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D
A I R Y I n i t i a t i v e s N E W S L E
T T E R |
Keep Moving Ahead |
JEFFREY
K. RENEAU |
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Where am I going? Backsliding? Staying even? Or moving ahead?
These nagging questions apply not only to our personal lives, but
also to the dairy business. Too often it seems like we progress "two
steps forward, one step back." If only we could find a way to
make consistent, continuous progress toward our goals. Over
the past 50 years a man named W. Edwards Deming revolutionized thinking
on how manufacturing businesses can make continuous progress by changing
management attitudes and focusing on continuous improvement of processes.
Can Deming's principles help dairies? We believe they can. To
apply Deming's principles to your operation, start by thinking of
the dairy as a series of processes working together to produce a product.
Each process involves a series of tasks, each of which affects the
outcome. For example, each task in the milking process can affect
the quantity and quality of milk produced. Next,
set an attainable goal (Deming calls it a "performance target")
and develop a plan of action to improve the process(es) involved until
the goal is reached. Once
you reach the goal, keep monitoring the process to make sure it is
stable and predictable. If you decide further improvement is needed,
reset the goal, redesign the process, and make adjustments until the
new goal is reached and the process is once again stable. Deming
points out that all processes fall into one of four states: The Ideal State
The
Threshold State
The Brink of Chaos
The
State of Chaos
It
probably would be impossible to find a livestock operation with all
of its processes in the "ideal state." However, the best
farms will have proportionately more processes in the "ideal
state" and fewer in the "state of chaos" than poorly
managed farms. The goal is to move each process toward the "ideal
state." Unfortunately,
as you no doubt have noticed, there is a universal force that causes
deterioration, decay, and breakdown. This is called entropy. Turnover
in employees, taking short cuts, wearing out of equipment, and running
out of supplies are all examples of entropy. To prevent entropy from
sending processes into the "state of chaos," you must continually
look for and counteract its effects--repair and maintain equipment,
train employees, and so on. The more proactive and consistent you
are in doing so, the more likely it is that you will reach and maintain
the "ideal state." How
does this work in real life? Say your bulk tank SCC has exceeded the
legal limit and you have to lower the bulk tank SCC or lose your market.
This is a "state of chaos." Your initial reaction is probably
to become a chaos manager and get SCC down to legal limits as soon
as possible. You identify chronically high SCC cows and cull some.
For high SCC cows not culled, you milk the high SCC quarter into a
quarter milker. You achieve your goal. You are happy and feel temporarily
out of trouble. But
wait! Even though the milk now meets legal standards, the processes
have not changed. You have only moved from a "state of chaos"
to the "brink of chaos." Without a change in process, this
herd is doomed to slip back into chaos and the cycle will continue.
To move toward the "ideal state," you must change the processes
that led to the "state of chaos." In this case, that probably
means doing things like improving sanitation to reduce the incidence
of mastitis in your herd. Where
are you going with your dairy business? Are you getting better? Worse?
Or just staying even? Are you a "chaos manager," or do you
continuously improve your dairy operation? Continuous improvement can make your operation more pleasant, productive, and profitable. By breaking your production into steps . . . setting performance targets . . . creating and carrying out a plan to reach those targets . . . then continuously monitoring your operation to detect and deter the effects of entropy, you can reduce the time you spend in chaos and increase the time you find yourself achieving the "ideal state" for your dairy. |
D A I R
Y I n i t i a t i v e s N E W S L E T T E R |