Name- SAURAV CHANDRA

ROLL- 2016PGP348

SECTION- G

Synopsis on Why and How to Take a Plant Tour

Plant Visits helps us build a better understanding of a sites performance potential and
challenges involved in various processes. Though we have all the management and
financial reports, factories cannot be understood solely by number. Hence Plant Tours are
essential. We should set clear objectives before touring a plant to make the most of a
tour.
Reasons for taking a tourLearning tours: Primary Objective is to learn. Ways to enhance learning are

Focus on practices rather on numbers

Ensure that the right people take the tour because different people will focus on
different aspect aspects of work setting.
Keep an open mind. Visitors should not focus only at their own area of expertise or
plants major aspect. We should not be very judgemental about the plants
effectiveness.
To visit plants of different industries to learn new ways of doing familiar tasks.

Assessment Tours: Primary objective is to evaluate a plant. There are many types of
assessment tours.

Firstly to determine whether a plant can fill a particular role.

Secondly how that plant can be modified for better performance in the future.

Before Starting an assessment tour, we should decide which elements of operation are
to be assessed and how to judge them. This can be done by dividing the visitors in small
teams who can focus on different aspects.
Teaching tours: Primary objective is to impart new knowledge to the tours host. There
is however an art of sharing this learnings.

We should tell them the reasons why performing a task in this way will be better.
We should pose the right questions rather than just instructing them.

Applying an organising framework:

4 part framework is recommended to achieve good results1.) Strategic Role: A visitor must know the competitive edge or distinguishing factor of
the firm which helps it survive like quality, price, etc. Also some key performance
indicators for the operators can provide clue about the firms strategy.
2.) Structural Alignment: Visitors must ensure that the plant has the adequate
resources to achieve its strategic purpose/role.
3.) Day-to Day Management: 3 levels must be considered- 1. Set of processes: Are
the processes efficient and well managed. 2. Set of Systems: How is the system failure
being handled?. 3. Community: Determine whether the workers understand the entire
production process not just their own piece of work.

4.) Improvement Path: Identification of context of improvement, goals desired to

achieve through the improvement process, clear focus that the proposed improvement
method has, methods being used to achieve that, resources being used for the same.
Also the entire process should impart new learning.