One of our major sources of frustration is a bug that just won’t go away!

“Everybody’s had a go” is how it starts, “So we’ve called you”. This bug is so deep, so entangled, the only way to get a grip on it is to talk. Talk to the frustrated Plant manager, talk to the “I’ve had enough” Operator, talk to night shift.

Everybody has a different story on the bug! You start to look into the guts of the system and realise why there are conflicting stories. Engineering has a huge work load yet gives the biggest clue. The bug is inherent in the system! “The system was done by our sparkie who left a few months ago” the tale comes out “He could fix it!” the only trouble is that he’s no longer available and it’s his invention. The bug grows some more.

 We named it “StructureLess”. StructureLess is now not only a plant operation issue but a lost knowledge and staffing issue.

 StructureLess was inevitable from the moment of conception, no planning or structure as to how the system would look at the end were the ingredients of disaster.

Structured Systems are designed orchestrated patterns; these patterns are natural for people to work with, making systems easy to understand, easy to build on as they create stable platforms. Being easy to understand means almost any skilled engineer can jump right in from a cold start. Easy to build on means the future is bright for smooth changes; everybody in the plant loves smooth changes, Eh!

 Here at Byers we have been working with, and continuously improving, structured systems for years. We strongly recommend you make a strategic decision to adopt/develop your own Structured System. While we believe this structure is the template for all your future systems it should be a structured platform always moving forward with decisive steps to take into account advances in technology which directly add to your bottom line.