COVID – Time to swallow pride
Every day, the story of COVID becomes more alarming. Americans will die … the only question is how many, how fast and who they will be. Will we be like China and South Korea … or will we be like…
Dagem Teshome
Humans make COVID lethal
The big mistake by some people, especially President Trump, is to style COVID as a quasi-human adversary. President Trump’s repeated references to the “Chinese Virus” are not only racist, they are immensely and technically wrong. IMO, broadcasting this error on…
COVID: An Imagination Shortage?
As I listen to expert epidemiologists explain the structure of the pandemic and anticipate the devastating shortages that might come next, my gut says that our “system” (President, politicians, healthcare industry, manufacturers, supply chain pros, and pretty much everyone else)…
COVID Lockdown Mechanics
Disclaimer: I am not an epidemiologist. I do have a pretty good grasp of the behavior of complex systems in a variety of fields. FWIW, I would love to be wrong in this analysis. I wasn’t planning to start writing…
Toward a Video-for-Operations Ecosystem
Imagine an industrial facility with dozens of video cameras that continually record and store video of plant operations … for weeks, if not months. If the cameras are strategically placed, they will capture a visual record of nearly everything that…
Self-Writing (almost) Video SOPs
Over the years, we’ve asked people if they love writing standard operating procedures (SOPs). Their answer is almost always NO !!! SOPs (AKA work instructions or written procedures) are the lifeblood of standard work and continuous improvement. How can something that…
Skills for Video in Operations
Security video systems are promising tools to investigate value-added business processes and operations. The technology is mature and the potential benefits are manifest. However, it requires a new skills ecosystem that most organizations currently don’t have. This article lists six key areas…
Studying Operations with Video
Industry has embraced continuous improvement for at least a century. Arguably, it started with Frederick Taylor and evolved to Six Sigma and beyond. There were many advances, and a few fads, in between. Still, Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) is a common…
High Detail Video for Operations
A New World of High Resolution Cameras We see footage from convenience store security cameras … usually in a police report or plea for citizen help … and the videos are colorless, grainy and lack detail to see the action…
Video For Operations – Speed Reveals
Typical manufacturing and business operations involve a huge range of independent activities. One of the key differences between the various activities is the way in which they unfold over time … their speed and timing. Sad to say, our traditional…