Steps
- Choose the KPI you want to improve (OEE, downtime, first pass yield)
- Measure long enough for a representative picture: several shifts or weeks
- Record the conditions: product, shift, staffing, mix
- Carry out one targeted intervention
- Measure again under the same conditions and correct for context
Worked example (illustrative)
Baseline measurement OEE 63% over four weeks. After the intervention 68% over four weeks, with the same product mix. Net +5 percentage points, provided nothing else changed in that period.
A measurement layer underneath your work
The Check is where it usually goes wrong: without reliable, continuous measurement the impact cannot be proven. VDS supplies that measurement layer so that you can demonstrate the baseline measurement and the impact to the board. The intervention and the conclusion remain yours, VDS measures, VDS does not optimise. Keep measuring afterwards, so that the improvement does not slip back.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a baseline measurement last?
Long enough to capture normal variation: usually several shifts up to a few weeks, depending on how strongly your process varies.
How do you know the impact is real?
By measuring again under the same conditions and correcting for context; preferably change one thing at a time.
What is the difference between a baseline measurement and a baseline?
They mean the same thing: the recorded starting situation against which you set the impact.
