Published in March 2007 Australian Longwall Magazine

Mining companies have made significant investments in training Six Sigma specialists to improve their mining operations. This movement has promoted significant productivity improvements in some mines, but not all.

The jury is still out on whether a number of specialists in a mining operation can provide the business with the necessary skills to develop a continuous improvement operational culture.

We at Farthing West promote a complementary strategy – developing the “man” management skills of deputies and undermanagers – which we believe can lead to the development of a work culture where miners are continually involved in improving safety and productivity.

General managers, mine managers and superintendents have important roles in a mine. But they do not cut coal. Traditionally deputies and undermanagers have had a statutory role and this role must necessarily continue. At the same time, deputies and undermanagers, being at the workface, have the greatest opportunity to influence work culture.

There are opportunities to reinforce their responsibilities for continuous improvement of safety and productivity.

Most deputies and undermanagers have received no formal training in managing people and conducting productivity improvement exercises. These key personnel have learnt from their experiences with deputies and undermanagers in the past. And these experiences have not always been positive. Thus, the practices of the past are carried forward into the practices of the present.

We at Farthing West believe there are two key strategies necessary to enhance the management potential of deputies and undermanagers. The first is for mine management to ensure there are clear standards on how mining activities should be conducted. The second is for mine management to ensure the continuous audit of how well those standards are being implemented, every shift, on the job.

Mines usually have a set of work standards. The problem is that these work standards are often lengthy and hard to read; they are often locked away in desk draws above ground, and rarely referenced by operators.

This situation is a problem because the enemy of productivity improvement is variability in work practices, e.g., from operator to operator, from shift to shift. There are limited opportunities for deputies and undermanagers to agree to a set of standards, e.g., because of 24-hour, seven days a week operations. This is made worse by staff turnover, and makes the development of standards more critical.

The task for mine management is to ensure clear standards are developed in simple formats. The use of pictures and diagrams (carefully thought out visual standards) has the benefit of easily transmitting information and understanding for greater adherence.

For best results mine management should involve operators, deputies and undermanagers in this process (often as a group activity). This promotes understanding, agreement and buy-in. Operators, deputies and undermanagers, who were not directly involved, can usefully critique the developed standards. Adjustments can be made as appropriate to win wide-ranging agreement on what is best practice.

Whilst developing suitable standards is a necessary step to continuous improvement, it is not sufficient.

The agreed standards will not be implemented at all, or will quickly fall away unless the work is continually audited. It is essential for deputies to audit the work of their crews. Similarly, it is vital that undermanagers audit the “man” management of their deputies against the agreed standards.

The development of “man” management skills occurs in a framework where workers at all levels of responsibility are held accountable to perform work to agreed standards. This means that checklists and auditing tools have to be developed to make the “man” management process more “user friendly”

Checklists and auditing tools are derived from the work standards. Ideally checklists are no more than one page in length and consist of a number of dot points that define key characteristics of the work that has to be done. A checklist provides the deputy with a clear summary of instructions and expectations required of his crew.

For example a checklist for a development deputy might include points such as: “face on centre to within 100mm”; “roof height to agreed standard”; “panel width to standard”; “roads clean”. Checklists should be signed off at the end of shift.

Undermanagers would use audit tools to review the performance of the development crew to ensure that the standards are indeed being followed. Regular use of these tools assists the undermanager to develop professional relationships with deputies on shift and diminishes the arbitrary and personalised nature of some supervisory styles. In due course these professional “man” management practices can have a positive and enduring impact on the culture of the mine.

We at Farthing West believe that the strategies outlined above have the potential, especially in combination with other Lean/Six Sigma productivity and man management tools, to increase the productivity of mines and also promote a work culture that is rewarding to work in.