Optimizing Shift Handover Process
• Failing to take account of the inherent ambiguity of natural language
• The increased potential for misunderstanding present when people hold differing mental models of plant status
• Failure to consider the information needs of others, and provide a means of capturing key information unambiguously
What is shift handover?
A structured process where personnel transferring responsibilities communicate relevant information to those taking over, ensuring continuity, safety, and efficiency between shifts.
Risk Areas
• During maintenance, work continues over a shift change
• When safety systems have been over-ridden
• During deviations from normal working
• Following a lengthy absence from work
• Handovers between experienced and inexperienced staff
Effective
• Conducted face-to-face;
• Two-way - with both participants taking joint responsibility for ensuring accurate communication via verbal and written means, based on a pre-determined analysis of the information needs of incoming staff;
• Given as much time as necessary to ensure accurate communication.
Who is involved?
Production Managers: Oversee entire production process, ensure efficiency and quality.
Shift Leaders: Coordinate activities during shifts, manage personnel, and oversee operations.
Main Operators: Operate and maintain machinery, troubleshoot issues, and ensure smooth production flow.
Concerned Departments
Downtime Handling
• Add new entry: error adding, categorising, and status tracking
• Checking recently updated entries
• Import/export data
• Automatic issue logging flow
• Table operations: search, sort, and filter
• Tag/comment on tasks
Team Collaboration
Effective collaboration and communication within the team using Discord.
Insightful Factory Tour
Successful factory tour that provided valuable insights into the shift handover process.
Detailed Stakeholder Interviews
Conducted detailed interviews with key stakeholders, yielding essential feedback.
Iterative Prototyping
Iterative prototyping and usability testing led to significant design improvements.
Mobile Accessibility
Develop a mobile application to allow shift leaders and team members to access, update, and manage shift handovers and issues on the go.
Real-time Collaboration Tools
Introduce features like live chat, video calls, and shared workspaces to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration among shift managers and operators.
AI-driven Insights and Recommendations
Utilise AI to analyse shift data and provide actionable insights and recommendations to improve operational efficiency and address recurring issues.
Customisable Dashboards
Allow users to customise their dashboards to display the most relevant metrics and data according to their specific roles and responsibilities.