As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Identifying and Mitigating Challenges in ADVANCE is essential to success as industries aim to transform their manufacturing experience. As we wrapped the opening Quartercennial, the world of Manufacturing is eyeing a paradigm shift in ways and means of operations on the back of a tectonic shift in industrial revolution; the brilliance of I4.0 spun by automation, AI, Data analytics, Cloudification for driving agility, adaptability, scalability, sustainability, stability, resiliency as they aspire to build their factories of the future. As dreams fly high and expedited, the focus must be to set the steppingstones RIGHT, and MES is the foundation of this great transformational voyage. Realizing the first-time right MES is imperative as it forms the data and process backbone of the Production.
However, a lot of Manufacturers face humongous challenge as they kick off the initiative to stage MES into the ecosystem. As we demystify them in detail, the major ones include complex Plant IT landscape, inefficient blue-collar adoptions, lack of readiness, budgetary constraints amongst others. Keeping these factors at bay, the key to success lies in the overall approach to the program irrespective of the methodology followed – waterfall, agile, hybrid or others.
The complexity of these challenges varies with the categorization of the factory or the entire manufacturing estate itself – greenfield implementation, brownfield implementation, product upgradation, package updates, templatization and rollouts & so on. On the other hand, the type of manufacturing such as Engineering to Order, Configure to Order, Make to Order, Make to Stock among others offer a new perspective and add to the complexity.
While the complexity of the challenges is multi-dimensional and is a function of factors listed above, the following table below depicts some of the key challenges and its mitigations driven by the MES Rhombus of challenge: –
| Challenges | Mitigations | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User Adoption
• Insufficient user involvement during testing. |
• Early-bird enrollment of users with planned CRPs • Conduct community trainings and “Show and Tell” sessions. • Democratizing Testing cycles with “all-around” involvement • Human-centered Adoption management • Utilize e-learning portals and VR for training. • Select knowledgeable and influential change champion. |
||
| Program Management
• “RIGHT TIME” for go-live |
• Categorize, prioritize, and freeze requirements. • MVP approach • Plan multiple release cycles for smoother rollout of application • Handle Scope creep through change control mechanisms • Allocate budget for change requests. • Plan for contingencies. • Conduct risk analysis and mitigation. |
||
| Technology
• Non-Standard Data structure |
• Appropriate infrastructure sizing and Network checks • Dedicate a workstream for integration. • Leverage standard integration protocols & asynchronous interfaces. • Implement standard templates Off-the-selves from the package • Negotiate favorable licensing and renewal agreements. • Choose RIGHT product. Limit customizations within 10-15% as possible |
||
| Governance
• Ineffective program governance. |
• Effective program management. • Establish review structures & escalation matrix. • Conduct regular team meetings and work as a unified team. • Follow RASCI matrix through cross-functional team agreement on tasks • Address potential misalignments between IT and business teams in timely manner |
The challenges listed above are not an exhaustive list and may not be a direct fit in every case.
As we approach it in a systematic and strategic manner, we have been successful in various engagements. For a major aerospace manufacturer, we started the transformation program with a detailed assessment, creating templates for mitigation every challenge at the outset followed a risk-averse strategy during templatization phase and blitzscaling as we gain experience with every rollout; documenting and learning religiously from every milestone.
Well begun is half done. In conclusion, the ability to proactively identify and mitigate challenges is paramount to achieving success in any endeavor. Whether navigating complex business landscapes, digitalizing manufacturing processes, a strategic and adaptable approach to problem-solving is essential. By fostering a culture of resilience, embracing innovative solutions, and prioritizing continuous learning, we can effectively minimize the impact and pave the way for a smooth implementation of MES applications.
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