Be Wary of ‘Learned Experience’
To achieve best practice from spare parts management training you need to be wary of ‘learned experience’. Let me explain…
Recently I had occasion to use a goods lift (elevator) at a warehouse. You may be familiar with this type of lift (elevator), they are typically much larger than an office lift because they are designed for taking loads of goods rather than just people. This particular lift only went up/down one level.
When I stepped in I pressed the level 1 button and waited. Before the doors could close a person pushed in a trolley of goods (let’s call him Jack). Jack also pushed the level 1 button. And he pushed. And he pushed. And he pushed. I am sure that you have seen this behavior, he must have pushed that button twenty times in 5 seconds. Eventually the doors closed and the lift moved.
My experience is that the doors work just fine with just one push (they are on a timer so you need to be patient). But the learned experience of Jack seemed to be that the doors don’t respond and so the button needs to be constantly pushed until something happens. What he perhaps didn’t know was that for safety reasons the door close on this lift is set longer than usual than that for passenger lifts. This helps ensure that the loads are fully in before the door closes.
Imagine now if a new employee (Jill) started at this company and Jack was appointed to train Jill in the use of the lift. In the absence of any documented work procedures Jack will pass on his learned experience and may even give the impression that ‘things don’t work properly around here so we have to compensate’. For Jack, this experience is absolutely validated every time he uses the lift. Yet, the lift is operating exactly as intended and for very good reason – he just doesn’t understand why.
Spare Parts Management Training – Three Things to Do
OK so this is a trivial example (who needs a lesson in using the lift!) but the situation of passing on learned experiences and calling it training happens all the time in companies around the world.
And in the area of spare parts management it can cost you big bucks. It is this learned experience scenario that results in poor planning, low availability, and overstocking. And sometimes all three at once!
To avoid this situation with spare parts management you must do three things:
- Document your decision-making process and criteria.
- Take a team approach to spare parts planning by integrating your maintenance, storeroom, and procurement activities.
- Ensure that all those employees are required to undergo formal training in spare parts inventory management based on one source of truth.
This will ensure that Jill receives training that will continue to deliver on your corporate goals and that when Jack falls down, Jill will not come tumbling after.
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Author: Phillip Slater