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TLDR: Associates had to do safety checks on all lift equipment on a physical sheet of paper. This document had not been updated in 20+ years, was outdated, and took 2 hours to complete. I digitized this checklist, resulting in a 60% decrease in time to complete (2 hours to >30 min), gave the business units a way to immediately view data, and reduced the company's carbon footprint.
Situation
In a specific retailer, each department handles different sets of tasks to complete throughout the day. When the store opens, the receiving department must complete the Lift Equipment Checklist, unload morning trucks, complete key recs, process hazmat material, assist customers, and perform many other tasks. To ensure lift equipment (e.g., forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, etc.) is in order and safe to operate, the Lift Equipment Checklist must be completed. This was done on paper and once completed, it was stored in a box for one year in store and after sent out to corporate to be stored for another seven. Each store has, on average, 10-14 pieces of lift equipment, with some stores having over 20. With the amount of equipment to check daily, while also needing to complete all their other morning tasks alone, associates felt a high level of stress. Due to this, associates were either not completing or not filling out the checklists correctly, resulting in a higher risk of unsafe equipment and possible injuries.
The Problem
There were a few problems with the paper checklist; it was not clear what needed to be checked for each piece of equipment, had at least 200 total questions, took on average two hours to complete per day, and used expensive cardstock for "out for repair" tags. To add to the challenge, stores are required to keep the papers in-house for a year before sending them to the corporate office for long-term storage. Additionally, there was no easy insight into the checklist data, so if incidents occurred or information regarding a checklist was needed, it was difficult for business partners to get the information.
Solution
The solution was to digitize the Lift Equipment Checklist. This allows associates to check all the equipment as they walk the store, eliminating the need for storage, and providing better tracking for corporate. The checklist now lives in the main program that associates use and where their other tasks are, making it easier to navigate between items. As the associate walks the floor, they can now scan each piece of equipment to begin that specific checklist, which in turn creates a more efficient process that cuts time and costs. Putting the checklist in the main program with other tasks fits into the larger company tasking strategy and reduces the level of effort to implement. Not only did I reduce the amount of paper produced by the checklists, but I was also able to eliminate the use of the expensive cardstock tags put on equipment when it's in need of repair. Additionally, the questions on the checklist were reformatted and shortened to make it clear what needs to be checked, while shortening the time it takes to complete.
Evaluation
The new process was a success and is 60% faster than the paper process. The digitized version is now rolled out across all 2,000 stores. Metrics are continuously gathered to understand what, if any, future improvements may be made. So far, the solution has provided business partners a way to view data immediately rather than going through years of paper or requiring stores to store paper, has decreased the amount of time it takes to complete, and has made it easier to understand and complete the questions for each piece of equipment. This new version has also made it easier for the business and associates to ensure that the lift equipment is safe to operate.
