THE FUNDAMENTALS OF DAILY WORK MANAGEMENT

​THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF DWM IS TO SUSTAIN ROUTINE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE WITH PREDICTABILITY AND DISCIPLINE.

DWM focuses on the “SUSTAIN” phase of the Sustain–Improve–Innovate framework. Without sustainment, improvement collapses. Without stability, capability cannot be assessed.

Daily Work Management ensures:

• PROCESS STABILITY

• KPI VISIBILITY

• ACCOUNTABILITY

• ABNORMALITY DETECTION

• SYSTEMATIC RESPONSE

It transforms management from reactive supervision to structured governance.

⸻

UNDERSTANDING STABILITY BEFORE CAPABILITY

A process is said to be stable when it is influenced only by COMMON CAUSES of variation. Stability is monitored using control charts. A stable process produces predictable output.

STABILITY IS A PRECONDITION FOR CAPABILITY.

Capability compares process performance against specification limits. A process may be stable but incapable (predictably outside specification). Therefore:

FIRST ESTABLISH STABILITY.

THEN ASSESS CAPABILITY.

THEN IMPROVE SYSTEMIC VARIATION.

Tampering with a stable system increases variation. Leadership must understand this deeply.

⸻

PDCA AND SDCA – THE ENGINE OF DAILY WORK MANAGEMENT

DWM operates on two complementary cycles:

PDCA – PLAN, DO, CHECK, ACT

PDCA is used for structured improvement. It is experimentation with discipline.

• PLAN – Define problem and target.

• DO – Implement countermeasure.

• CHECK – Compare result with plan.

• ACT – Standardise if successful.

PDCA PROMOTES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.

SDCA – STANDARDISE, DO, CHECK, ACT

SDCA sustains established standards.

• STANDARDISE – Define and document method.

• DO – Follow the standard.

• CHECK – Audit adherence.

• ACT – Correct deviations.

SDCA PREVENTS RELAPSE.

Without SDCA, improvement disappears. Without PDCA, stagnation begins. Mature organisations oscillate intelligently between SDCA and PDCA.

⸻

DERIVATION OF DWM KPIs USING SQPDCME

Daily Work Management KPIs must be derived from departmental purpose. A balanced KPI structure follows the Japanese SQPDCME framework:

• SAFETY

• QUALITY

• PRODUCTIVITY

• DELIVERY

• COST

• MORALE

• ENVIRONMENT

KPIs must not be randomly selected.

KPIs MUST BE ALIGNED WITH ORGANISATIONAL OBJECTIVES.

KPIs MUST BE MEASURABLE AND DATA-BASED.

KPIs MUST HAVE CLEAR OWNERSHIP.

Too many KPIs dilute focus. Too few create blind spots.

⸻

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF KPI – ELIMINATING AMBIGUITY

A KPI without operational definition creates confusion.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ENSURES UNIFORM UNDERSTANDING.

Each KPI must clearly define:

• WHAT IS MEASURED

• HOW IT IS MEASURED

• FREQUENCY OF MEASUREMENT

• DATA SOURCE

• TARGET VALUE

• THRESHOLD FOR ESCALATION

• RESPONSIBLE OWNER

For example, if “On-Time Delivery” is measured, the definition must specify whether it is measured by dispatch time, customer receipt time, or system entry time.

CLARITY CREATES ACCOUNTABILITY.

⸻

DAILY MONITORING AND VISUAL MANAGEMENT

Daily review meetings are not ceremonial gatherings.

DAILY REVIEW MUST FOCUS ON DEVIATION FROM STANDARD.

Visual boards must display:

• TARGET

• ACTUAL

• GAP

• TREND

• ACTION STATUS

Abnormalities must be visible immediately. The goal is to detect deviation at the earliest possible stage.

This is where the Japanese concept of 3G becomes essential:

• GENBA – Go to the actual place.

• GENBUTSU – See the actual thing.

• GENJITSU – Understand the actual facts.

3G PREVENTS DECISION-MAKING FROM CONFERENCE ROOMS.

⸻

ROLE, RESPONSIBILITY AND AUTHORITY IN DWM

DWM fails when responsibility is unclear.

CLEAR ROLE DEFINITIONS PREVENT BLAME SHIFTING.

Each KPI must have:

• AN OWNER

• DEFINED RESPONSIBILITY

• CLEAR DECISION AUTHORITY

• ESCALATION MATRIX

Authority must match responsibility. If a department is responsible for delivery performance, it must have decision rights over planning adjustments.

ESCALATION MATRIX ENSURES TIMELY DECISION-MAKING.

Delayed escalation creates systemic inefficiency.

⸻

ABNORMALITY MANAGEMENT – FROM CORRECTION TO CORRECTIVE ACTION

An abnormality is a deviation from standard.

FIRST STEP IS CONTAINMENT.

SECOND STEP IS ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS.

THIRD STEP IS CORRECTIVE ACTION.

FOURTH STEP IS STANDARDISATION (SDCA).

Correction fixes the symptom.

Corrective action removes the root cause.

Preventive action avoids recurrence elsewhere.

Tools such as 5 WHY analysis and Fishbone diagram support structured root cause identification.

RECURRING ABNORMALITY INDICATES FAILURE OF STANDARDISATION.

⸻

SLA AS A GOVERNANCE MECHANISM

Internal Service Level Agreements (SLA) define cross-functional commitments.

SLA DEFINES PERFORMANCE EXPECTATION.

It includes:

• RESPONSE TIME

• TURNAROUND TIME

• QUALITY EXPECTATION

• ESCALATION PROTOCOL

Repeated SLA breach signals systemic weakness.

SLA MONITORING SUPPORTS SUSTAINMENT.

It reduces inter-departmental ambiguity and strengthens accountability.

⸻

KAIZEN – CONTINUOUS SMALL IMPROVEMENTS

KAIZEN means continuous incremental improvement.

KAIZEN IS BUILT ON STABLE PROCESSES.

Daily improvements driven by frontline employees enhance capability gradually.

Leadership must create an environment where problems are surfaced without fear.

NO PROBLEM IS A PROBLEM.

When abnormalities are hidden, improvement stops.

⸻

EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY MEASURES

Effectiveness answers: ARE WE ACHIEVING THE INTENDED RESULT?

Efficiency answers: ARE WE USING RESOURCES OPTIMALLY?

DWM must measure both.

FOCUSING ONLY ON EFFICIENCY WITHOUT EFFECTIVENESS CREATES SHORT-TERM GAINS AND LONG-TERM LOSS.

Balanced KPI selection ensures organisational health.

⸻

LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT – THE BACKBONE OF DWM

Daily Work Management cannot survive without leadership commitment.

LEADERSHIP MUST WALK THE GENBA.

Leaders must:

• Attend daily reviews

• Demand fact-based discussion

• Insist on operational definitions

• Prevent tampering

• Encourage structured PDCA

Leadership behaviour shapes DWM culture.

If leaders ignore deviations, standards collapse.

If leaders react emotionally, variation increases.

If leaders promote discipline, stability becomes culture.

DWM IS A LEADERSHIP DISCIPLINE, NOT A REPORTING SYSTEM.

⸻

FROM FIRE FIGHTING TO GOVERNANCE

When DWM matures:

• Variation reduces

• Capability improves

• SLA compliance strengthens

• Escalations become faster

• Ownership becomes clear

• Performance becomes predictable

Mature DWM transforms organisations from reactive management to structured governance.

⸻

CONCLUSION – DWM AS THE FOUNDATION OF SUSTAINABLE EXCELLENCE

Daily Work Management is the invisible backbone of operational excellence.

STABILITY ENABLES CAPABILITY.

CAPABILITY ENABLES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

DISCIPLINE ENABLES SUSTAINABILITY.

Through PDCA and SDCA cycles, clear roles and authority, operationally defined KPIs, structured abnormality management, SLA governance, and strong leadership commitment, organisations create a culture of predictability and performance.

DWM is not paperwork.

DWM is not ritual.

DWM is a SYSTEM OF DISCIPLINED DAILY LEADERSHIP.

And in the long run, sustainable excellence is always built one disciplined day at a time.