ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses some practical aspects of using indicators. Process indicators allow recognition of ways of achieving results, with the underlying concept that valid methods must have been followed before congratulating oneself for a high-quality performance. Diversity of indicators – independent of their level of performance – is the first point to be considered in diagnosing manufacturing methods. Selection of indicators depends on companies' manufacturing policies, ways of organizing plants, and production processes. Whereas the selection of units of measurement is not extremely important for performing computations, when the goal is communication, the situation is entirely different. The chart that indicates employees' versatility constitutes a flexibility chart for the production unit. Workers' direct involvement in selecting forms of expression or symbols promotes their assimilation of new modes of communication. Since information must be visible at a distance, large-scale charts, usually to be filled in by hand, are preferable to dense graphs generated by computers.