Pro Tip: Take this systematic approach to make sure mechanical issues and other pesky problems don’t keep rearing their ugly heads over and over again. 

Improvements across a bakery do not just happen. You cannot simply hope for things to get better. You cannot just throw money at a problem to change its course. You must understand the situation, create a plan, execute the plan and then follow up.

When you do this once, you get a result; when you do it twice, you start building habits. When you practice this method three or more times you get into a groove and improvements not only start to flow, but they also start to stick.

Too many times we solve a problem in the moment only to have it resurface later. These temporary improvements do not usually stick because there was not enough thought put into the real issue. It is like putting a Band-Aid on a wound that really needs stitches.

This process helps solve the problem for the moment, but the underlying condition is not getting the right attention. To combat the urge to solve problems quickly, a systematic approach needs to be applied so that the fix sticks and the improvement delivers long-lasting benefits.

Understanding the situation might take a little more time than what you are given or want to spend, but this makes a dramatic difference in the following steps. I call it “staring at a problem.” This does not mean that you waste time. This means that you put in meaningful effort and document all that you see so that it feeds a plan with the right data points.

Planning is critical and required as it allows you to deploy work with surgical precision. The plan must take in all the data gathered in the observations, then thoughtfully lay out what needs to be done. This plan should identify resources, including labor, materials and time.

This plan should have a step one – step two organizational strategy to it. The plan should gather all the materials needed prior to heading out for execution. This plan should state the desired result. This plan MUST have an owner and accountability.

With a solid plan, the execution phase should go off without a hitch. The right people will be available, all the materials will be handy and the appropriate time will be provided.

When all of this happens, there will be zero pressure, minimal risk and the work will deliver the desired result. Many times, when a plan is formed with the right intentions, multiple people can be executing different steps in the work and will not need to discuss anything. If you have a work process that requires a lot of discussion, you did not have a good plan.

The plan and the execution phase should always have a testing phase. If you do the work and then walk away without testing, you have not completed the mission.

Once evaluated and handed back to the operator, you must follow up in an hour, in a day, in a week and regularly after that. This is where you confirm that the fix is sticking, and the problem has been eliminated.

When you follow up, you might find a change is needed, something that is not 100% the way you intended. When you see it, you can attack it before it gets too far away from expectations. Nothing is ever perfect, but when you follow up, you can maintain the resolution.

This method can be used for many problem areas. Mostly it applies to mechanical issues, but the same philosophy can apply to product, people, innovation and customer interactions.

Just remember to practice a regimen in all problem-solving to create long lasting improvements. Get in a groove and stay in the groove.

Jeff Dearduff is owner of JED Manufacturing Services who provides “Bakery Guy Tips” to those everyday people working in production, maintenance and engineering. Connect with him on LinkedIn.