Divergent Thinking – Part 2

In my last blog, I discussed the “thinking laterally” which means there are multiple answers to any single problem.  This aspect of divergent thinking is has tremendous application to the maintenance and reliability business in any company.  There are multiple approaches to any aspect of a maintenance and reliability issues.  For example, consider the basic PM program.  Should the PM’s be time based?  Should they be usage based?  Should they be condition based?  Consider another aspect – RCM.  Should an RCM program follow the strict methodology espoused by RCM purists?  Should the RCM program be “streamlined”?  Should the RCM program follow the 80/20 approach?

There are many choices that can be made for virtually all aspects of a maintenance and reliability business for any company.  The real issue is whether or not management is open to all of the possibilities that exist when it comes to developing/ implementing/ maintaining a maintenance and reliability business.  There is no one right way.  There are simply many choices to be made.

As companies continue to ramp up operations after the recession, there are many choices that need to be made in the maintenance and reliability areas.  Many companies reduced this business function to a “survival mode” where no proactive activities were performed.  Now, as they increase the usage of their assets,  they are realizing that it is critical to their future to have a proactive maintenance and reliability business.  The question they face is will they mirror what they did before the recession or are there improved methodologies and tools they can use to take a leadership role in their respective markets?

If they are open to “Out of the Box” thinking (The True Power of Divergent Thinking), they have an opportunity to make large strides in the maintenance and reliability continuum.   If they are not open to new methodologies or tools, then they will inherit the old “we will do what we have always done and get what we have always got” paradigm.  A pre-recession study showed that in the US there were over $2 Trillion in underutilized assets. It seem that we should try to improve on this in the future.  How divergent is your thinking?

Comments

[Richard Ratz]

Keep up the good work Terry, as usual your insight is spot on.

Richard Ratz