Only Dave can set the sliding head
Dave is on holiday next week. The sliding head has a repeat job due. One of the younger setters has watched Dave do it and thinks he could probably manage. Nobody has formally signed him off, and nobody is sure whether he has done the thread whirling attachment before.
The skills matrix on the noticeboard was last updated two years ago. It still lists someone who left.
Why the matrix is always out of date
Skills change all the time: people learn new machines, pick up new controls, get signed off on inspection. None of it gets written down because updating the matrix is nobody's job, and the supervisor knows anyway.
- The matrix is a spreadsheet or a printed chart, updated rarely.
- Levels are vague: can run, can set, can prove out are not separated.
- Training given on the job is not recorded with a date or sign off.
- Customer or process requirements for certain skills are not linked to people.
- Planning does not check the matrix when allocating people to machines.
What the gaps cost
Jobs delayed because the one person who can set them is off. Scrap or crashes when someone runs work they were not ready for. Audit findings when a customer asks for evidence of competence and there is none. And a business that is quietly fragile, because several machines or processes depend on one or two people close to retirement.
The skills matrix we build
- Each person has a record of skills by machine, control type and process: can run, can set, can prove out, can inspect first offs, can train others.
- Each skill has a sign off date and who signed it off. Training on the job is recorded as it happens, on a tablet, with notes.
- Jobs and machines carry the skills they need. A job with a tight bore and a special thread might need a specific setter level.
- When the supervisor plans a shift or assigns a job, the tool warns if the person is not signed off for it.
- A view shows every machine and process with how many people can cover it, highlighting those with only one.
- Training plans can be set for people to be signed off on the areas where cover is thin, with reminders to the supervisor.
| Question | What the matrix shows |
|---|---|
| Who can set the sliding head? | People signed off at setter level |
| Who covers next week's holiday? | Alternatives for each machine |
| Where do we rely on one person? | Machines and processes with single cover |
| Is this operator signed off for first offs? | Sign off date and approver |
| What training is due? | Planned sign offs and reminders |
A clearer picture of the team
Holiday cover stops being a guess. You can see months ahead where one absence would stop a machine, and train someone before it matters. When an auditor or a customer asks how you know an operator is competent on a process, the answer is on screen with dates. Apprentices get a visible path through the skills, which helps keep them.
The supervisor still decides who does what. The matrix just makes sure they are not deciding from an old chart.
It also feeds quoting and planning. If a new customer's work needs five axis setting and only one person can do it, the estimator and the production manager can see that before committing to a delivery date, and the business can decide whether to train a second setter or turn the work down.
Is your skills matrix telling the truth?
- The skills chart on the wall is out of date.
- Some machines can only be set by one person.
- On the job training is not recorded.
- Customers or auditors have asked for competence records.
- Holiday cover is planned from memory.