Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [472]
Well, as fate would have it, nobody happened to know about Customer Order Number 41427. So Peach had everybody stepping and fetching to chase down the story on it. And it turns out to be a fairly big order. Also a late one. So what else is new? Everything in this plant is late . . .
. . . As soon as he discovers 41427 is nowhere close to being shipped, Peach starts playing expeditor . . . Finally it’s determined almost all the parts needed are ready and waiting—stacks of them. But they can’t be assembled. One part of some subassembly is missing . . .
They find out the pieces for the missing subassembly are sitting over by one of the n/c machines, where they are waiting for their turn to be run. But when they go to that department, they find the machines are not setting up to run the part in question, but instead some other do-it-now job . . .
Peach does not give a damn about the other do-it-now job. All he cares about is getting 41427 out of the door. So he tells Dempsey (the supervisor) to direct his foreman, Ray, to instruct his master machinist to forget about the other super-hot gizmo and get ready to run the missing part for 41427. Whereupon the master machinist looks from Ray to Dempsey to Peach, throws down his wrench, and tells them they are crazy. It just took him and his helper an hour and a half to set up for the other part that everyone needed so desperately . . .”
This is a day-to-day conflict. It is a one-off problem. Peach rarely visits the shop floor and does not tend to give instruction on how to run production. In this case, he cuts through the management hierarchy to give a direct instruction on what part to run on which machine. Yet when he does so, he gets into a conflict with the master machinist. This is an open conflict to the extent that the machinist throws his wrench and tells them they are crazy.
Step 3: Build the Cloud.
The starting point is the stated differences in the tactics D and D′ (see Fig. 24-4).
For the sake of consistency, it is recommended to write in D from the viewpoint of the other side regarding the tactics—the actions or the decisions—and in D′ from my view.
D and D′ are different options and thus far I (or we) have not managed to come up with a workable compromise that will bridge between the two options.
In the example, the Machinist’s side is C-D′ and Peach’s side is B-D.
The sequence of building the Conflict Cloud is as follows:
We start building the Cloud by stating D and D′. We can start with D or with D′.
In the example, the whole incident starts because Peach gives a direct instruction—hence, stating the [D] of the Cloud:
[D]: The tactic (action/decision) the other side (Peach) wants to employ.
[D:] Reset the machine to work on the missing part for order 41427 now.
[D′]: The tactic (action/decision) I (the master machinist) want to take.
[D′]: Stick to the current setting to produce the other urgent part now.
[C]: The need I (the master machinist) am trying to satisfy or achieve by taking the tactic D′.
This follows the same way we have done it in the Inner Dilemma Cloud.
Once the conflict is clear, it is easier to move to [C]—my need—as the person who builds the Cloud is emotionally involved and has a clear view of why he or she is right in this conflict.
I am the Master Machinist. My job is to prepare the machines and get them ready for the jobs that need to be run. I want to do a good job and I want my work to be appreciated. Therefore, my need may be verbalized as: [C]: Be acknowledged for my contribution to the production plan.
[B]: The need that the other side (according to my perception) wants to satisfy or achieve.
Many times, it is difficult to write the need B because when there was a heated discussion with the other side we were not attentive in listening to their arguments, and therefore we do not have a recollection of why the tactics they suggest (or demand) are important. Over time, with practice