The Quality Game

Authors

  • John M. Ryan

Abstract

"A lot of WIP on your manufacturing floors? Late deliveries? Running at 2 sigma? High returns, rework or scrap? Running over budget? Inventory turns low (3-5/year)? Can't seem to get people to fix problems so they don't come back over and over again? Don't know how to get them to work the system issues so things smooth out and continuously improve? Stuck in the ""If it ain't broke, don't fix it"" way of thinking? Prevention is a concept that is difficult to teach, difficult to learn, difficult to grasp and most difficult to implement. The business that learns to prevent its problems can easily outdo competitors, save money and improve operations. Prevention is a concept of critical consequence in health, manufacturing, health and safety and has applications in many other industries. But can a game attract players and teach preventive concepts to a degree that results in buy-in and bottom-line results? This paper and “The Quality Game” present basic preventive concepts in the form of common manufacturing problems and solutions. The game is played online and allows teams or individuals to assume real business roles as players “manage by walking around” a company. Rewards for choosing preventive solutions and penalties for band-aiding problems separate learners from losers as department budgets and company funds are wasted or improved. Players learn to manage quality to world-class standards or run the company into the ground and get fired "

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Published

2014-02-24