According to a 2019 survey, most miners believe that business improvement improves productivity, but up to 30% believe they could be more effective.
Here are some concerns expressed by business improvement managers and shared by mine executives:
· Expected results often do not materialise
· The impact on the bottom line of the typical projects is smaller than desired
· Too many improvement projects overloading resources and managerial attention.
· Project impact is difficult to measure
· Momentum lost after a promising start.
· Resistance to change: often starting with managers and quickly picked up by the
frontline.
Here are some of the main difficulties experienced by dedicated CI groups.
Obstacles to CI Group success:
Resistance to Change/Ownership of Initiatives: Some employees may resist changes proposed by the CI department, especially if they feel their jobs are threatened, or they don't understand the rationale behind the changes. Employees outside the CI department may feel their ideas are not valued, or that exciting opportunities are being taken away from them.
Ineffective Focussing and Prioritisation Mechanism: Improvement projects are often initiated within a function, and few holistic cross-functional projects end up on the list. Systems Thinkers such as Russel Ackoff and Eli Goldratt have shown that the maximum output of every production system is determined by the slowest step or bottleneck. Only effort directed at the bottleneck will translate into immediate bottom line results. The problem is that the bottleneck is often hidden (moving bottlenecks), and its performance is affected by other departments (variation and interdependence). Thus, the CI department is unable to focus its efforts on maximising its impact in a way that is visible to the business.
Less effective solutions: CI professionals may not have the same in-depth understanding of specific operational areas as those working in them daily, potentially leading to less effective solutions.
Miners are very aware of these obstacles and have implemented many workarounds over the years.
Overcoming the obstacles: Option 1-standard interventions
Empowerment, not Takeover: Position the CI department as a supporting function that empowers other departments to own and drive their own improvement initiatives.
Training and Mentorship: Provide CI training and mentorship to all departments, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to identify and implement improvements.
Cross-functional Teams: Encourage the formation of cross-functional teams for improvement projects, ensuring diverse perspectives and ownership from different areas.
Clear Communication: Establish clear communication channels to ensure everyone understands the role of the CI department and how they can contribute to the improvement process.
Recognition and Rewards: Recognise and reward employees across the organisation for their contributions to continuous improvement, fostering a culture of ownership and engagement.
These are all good ideas but can be difficult to implement and sustain. At Stratflow, we have found that when Systemic improvements (TOC-based) are sustained by a Flow Room, the obstacles to CI performance are removed.
What is the Flow Room
The 'Flow Room' is where the heads of departments, middle managers, and selected employees get up-to-date visual information on what is happening across the business. In the Flow Room, managers and employees stabilise production flow at the maximum that the bottleneck can handle. We move from "stop-start flow"(moving bottlenecks) to "superflow."
The Flow Room moves the company out of firefighting by highlighting problems before they occur and putting in shock absorbers (buffers) to handle variation and interdependence. Management and workers simultaneously become aware of problems in the entire system's performance, and critical issues can be addressed either on the spot or through a network of volunteers from different departments. When a department or group needs help, it is clearly seen, and colleagues can support them. It becomes evident to all who are helping and feel recognised by colleagues and managers. This activates intrinsic motivation and dramatically increases engagement. As workers start to experience success, sometimes for the first time in their careers, they become accountable and begin to volunteer their energy and talents, reducing the load on management.
Regarding the management concerns highlighted at the start of this article, the effort focussed on the system leverage point (constraint or bottleneck) delivers maximum impact to the bottom line quickly. Because cause and effect are also clear, it is straightforward to estimate the impact of projects and determine the impact on the bottom line. The clear line of sight to profit engages managers and employees and maintains momentum.
Overcoming the obstacles: Option 2 - How the Flow Room removes the CI obstacles.
1) Members of the CI team attend the daily 30-minute Flow Room meeting so they are aware of the critical issues that affect bottleneck performance. They can now jointly prioritise projects with operations for maximum return on investment.
2) When important issues are identified in the Flow Room, volunteers from different departments are asked to investigate and bring back solutions to the group within an agreed-upon time frame. They are encouraged to include members of the CI team in their investigations. In this manner, departments maintain ownership, and since they bring the solution, resistance to change disappears.
3) Having joint teams also improves the fundamental understanding of processes by CI members with superior solutions as outcome.
Conclusion:
Traditional CI models often crumble due to fragmented efforts, resistance to change, and marginal gains. But with the Flow Room, you’ll harness the full power of systemic improvements where they matter most—at the bottleneck.
This isn't just about fixing problems; it's about supercharging your entire operation. The Flow Room breaks down silos, empowers teams, and drives solutions that matter with real-time data, clear priorities, and visible results. Employees and managers collaborate, own the changes, and transform resistance into momentum.
With the Flow Room, CI shifts from a support function to a core driver of operational excellence. Projects hit harder, results are immediate, and the entire organisation moves together toward higher productivity, profitability, and innovation. Embrace the Flow Room, and watch as your CI efforts spark a transformation that propels your mining operation to new heights.
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