Adding Flow to MOS: The Missing Agility That Lifts Output and Drops Cost Per Tonne
- hlourens6
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
Most mines run a Management Operating System (MOS) or rely on operating procedures. These bring governance, cadence, KPIs and visibility. Yet many leaders still experience unstable production and mill throughput, unacceptably high cost per ton, constant firefighting, and plans that don’t hold. MOS/operating procedures are necessary, but on their own they're not enough to turn effort into stable throughput at the governing constraint. That’s where Flow comes in: a light-touch, 30-minute daily constraint cadence that protects the bottleneck and converts plans into tonnes, typically with no capex and no new software.
What “Flow + MOS” Actually Means
Think of MOS (or the operating procedures) as the discipline platform, roles, KPI cascades, leader standard work and a predictable meeting rhythm. Flow is the control layer that focuses the rhythm on the constraint with live identification, buffer management, and short-interval control so priorities dynamically protect and restore flow. In the application of Flow, every daily or shift review begins with the constraint status (buffer green/amber/red), expected vs actual at the constraint, and the recovery plan for the next 24–48 hours. Plans are sized to the constraint rate with off-constraint work adjusted to avoid starving or blocking the bottleneck.
Critically, the cadence is simple and visual, owned by line leaders, and aligns planning with work execution at the governing constraint, whether that’s CHPP, crusher, stope sequence, development, or loadout.
Why This Adds The Agility MOS Is Missing
Kotter’s “dual operating system” idea is powerful in mining when executed with a light touch: a 30-minute, cross-functional constraint cadence review each day creates a networked layer of rapid learning and response, while the rest of the day, the mine runs as usual. This is how you get stability and agility without adding complexity.
Lowest Cost Per Tonne Comes From Protecting The Constraint
Lowering cost per tonne is mostly arithmetic; the lever is operational control of system flow. When you hold the governing constraint at its demonstrated rate (by avoiding starving or blocking it), you maximise flow with the assets you already employ. Fixed overhead is spread over more saleable tonnes, unit costs are lower and become predictable. That is precisely the outcome sites report when Flow is added to MOS: higher, more stable production, fewer unplanned rate losses, structured handovers and more predictable unit costs, using available resources with no additional capital required.
This is a light-touch overlay, not a rebuild, no capex, no new software or headcount, and it runs as a 30-minute daily constraint meeting within your existing routines to stabilise throughput without disrupting operations.
Under the hood, Flow uses buffers and protective capacity to decouple the bottleneck from upstream variability and prevent downstream blocking; this is how the hidden capacity is unlocked.
Evidence: Fast Lift, No Capex
A recent longwall example is typical of how FLOW + MOS can deliver exceptional results: after implementing a MOS framework, activating a Flow cadence around the CHPP unlocked a 16% production increase within three months of starting the FLOW implementation, without the need for capital.
A few months later, it lifted another 14%. Leaders also observed earlier risk detection, calmer execution, and better safety outcomes as variability dropped.
Across 90+ mining engagements, the typical first phase uplift is +15%, within a few months, delivered with a very lean on-site footprint.
What Changes Tomorrow Morning
One signal drives the cascade: start each review with constraint buffer status, expected vs actual, and the recovery plan.
Plans sized to capacity: daily/weekly plans match the demonstrated constraint rate; off-constraint is throttled.
Priorities aligned: mining, development, maintenance, processing and supply sequence work by impact on the constraint first, then everything else.
KPI stack that drives the right behaviour: constraint utilisation %, buffer penetration, starve/block minutes, “ready-at-constraint,” and tonnes through the constraint, reinforced by MOS Leader Standard Work.
The result is stable, reliable production with a single aligned KPI stack and leaders freed from chronic firefighting to focus on safety, strategy and stakeholder management.
Start Light, Integrate Fast
Flow doesn’t replace your MOS or OS; it sharpens it. Run them in parallel: stand up the daily constraint cadence, instrument the constraint, tune cascades and Leader Standard Work, and let the site own the routine from day one. Because it’s simple and visual, line leaders adopt it quickly and keep it going, so the gains persist long after coaches’ fade.
Bottom Line: Protect the governing constraint, and you’ll achieve maximum flow for the assets employed, delivering the lowest feasible cost per tonne without new capital. Then let the MOS practices lock it in.
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