The Cardinal Rule of Process Documentation: Read the Comments

A simple tip to improve your frontline communication

We’re told the cardinal rule of the internet is, “Never read the comments.” This catchphrase is used to warn users of the toxic parts of the internet. One minute you’re sharing an article, photo, or video that you’re proud of. The next moment, dozens or even hundreds of comments snowball into a whirling mess of meanness.

I’ve published my writing online for more than 20 years now, and I can attest that reading the comments absolutely has the power to make you doubt yourself and lose all faith in humanity.

True story: I remember one of my readers commented that I was “nuttier than a bag of trail mix.” That destroyed me for an entire month.

However, communicating within a manufacturing company is a different arena.

When your goal is to continuously improve, empower frontline workers, and transform the company for the better, one of the best habits to get into is reading the comments—not in suggestion boxes, sticky notes, dry-erase boards, or clipboards, but with accessible and engaging digital devices.

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Comments

Process Improvement

Good article Scott. I have been out of manufacturing for nearly as long as you have been involved in it. But prior to that I worked in manufacturing for nine different companies in eight different industries, a total of ~40 years. My work was as Technical Director, Quality Assurance Manager, or Consultant.

We didn't have cell phones or computers at the start but it always paid to listen to comments. Comment: "We tried that it doesn't work". Response: "Show me the report, something may have been missed". Or comment: "Why should I listen to you? I've been here 20 years and you will only be here two or three." Response: "I am in a position to run trials that may help you or make your life miserable. So we should talk, in advance, during, and after the trial." Or comment: "We tried something similar. I have some notes in my locker, let's go look". Response: "Let's go if now is convenient".

Then came ISO and a few of my companies proceeded to register after documenting procedures. This was a step forward as long as shift supervisors could assemble a team which had trained on all the procedures for today's orders; or know which team members would need help today, with which specific procedures, and could find the procedures if it required a computer search. Or an auditor asks a sixth grade graduate for the strength testing procedure which neither of them could find because the person who wrote the procedure didn't use either the word Tensile or Instron. To make matters worse in this instance, they came to me for it. I had discovered a full text searching algorithm, found the procedure in seconds; but was written up by the auditor for not using the proper method of finding the document (which he had written and I had been unable use to find the Tensile Testing procedure either).

But enough, modern communication technology for documentation, making, reading, and using comments should help. I say should because if cell phones are the mode, keep in mind they can be terrible distractors to operators and readers alike.