I was recently conducting a Maintenance Planning and Scheduling course onsite. As with all of the classes that I facilitate, I make an effort to learn about those in attendance on a more personal level. This class was no different and shortly, I learned about the work history of several people. One had been there for 44 years, another for 37, and a third for 31 years. The guy who had been there for 44 years was 70 years old and because of his in-depth knowledge, they were asking him to stay around a few more years. It’s not out of financial need that he stays but a sense of duty and loyalty.
In Maintenance Planning and Scheduling courses, we always talk about the Job Plan and its use in developing precision maintenance procedures. In the case of these veterans, the Job Plan also serves as a tool to capture their knowledge for use as a training tool later. All too often, I see this concept ignored. With many of the organizations that I visit, I often find the average age of the workforce at 57 years and beyond. Without tools like the Job Plan, how can we expect to capture that knowledge prior to those individuals leaving? How will you train those who will be needed to fill the veterans shoes? How many of you are using the Job Plan to capture that knowledge?
Cheers, Jeff Shiver
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