TPM The Education and Training Through Self-Discovery and One-Point Lessons

Enrique Mora

Education And Training

Since 1957, when I was a student in the Politenico Nacional in Mexico, I understood very clearly: The education is very necessary but it must be supported with the practice of direct training on our assigned tasks.  The possibilities for us to learn the concept are slim without it.  It is like trying to learn how to play the piano with practicing or trying to learn a foreign language without daring to look for opportunities to speak it.  

With all the many years I have dedicated to adult education in technical training, I have discovered that the application of the Kaizen events system, used in the implementation of the Toyota Production System, is just the right mixture to learn and apply immediately.  It consolidates each stage.   

Kaizen is a Japanese term that means continuous improvement.  When carrying out this process, constant success is obtained and the participants look for new opportunities.  They put them into practice and as they repeat it, the degree of satisfaction grows until it becomes a habit.  The habit is to constantly look for more opportunities to improve the process, the workplace, the quality of the product, etc.  We can say then that each person has acquired the Kaizen mentality.  These people enjoy contributing their spontaneous creativity to the solution of a problem.  They are capable of developing and communicating a creative and friendly environment.  

Logical, Creative Self Discovery

Combining a series of techniques I learned throughout these years, I have come up with this concept of Logical, Creative Self Discovery based on simple reasons like these:  

»      We learn more when we try to teach what we just learned

»      We learn more from what we discover and share with others than from others’ teachings

»      We learn better in a friendly environment

»      An important element is the mood of the apprentice and trainer

»      In order to lighten the learning process, we must try to accomplish the activities in a happy way  

Playing is the best way to learn. The education experts say that a student who is not amused does not learn.  Let us remember those days when we learned to drive a car or ride a bicycle.   

All of the things we learn are effective because of several positive characteristics:  

»      We are interested in the learning

»      We amuse ourselves when learning

»      We are empowered by what we learn

»      We put it into practice, being rewarded immediately . 

These factors must be taken into account when doing training.  One of the most important details to consider is that people enjoy education more when discovering by themselves rather than attending a conference.    Remember the hands-on lab experiments at school or the shop classes?  The use of these techniques is an easier and more effective way to obtain good results.  Mutual respect and an atmosphere of absolute confidence will contribute to the participants’ better learning and sharing of those pieces of knowledge they already have.  People frequently know much more than they imagined.  

Theme And Contents

In adult education, we do not have to try to lead the session by means of a script or rigid agenda.  These are counter-productive.  We have much better results if we follow these simple steps:  

»      Define the main objective of the instruction and present it to the participants.

»      Request them to share with the group their expectations on the content of the training.  This helps us make special emphasis on certain subjects they consider important.

»   Ask them what they or they believe they know about the subject that is going to be taught.  If they have enough knowledge, request that they briefly explain what they know and clarify the possible deficiencies.  Even if their perceptions are erroneous, we do not embarrass them nor make them feel badly, or they will stop cooperating.

»      Do a fast assessment to learn about their knowledge level.

»      Constantly use what they brought up during the assessment about their expectations and make sure they are learning to satisfy them.

»      During the classroom sessions or on the floor, ask them questions of specific reinforcement such as...

»        Do you consider that this will allow you to use the tool (or the machine) with more effectiveness?

»         Do you think that this responds to the doubt you had about the lubrication (or the vibration, the adjustment, etc.)?

This allows them to confirm that the workshop is focused specifically on their needs and thoughts and they are benefiting individually and directly from it. When we go to the practical sessions, which I recommend to mix during the day, (50% or more of the total time), emphasize the application of what was seen in the classroom, which applies directly on the floor. This makes each participant pay close attention, since it is the practical application of the lesson learned. The process of Kaizen Events for continuous improvement is likely to generate a new process sheet, or a new verification list or both in order to facilitate the continued application of the suitable changes. This concept is reinforced in our article on Visual Systems. 

Here the instructor’s ability will be put into play to get the participants to write such process sheets or verification lists in their own words. Of course we must assure that these have not left out the vital points. I have been able to verify that they will follow with greater attachment the recommendations and norms that they themselves have written and in addition the so important sense of property is reinforced.  

Consolidating the Lessons Learned

Naturally when we finish each part of the workshop or each session of education or training, it is necessary to make a summary where all the participants contribute indicating how the learning is going to be applied in their daily activity.  

This reaffirmation session is in a spontaneous commitment of the participants in the pursuit of the continuity of the project. Let us remember that there is a strong tendency in all human beings to return to the old way of doing things.   

It is the leader or coordinator who should follow up at least during the following seven weeks in order that the new process or new adjustment becomes a habit and is standardized. It is the set of improved habits that will constitute the new culture we are building so that the company becomes more productive.  

This is particularly necessary when the personnel acquire new responsibilities that in the past were assigned to another person or group, or that nobody did. The Autonomous Maintenance, fundamental element of the TPM program is a clear example. The operators acquire the new responsibilities to clean, to inspect, to lubricate and to make small adjustments, as well as proposing improvements for their machine and area. If we do not give support, in just a few days they will have set these responsibilities aside and the advance will be lost.   

Definitely, the education and the training are the most important skills of the coordinator or facilitator. The program depends on those skills to succeed, more than on the technical aspects. When people are motivated and well trained on the principles of TPM, the technical knowledge will be easier to acquire.  As coordinators and promoters of the plan, it is our responsibility to integrate teams that combine people of great technical experience in machines or systems, which we have decided to apply these implementation efforts. Also it is important that the operators participate, as well as leaders and area supervisors, perhaps even a manager or engineer, who with their decision-making capacity would give great logistical support to the project. In these terms of participation, the production workers, who traditionally have been ignored and their ideas have seldom been listened to, acquire a great confidence in the process and therefore they make it work.    

Many engineers and managers, and even supervisors, are astonished when they realize all the excellent practical ideas that workers contribute to improve the processes of cleaning, lubrication and inspection of their equipment. This is vital in an effective autonomous maintenance, spine of the TPM Process.  Unfortunately, there is a fear in the enterprise sector that often the trained personnel leaves for other companies. Nevertheless, it is much more expensive not to train the people and have them stay.    

The One Point Lesson

Very effective tool in the education process is the “One Point Lesson”. It is a natural and fun process that substantially contributes to the good atmosphere of leadership that we are talking about. It consists of taking advantage of the special knowledge of some person within the plant to develop some specific task. Normally we will apply this tool for smaller procedures.   For example, we have a mechanic who is very skilled for a task like: to change a filter, to change seals or to pack a valve, to fill a lubricating unit of the pneumatic system, to change a belt, to align a motor, etc. We request him to prepare in a page (preferably a large piece of paper like an A4 or those used for flipcharts), a simple explanation in detail of the process, helped by simple drawings or even some photography. Then we request him to explain to a small group of people who will benefit from that piece of knowledge. Three simple stages are followed:

»     Explain the process

»    Have the apprentices explain it

»     Have the apprentice do it…

Maintenance technicians will be delegating those operations and naturally they will be acquiring others of higher level of skill, complexity, and responsibility.

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