← Back to list
// Case #11
A comment on the work, not on the person
01Situation
A construction site in Norway. A precast reinforced-concrete structure, still without external walls. The worker was preparing the fixings for the precast wall panels for installation. They heard that they were not fit to work on a construction site. They also heard that they did not think about what they were doing. During the installation of mounting angles, some screws were not driven in all the way. The worker checked how well they held by pulling on them. They then heard a verdict on their person. After the weekend, they did not remember where a piece of sheet metal lay. On Friday they had left it in the container after work. They heard a verdict on their memory.
02Where Margin Escaped
Every correction is lost time. Each of these remarks was about one specific thing. It was a screw not driven in all the way, or a piece of sheet metal put away. The verdict on the person did not say what to correct.
03Root Cause
A manual worker carries out tasks and instructions. Checking that an instruction fits the technology and the technical knowledge is the foreman's job. A remark about the person replaced a remark about the work.
!How we aim to close it
The person who gives an instruction is responsible for its correctness. The leader knows the intended result and tells everyone. This gives everyone the same picture of the goal. After a bigger mistake, the team fixes it together, without looking for one person to blame. The other side of this rule is an instruction that comes from the leader's knowledge.
Related stories
Read Next Story
A strange instruction from the site manager
The site manager ordered trenches to be dug with a shovel. About one metre below, old telecommunication cables ran. Nothing was damaged.
The strip that covered five days of work
Three days of work to rework due to unspecified tolerance. Then two days of precise work — covered by a strip.