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48 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2021 In many cases, the buddy system is oen used because it's easy; the new person is taught by the old. is method is the definition of tribal knowledge and has the obvious disad- vantages of losing information in the relay, not to mention that this is also an effective method of passing on bad habits along with good. Training programs require extra effort to develop and are best for standard processes and procedures. e more formal the train- ing, the more difficult it typically is to main- tain. Less formal training (on-the-job training or training checklists) can be much more flexi- ble, but they are also more likely to deteriorate or not be used. Mistake proofing is always a good option, which essentially builds the knowledge into the process. ere needs to be a way to keep changes from being made when the reason for the process isn't clear. A 'Lessons Learned' Library All these methods of maintaining and trans- ferring tribal knowledge have their advantages and disadvantages, so an effective manufac- turing environment will use a variety of these based on the type of work being done, the pro- cess requirements, or the mixture of people and products. Lots of tribal knowledge is about problems, defects, or symptoms that aren't part of the normal "process." ese are oen lost to a "lessons learned" database. e main problem with this type of resource is that peo- ple don't look for things when they don't know what to look for. So, a lessons learned library is best for troubleshooting issues aer the fact and not for preventing mistakes in the future. Establish a 'Just Ask' Culture Having the right culture is key to driving knowledge transfer. Encourage people in all roles to ask about the abnormal. Make it easy to ask, "Is this ok?" Knowing who to ask is usu- ally what makes this successful, and provid- ing basic, simple training can enable this. Since many people will take a long time to become proficient in a subject, it's more important that they understand some basics, and then know who to reach out to for additional information when the time comes. Subject matter experts should be relied on and made easily accessi- ble. e use of internal or external forums to communicate and ask questions helps reach a broad audience and can return multiple pieces of information quickly. Don't Let New Trends Disrupt New trends in the manufacturing domain can disrupt tribal knowledge as well. Agility is important, but there needs to be a balance to check that process changes or improve- ments are not just reactionary. When process improvements are developed (informally or formally) they should be reviewed and docu- mented in a way that will be useful to someone looking back later. Trends toward automation and the use of digital models down to the assembly level bring up new challenges, as some of the les- sons learned will now need to be built into the model and not just maintained by the produc- tion team. is is not just a sharing of knowl- edge between peers, but a transfer of knowl- edge between roles, which can be a new form of transfer for many. Tribal knowledge is a significant asset for the manufacturing team. e information it repre- sents oen means the difference between good and bad product, and can have a major impact on the reliability of a process. e transfer, documenting, disseminating, and develop- ment of this knowledge needs to be intention- ally built into the methods and culture of the manufacturing team. at way, when the ques- tion "Why do we do it that way?" is asked, the answer is: "Let me show you." SMT007 Ben Gumpert is a manufacturing engineer at Lockheed Martin.