This week at Acme I totally neglected the program to reduce shipping errors. I didn’t have any time for it. I was busy doing nothing.
Through no fault of my own, I got conscripted into a project to do nothing. The goal of the project was to see what kind of information transactions occurred during the Click Here to continue reading.
I seem to have survived another end of month. Month ending is alway a busy time because we try to ship as much as possible so that our monthly financial statement looks as good as possible. This practice is deeply engrained in Acme, deeply enough so that all our suppliers realize that we don’t really Click Here to continue reading.
Progess is always much slower than desired. I don’t feel I have much to report on when I say that we have used the new process for checking claims this week. None of the pickers liked it at all. Some were obviously rebellious. Technically, they have every right to be; I am not anyone’s supervisor. Click Here to continue reading.
A week ago, the plan was:
1. Set up at least a basic database to keep track of shipment errors
2. Begin new pick/pack/ship flex program to check shipments
3. Use dougnuts to bring home the program
We didn’t accomplish exactly any of those things. Still, the best-laid plan changes Click Here to continue reading.
I’ve been thinking for a while that it is not good for me to only report bad news. The last bit of this post by Michael Yon, about rebuilding Iraq, clinched it. If I am talking about work, I am most often talking about how Acme, or the managment of Acme, or the other departments Click Here to continue reading.
This is going to get technical, and also not make much sense. Proceed with caution.
One of the first things I had the privilege of working on when I came to the shipping department was intra-company orders. In a very small way I helped make this an issue that our plant needed to deal with. In Click Here to continue reading.
Two people inside of Acme applied for the job that P. B. now holds–two people that I know of. As of today, neither of them works for the company any more. The second gave two weeks’ notice today and was asked to leave immediately. Lots of things are rumored, the most likely that he had Click Here to continue reading.
We have thus far been allowed to retain our temp workers, and even (of a sudden, at least to me) were granted interns. This has been helpful in two areas that critically needed attention, inter-company orders and customer complaints. After the insanity that traditionally ends the month, I will have to start planning their time Click Here to continue reading.
The cynic gives with eyes averted, and doubts when he hopes, because most of all he fears dissappointment–that is loss of control.
I think I made it clear, when I presented to you the sprouting change, that danger threatened the sprout from every side. I intimated the militant ranks of people who would not take a Click Here to continue reading.
I knew nothing about manufacturing or business when I came to Acme, so I heave learned all my notions of the proper way to do things from influences within the company. Any time I point out something that is not being done the right way, there is a discrepancy between theory and practice in Acme.
Now Click Here to continue reading.