Best Practices in Multi-Shift Operations: Achieving Operational Excellence

Introduction

Whether you work in the oil & gas industry, process industries, network service providers, hospitals or hotels, what all these have in common is multi-shift operations. For a facility to operate safely and efficiently 24/7, it is necessary to apply best practices to shift working. Multiple-shift operation poses a challenge because of the potential for fatigue and disconnects caused by the fact that the personnel are changing every few hours. This can result in a significantly increased risk of incidents and operational problems such as reduced throughput, poor communication and increased levels of waste. What is needed is a way of working that fosters common goals and a seamless flow of information, processes and products throughout your operation. This training course will reveal how the world's most successful companies manage multiple-shift 24-hour operations. In order to succeed in today’s highly competitive global economy, all 24-hour operations must continuously improve to deliver world-class people and process performance. This requires highly motivated and skilled shift supervisors and managers, who are capable of getting the very best from all of the resources available to them, crucially ensuring that the needs of the shift teams are met in terms of personal well-being, the personal development of excellent operators and team development.

This training course will feature:

• Why 24/7 operation needs multiple-shift working
• How Shift working introduces extra challenges
• Communication and leadership for shift working
• Why shift working increases risk from fatigue and at changeover
• Development of strategies to manage shift risks, issues and become a world-class 24/7 operation

Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Recognize and appreciate the issues associated with 24/7 shift operation
• Identify strategies to deal with the issues
• Benchmark your performance against that of world-class facilities and explore alternative shift schedules
• Develop effective Shift Supervisors
• Create an Action Plan for continuous improvement back at work

Training Methodology

This informative training course will utilise a variety of proven adult learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension and retention of the information presented. This includes a combination of lecture, discussion and group/individual activities. Delegates are encouraged to bring specific challenges and issues they are facing to the session for group discussion. In addition, we will discuss Best Practices currently used at participants' companies so that delegates will have the opportunity to learn from numerous sources. Each delegate will develop a personal Action Plan that will help guide future improvement efforts back at work.

Who Should Attend?

This training course has proved beneficial for people new to shift operations, and those who have been on shift for 20 years or more.

This training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit delegates new to shift working environments, as well as those with many years’ experience of shift work, from both process and non-process industries, namely: 

• Plant/operations personnel and managers, shift supervisors and shift team leaders
• Personnel interested in Quality and Quality Assurance
• Maintenance and Engineering Personnel
• Training & Development Personnel
• Personnel from Logistics or Network Support Teams
• Personnel from Customer Service at any level
• HR Personnel and those involved in Staff health and welfare at any level

Course Outline

• Shift Working Self-Assessment - How does your operation measure up?
• Communication
• Continuity of operation and Consistency of approach
• Benchmarking against world-class operations
• Shift-to-shift handover
• Fatigue and its consequences and other People issues

• Deliver effective management communication to all shifts
• Improve shift leader-team communications
• Develop effective interfaces across shifts
• Best practices for effective shift handover and start of shift meetings
• Teamwork
• Effective standard operating procedures Training and developing shift teams

• Evolution of the role of supervisor
• Training and developing effective supervisors 
• Benchmarking performance of supervisors
• Understanding CI
• Workplace organization, 5S and TPS
• Management visibility/GEMBA

• The body clock and circadian rhythms
• Causes of fatigue & fatigue countermeasures
• Ergonomics
• History of shift working
• Alternative shift schedules
• Analysis of delegates' shift schedules and issues

• Managing performance
• Dealing with poor performance
• Improving motivation and counseling
• Discipline
• Consistency of approach
• Applying the learning - group vision and action pla