Time to pull the cord

"Projects that start late are still expected to hit the agreed deadline. Material delays, floods, plagues of locusts and Acts of God are no excuse."

I’d like to tell you a story. It is a story that can trace its origins back to a Toyota factory in Toyota City, Japan in the 1950s. Our tale centres around an engineer named Taiichi Ohno, who is remembered as the man who shaped Toyota’s production system.

Now, as in all factories, there was a constant pursuit of ever-greater efficiency at this particular Toyota factory. And that was a problem. You see, efficiency and output climbed higher every day, but mistakes piled up too, with minor defects snowballing into costly recalls.

Now, the workers noticed these issues, but stopping the production line was unthinkable. And yet, good old Taiichi Ohno spotted a solution to these growing problems. And that solution was the workers themselves.

He proposed a simple solution. A solution he called The Andon Cord. Any worker, at any time, could pull that cord and halt the entire line to fix an issue or a defect on the spot, rather than allowing it to progress down the production line.

Not surprisingly, other managers at Toyota pictured chaos, delays and a loss of production. But Ohno stood firm, convincing them to give it a shot. The results were significant: defects shrank, productivity climbed, and most issues were resolved right there on the line.

The Andon Cord worked. It didn’t just change Toyota; it changed manufacturing around the world. The success of the Andon cord was not due to technology but rather the culture of ownership it fostered.

Now at this point, you’re probably thinking one of three things: 1. How is this master storyteller going to conclude this fascinating yet random tale? 2. What has all this got to do with demolition and construction? Or 3. Doesn’t this bloke go on? But stick with me - I know precisely where I am going with this; I am just taking you via the scenic route.

Successful though the Andon Cord concept was in the sphere of manufacturing - and then later in software development, health care and customer service - it would not and could not work in the UK demolition and construction sector, even though the industry is plagued with defects that cost it upwards of £20 billion per year in reworks.

And there are three key reasons why this approach could never work in our business.

The first of those reasons is time. All modern demolition and construction projects are carried out against the clock. They are condensed into a time frame that makes no allowance for any slippage whatsoever. Projects that start late are still expected to hit the agreed deadline. Project that are impacted by weather are still expected to conclude on or before the agreed date. Material delays, floods, plagues of locusts and Acts of God are no excuse. We agreed a deadline and, by Christ, we are going hit it. Anyone even proposing the pulling of a modern-day Andon Cord would likely find themselves hung from it.

The second reason this approach will never catch on in the demolition and construction industry is that this sector operates entirely on a top-down management basis. Even though many of those that sit atop the industry bypassed the site phase of their learning, opting instead to get their industry knowledge from text-books and classrooms, they have an unwavering belief that their way is the right way. Even when they are presented with evidence and proof that things are going awry, they will march on doing precisely what they were doing before. Because a text-book says so.

The third, final and biggest reason why the Andon Cord principle would never work in the demolition and construction industry is empowerment or, rather, the lack thereof. Those men and women that work on site might have decades of hands-on experience. They might have identified problems on previous sites and would be only too willing to share their insights into how such issues, defects and hazards should be resolved. They are practical people too; able to adapt and overcome. The ability to find a solution or a workaround is hot-wired into their very DNA.

Yet, for all that, they are ignored. They may well have a solution that could save time, save money or even save lives. But if they have dirt under their fingernails or on their boots, their insights are ignored, dismissed or - in some instances - viewed as incendiary; as trouble-making; as rabble-rousing; or as disruptive.

Rather than listening to those with the hands-on experience and the time-served knowledge and potentially saving themselves some of that £21 billion that is pissed up the wall each year in reworks, the industry marches on in its never-ending pursuit of that all-important deadline.

Regardless of dangers and hazards, faults and defects, no-one pulls the cord. Because, in this industry, no-one would dare.