsandweaknesses.Thismaycauseyoutomiss
out on a highly desirable opportunity or to enter into a relationship that sounds promising
only to discover a promising problem later. You can also apply the tool to your own
operations to learn what your plant is telling the visitors and where you might find
opportunitiesforimprovement.
AttheheartoftheRPAprocessaretwoassessmenttoolsforteamsperformingplanttours.
TheRPAratingsheetpresents11categoriesforassessingtheleannessoftheplantandthe
RPA questionnaire provides 20 associated yes/no questions to determine if the plant uses
best practices in these categories. Following a tour, the team members will capture their
observations in the worksheets. There are many quantifiable factors by which to assess
performance in the rating sheets 11 categories. During a tour, team members will be
observingallaspectsofaplantsenvironment,talkingwiththeworkforceandmanagersand
looking for evidence that the plant adheres to best practices. Its important that team
membersnottakenotesduringthetour,becausenottakingdetractsfrompickingupvisual
cuesandimpedescommunicationwithemployeesontheplantfloor.Instead,eachmember
is assigned primary responsibility for a few categories and the team should meet
immediatelyafterthetourtoshareimpressionsandfillouttheworksheets.

RapidPlantAssessmentRatingSheet

Table2

Rated by: _______________

Rapid Plant Assessment
Jul-14
Tour Date: ______________ Table 1--Rating Sheet
Plant: ________________
Ratings Poor
Below
Average
Average
Above
Average
Excellent
Best in
Class
No Measure Score 1 3 5 7 9 11 Scores
1 Customer Satisfaction 9
2
Safety, environment,
cleanliness, & order
11
3
Visual Management
Deployment
11
4 Scheduling system 11
7
People teamwork, skill
level, & motivation
9
9
Ability to Manage
Complexity & Variability
9
11 Quality System Deployment 9
Totals 69
Plant Rapid Plant Assessment Date
Jul-14
No
Table 2--Assessment Questionnair e
Yes/No
1 Are visitors welcomed and given information about plant layout, workforce, customers, and products? Yes
2 Are ratings for customer satisfaction and product quality displayed? Yes
3 Is the facility safe, clean, orderly, and well lit? Is the air quality good and noise levels low? Yes
4 Does a visual labeling system identify and locate inventory, tools, processes, and flow? Yes
5 Does everything have its own place, and is everything stored in its place? Yes
6 Are up-to-date operational goals and performance measures for those goals prominently posted? Yes
8 Are work instructions and product quality specifications visible at all work areas? Yes
9 Are updated charts on productivity, quality, safety, and problem solving visible for all teams? Yes
10 Can the current state of the operation be viewed from a central control room, on a status board, or on a CRT? No
14 Are work teams trained, empowered, and involved in problem solving and ongoing improvements? Yes
15 Do employees appear committed to continuous improvement? Yes
17 Is there an effective project management process, with cost and timing goals, for new product start-ups? Yes
19 Have key product characteristics been identified and fail-safe methods used to forestall propagation of defects? Yes
20 Would you buy the products this operation produces? Yes
Total number of Yeses 12

Conclusion&Recommendation
After applying the Rapid Plant Assessment Tool, it has been observed that the company
faces adequate attention on taking good care of the office environment and quality
standards.Theemployeesaremotivatedandtakencareoftoensurethattheirgoalsarein
perfect alignment with that of the company. The employees are also committed to
improvingtheirperformanceandefficiency.Also,workteamsareconsultedintakingmajor
decisionsforthecompany.
However, the company needs to have proper tools in place for monitoring ongoing
processes. The company can design better communication lines for this purpose. Scenario
building tools can be used for this purpose. The CRM software can also help monitor this
problemaswellashelptodevoteadequateattentiontocustomerneeds.