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)MAJOR ACTIVITY 9-e
~ 5 min reading + activities
MAJOR ACTIVITY 9–e
With what you have learned this morning fresh in mind, it is now time for you to try to develop a “macro” flow diagram of your organisation. To prepare the ground for that, I will quote in advance an extract in Dr Deming’s own words from Day 10:
“A system of schools (public schools, private schools, parochial schools, trade schools, for example) is not merely pupils, teachers, school boards, and parents. It should be, instead, a component in a system of education in which pupils from toddlers on up take joy in learning, free from fear of grades and gold stars, and in which teachers take joy in their work, free from fear of ranking. It would be a system that recognises [and appreciates] differences between pupils and differences between teachers. The reader, after study of the rest of this paper, might wish to try to construct a system of medical care.”
The reason for Dr Deming beginning this extract by discussing a “system of schools” is that a “system of medical care” is of a similar order of magnitude—i.e. countrywide or larger! Thus the components to be included in the diagram will also generally be large. Notice further that his system of schools is clearly a good system.
By “this paper” Deming was referring to the May 1990 version of the System of Profound Knowledge whose full text is reproduced between the final pages of today’s material and the end of Day 11. That full text is also contained in A System of Profound Knowledge, BDA Booklet A9 pages 3–20 (see the information on page 31).
The procedure in this Major Activity is divided into five stages. The first stage gives you some initial practice at constructing a flow diagram by attempting to follow Dr Deming’s suggestion above. Clearly, some of the detail in any such attempt will depend on local circumstances, such as the country in which you are living, and maybe which region of the country. The fine detail does not matter: but the concept does.
Stage 1. Therefore first spend a little time beginning to try to construct a system of medical care in the space below, of similar layout to Dr Deming’s famous flow diagram and repeatedly referring back to it on page 2, Deming’s flow diagram or DemDim page 133. But remember to keep it “macro”: do not try to make it detailed or complicated—be guided by the nature of what is in his diagram. Also, don’t expect to complete this task right now, as there is some help for you in the Appendix. However, as usual, do what you can first before turning to the Appendix, for that is Stage 2 below. Then at Stage 3 I shall give you some suggestions about how to tackle the flow diagram of your organisation. You might like to look ahead at those thoughts in Stage 3 right now (on the next page) and then also use them to help you with this initial practice diagram.
Stage 2. Now study my attempt on Appendix page 38. That may give you some further ideas as to what you might include in your attempt at Stage 1. So then spend a little more time revising your Stage 1 diagram.
Stage 3. And now try to apply what you have learned during the first two stages to develop an “Organisation Viewed as a System” flow diagram of your own organisation.
It would probably be sensible to start with the central track, broadly summarising the main aspects of what the organisation does. In Deming’s diagram the central track starts at “Receipt and test of materials”, then proceeds through production, assembly and inspection, and goes as far as “Distribution”. A useful way to then proceed with the rest of the diagram is to ask yourself lots of questions. What comes into the system? Where does it come from? What important contributions enter the central track “from the side” (like the “Tests of processes, machines, methods, costs” in Deming’s diagram)? What goes out of our system? To where, to whom? That is, who and where are our “consumers”? How do we get to learn what our consumers think about what they get from us? What do we do with that information? How do we use it to help improve the system?
Stage 4. Next, considering your flow diagram constructed at Stage 3, describe examples of how what happens in one part of the flow diagram is being hindered by some things happening (or not happening) elsewhere in the flow diagram. Does consideration of the conventional organisation chart explain why those harmful things are happening? What could be done to help rather than hinder?
Stage 5. Finally construct a modified version of your Stage 3 diagram, bearing in mind your answers at Stage 4, thus showing how your organisation could become a better system than it is now.