JIT philosophy improves quality in the manufacturing environment
By Tina K. Walsh
Just-in-time or JIT is a management philosophy originating in the 1970s. Taiichi Ohno is credited with
developing and perfecting it for
Applied properly, the JIT philosophy can reduce and eliminate waste by establishing or improving flow between processes, and linking work centers to balance or level the load. Reduction in waste leads to improvements in product quality, shortens lead times, and offers a competitive edge in any environment.
Enter software (or hardware) development processes. Waterfall or spiral, they strive to repeat themselves yet demand continuous improvement, and a seasoned technical writer can navigate any number of variations like Captain Cook on the high seas. Technical documentation has not always been an integral part of the development process, but try and ship a software or hardware product today without any supporting documentation and it probably won’t get very far.
The JIT philosophy relies on a flexible work force, and improved coordination and cooperation between processes. It gives workers responsibility for the quality of their work. JIT workers have authority to stop production or at least put it on hold, empowering them to eliminate defects at the source. JIT workers require and demonstrate exceptional problem solving skills. The JIT philosophy strives for zero defects.
An HRDC web site (http://www.worksearch.gc.ca) notes that companies who can’t afford full-time employees may choose to take advantage of the just-in-time work force. It highlights pros and cons of such a work force. Some of the pros include flexible schedule, freedom, and a strong network, while the cons may include no security, pension, paid sick leave, or insurance benefits. Local technical writers may be interested to know that the STC-EO group benefits plan directly addresses some of the cons for its collective membership.
In June 2002, Margaret Webb Pressler
of the Washington Post wrote of the JIT work force: “It's been a long time coming. At the beginning of
the 1990s, most temps were still filling clerical and administrative positions,
as well as some manufacturing needs. By the end of the decade, about a fifth of
the industry's revenue came from professional positions… The use of temp workers in
Peter Weddle of the Wall Street
Journal once noted that “The top performers, who make up about … 16% of
the work force, are employed and almost never look for a job. You won't find
them reading the postings at job boards or archiving a resume in a database.”
Not true today in
As a technical writer, you may be wondering if a “zero defects” document is truly achievable in a dynamic software or hardware development environment. Do carefully verify everything you write, but also take the point of view that quality equals customer satisfaction. Measure twice and cut once. Listen carefully to your customer’s requirements and fully document them. Have your customer review them, before you start to write and listen carefully throughout the process for changes to requirements that might occur. Does your finished document measure up to all its requirements? Then you know that you are done and can hand it to the customer with confidence.
Young companies who want slow controlled growth can benefit from hiring just-in-time help. Other more-established companies, who may have been overzealous in their cutbacks in response to substantial pressure to cut costs and cut them now, may be struggling to get a product out the door and their corporate survival may ultimately depend on the just-in-time work force. Under current local economic conditions it is feasible for two non-competing companies to share one highly talented resource such as a technical writer.
Just-in-time technical writing is not extreme technical writing. It is also not working in a vacuum at a frantic pace, dropping off a document, closing your eyes, and hoping it hits the target. It is a conscious choice, not a desperate act. It relies on highly-confident and credible experts who have demonstrated strength as exceptional writers as well as accomplished problem solvers. It supports a well-defined process, such as the spiral or waterfall model of software development, but does not rescue an ill-defined one.
Tina Walsh is a Technical Writer and
Founder of Read Pen Inc. Read Pen draws on a dynamic talent pool to offer
just-in-time technical writing and editing services and measures quality by
customer satisfaction.
Source: Purdue University