Problem Solving Teams In Shipbuilding

The purpose of this report is to document General Dynamics efforts in developing and implementing an effective method of establishing problem solving teams in the shipyard. Electric Boat was awarded a grant from the Human Resource Innovation Panel (SP5) of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) to study the results of problem solving team activities.

Problem-solving groups have long been part of shipping management culture, the traditional title for these groups has been the task force. With advent of changes in culture to employee-involvement/participation-management, managers inserted quality circles in their problem-solving toolbox, quality circles and task force typify disparate sites on the grid of problem-solving groups, the incongruity of theses groups entreats development of additional problem-solving groups for the managers toolbox. The paper provides definition/ characteristics of four problem-solving groups: task forces, quality circles, study circles, and special study teams, the latter two groups--study circles and special study teams, remedy many of the deficiencies of the former two groups--task forces and quality circles. With these four groups the shipyard manager has an expanded toolbox to tackle productivity problems.

The U.S. shipbuilding industry now confronts grave challenges in providing essential support of national objectives. With recent emphasis on renewal of the U.S. naval fleet, followed by the defense builddown, U.S. shipbuilders have fallen far behind in commercial ship construction, and face powerful new competition from abroad. This book examines ways to reestablish the U.S. industry, to provide a technology base and R&D infrastructure sustaining both commercial and military goals. Comparing U.S. and foreign shipbuilders in four technological areas, the authors find that U.S. builders lag most severely in business process technologies, and in technologies of new products and materials. New advances in system technologies, such as simulation, are also needed, as are continuing developments in shipyard production technologies. The report identifies roles that various government agencies, academia, and, especially, industry itself must play for the U.S. shipbuilding industry to attempt a turnaround.

The Performance Team program's purpose is to increase the productivity of the organization. The program's concepts are based on participative management, top-down involvement, objective setting, and analytical problem solving. The Performance Team program has the potential to: 1. Increase the involvement of production personnel in the labor management process. 2. Improve the supervisor's analytical problem solving skills. 3. Identify and improve work methods and productivity. 4. Develop an improved rate structure. 5. Improve communication between functional departments. This paper explores the development and implementation of the Performance Team program at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company. The application of the Performance Team concepts should be of interest to all production management interested in productivity improvement.