While it may seem counter-intuitive, an objective third party can often bring out the best in your organization. An outsider brings a fresh and objective perspective to “uncover the rock” and stimulate change.
This is the story of how a young engineer’s simple questions completely changed my perspective on how good we really were.
Pride Before the Fall
When I led a small fabricating and stamping operation in the Caribbean, I was particularly proud of our six Okuma Vertical Milling (VMC) machines. At the time, these were state-of-the-art machines that could crank out 4-8 parts in under 15 minutes—a far cry from previous cycle times, which were more than double this rate.
As Plant Manager, I especially enjoyed taking people on tours of my factory so they could judge for themselves how technically advanced we were, despite being so remote.
After all, we were into Lean and Six Sigma. We had created several innovative poka-yokes to cut down on mistakes. Each operator was responsible for their own quality—no inspector required!
We were “hot stuff,” right?
The Questions That Changed Everything
One day, during a routine tour, an engineer who worked for Corporate Sourcing asked several tough and interesting questions:
- “Why does it take so long to change from one SKU to another?”
- “Why does this department take up so much floor space?”
- “And most importantly—why does everyone seem to just be standing around?”
At the time, I had only heard of Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED) as something done at large operations—not at some tiny job shop in the middle of nowhere.
Yet here was this outsider challenging me to reconsider how we performed in-between milling cycles.
From this young man’s tours around the world, he had seen smaller job shops eliminate process waste in ways I hadn’t imagined possible for our operation.
It struck me: sometimes it takes an outsider to challenge you into initiating change.
What We Did About It
I gathered my team, and we embarked on a SMED program to reduce our changeover process and improve overall organization.
Inspired by an Indy 500 pit crew video—where crews change four tires and refuel in under 15 seconds—we challenged ourselves to think differently about changeover.
Our SMED Initiatives:
| Initiative | What We Did |
|---|---|
| Internal to External | Challenged operators to move activities from “internal” (performed while process is stopped) to “external” (performed while process is working) |
| Tool Preparation | Prepared all tools to be preset for use before changeover began |
| Visual Management | Stored items in shadow boards so everything had a place and missing items were immediately visible |
| Waste Elimination | Removed all non-value-adding activities, which sparked a broader 5S initiative |
| Work Cell Design | Created new work cells to perform finishing steps between machine cycles |
The results transformed our operation—all shaped by a stranger who asked objective questions at the right time.
Why Insiders Miss What Outsiders See
Why couldn’t I see these opportunities myself? I was an experienced plant manager, after all. The answer lies in how familiarity breeds blindness:
- We normalize inefficiency: When you see something every day, it becomes invisible
- We defend past decisions: Admitting a problem means admitting we missed it
- We lack comparison points: Without seeing how others operate, we don’t know what “good” looks like
- We’re too close to the work: We see tasks, not the white space between them
An objective third party has none of these limitations. They see your operation with fresh eyes—the same way a first-time visitor notices things you stopped seeing years ago.
The Value of Fresh Eyes
That young engineer wasn’t smarter than me or my team. He simply:
- Had no investment in how things had always been done
- Had seen different approaches at other facilities
- Wasn’t afraid to ask “dumb” questions
- Looked at our operation as a system, not a collection of tasks
His questions weren’t criticisms—they were gifts. They opened our eyes to opportunities we had walked past every day without seeing.
Could Your Operation Benefit from Fresh Eyes?
If you’ve been running your operation for years, chances are there are rocks that need uncovering. Sometimes the most valuable thing an outsider can do is simply ask: “Why do you do it that way?”
Our Process Assessment & Capability Analysis brings an objective perspective to your operations—identifying opportunities that insiders often miss.
Contact us to discuss how a fresh set of eyes could transform your operation.