When work days (and nights) are spent conforming to customer compliance standards, investigating customer complaints, or struggling with data collection software, then finding time for continuous process improvement seems unrealistic if not impossible. Tasks pile up, demands increase, and products become more diverse. How do you find ways to create real value?

The first step is to look closely at how you are collecting data. Typically, quality data are sampled during the process to determine if the product (or part) is in compliance. These data are often appended to traceability information such as a lot, purchase order number, or work order number. This is the bare minimum required for satisfying customer needs or being able to respond to a recall. However, adding machine, part, and shift data to this set can make it more valuable.

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