Factory Tours and What They Reveal
What to observe
| Observation | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Line organisation | Process discipline and flow |
| Work in progress | Scheduling and bottleneck health |
| Test equipment | Whether products are validated before shipping |
| Training boards | Skills investment and turnover |
| Housekeeping | Maintenance culture |
How to make the visit count
- Ask to see the same process twice on different days.
- Talk to operators, not only to management.
- Note what is not shown as well as what is.
A single visit is a sample. Pair it with data from other sources.