In today's ever-evolving landscape of shipbuilding and maintenance, Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) is constantly striving for excellence. We recognize that our most valuable assets are our mechanics, the ones who tirelessly labor on the deckplate to ensure our ships are seaworthy and ready for duty. In an effort to enhance mission delivery performance and provide our mechanics with the tools they need to excel, we've embarked on a transformative journey known as the Shipyards Work Systems Standardization (SWSS) initiative. At its core, SWSS is all about putting the mechanic at the center of the universe. In this article, we'll unveil how NNSY is implementing SWSS and Standard Work Books, shedding light on the path to success that lies ahead.
Understanding the SWSS Initiative
To comprehend the significance of the SWSS initiative and Standard Work Books, let's first take a step back and examine the context in which these changes are occurring. According to Norfolk Naval Shipyard [NNSY] (2019), “Since the 1990s, NNSY has undergone significant workforce shifts, marked by reductions in force and hiring freezes. These events led to a loss of corporate knowledge and a shortage of employees with less than 10 years of experience.” As we entered the 2000s, the shipyard expanded its workforce, yet the effects remained – the collective skill and expertise of the organization had been eroded.
These shifts in demographics have impacted our ability to deliver warships and training platforms on time and within budget. Recognizing this, shipyard leadership has sought practical ways to enhance our mission delivery performance. The SWSS initiative aims to consolidate the best standards (local and corporate) for performing work into an easily accessible resource providing our workforce with methods that have proven to consistently deliver the best product. This idea of work standards is behind the SWSS initiative and the creation of Standard Work Books.
The Role of Standard Work Books
To make SWSS a reality, the NNSY SWSS Team, led by Production Resources Process Improvement (Code 900PI) Manager, Frederick Tolentino, has begun developing Standard Work Books, a vital component of the initiative. Per the Standard Work Corporate Guidance these books contain, “non-technical precise descriptions of each work activity specifying the expectations of product output along the way” curated from the collective knowledge of all four public shipyards, spanning decades of ship repair experience and expertise. When asked about their benefit to the shipyard, Tolentino stated that, “Standard Work Books will shorten the time it takes for an inexperienced mechanic to learn the tricks of their trade.”
“There is also an opportunity to learn from the other yards,” Tolentino added. “The Product Book contains Standard Work Books from each shipyard, which gives us an opportunity to leverage corporate learning.” Tolentino has been working with the lead at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS&IMF), Leonard (Chuck) Lance, to create Standard Work Books for NNSY. So far, NNSY has uploaded 71 of the 1,029 Standard Work Books that are on the Product Book Share Page.
Accessing Standard Work Books
For those who have not yet explored the wealth of information within the Standard Work Books, here's how you can access them:
Visit Code 900’s homepage on WebCentral.
Scroll over to the “shortcuts” section and click on the "Product Book – Standard Work Book Repository" link (https://syapps.psns.navy.mil/ProductBook/).
From the Product Book, click on "search" to access the repository of Standard Work Books for all the public shipyards.
The Mechanic-Centric Approach
The SWSS initiative aligns with the philosophy of placing the mechanic at the center. We've always known that we have a world-class workforce, but we now understand the importance of fully supporting our most valuable asset – our mechanics. The Standard Work Books consolidate the collective skill and expertise from our corporate knowledge base and democratizes it for our mechanics on the deckplate.
While the mechanic is at the center of SWSS, it's also about making the shipyard a better place for everyone involved. It's about ensuring that our mechanics have the resources they need to excel, our supervisors have the tools to plan effectively, our engineers can write precise maintenance procedures, our inspectors can certify work with confidence and so forth.
Empowering Our Workforce
“Our mechanics are highly intelligent," said NNSY SWSS Team Member, Andrew Teller, who has played a key role in working with production and project teams to develop Standard Work Books. “If we give them the tools they need to succeed, they’ll use them.” That is what SWSS and Standard Work Books are designed to do, empower our employees by providing them with resources that will help them hone their craft and consistently deliver their best work.
SWSS is having an impact across the corporation. Lance shared how Standard Work Books are improving mission delivery at PSNS&IMF. Their team worked with subject matter experts from production and engineering to create a Standard Work Book for temporary shielding install work on 688 class submarines. “After creating the Standard Work Book, we reduced the amount of time it takes to do that work from 21 to six calendar days.” This is the kind of impact Tolentino and his team envision SWSS and Standard Work Books having at NNSY.
Take a moment to explore the Product Book Share Page, discover the Standard Work Books, and embark on this journey towards excellence. It's a small step that can lead to significant improvements in safety, quality and efficiency. Your dedication and expertise are the driving force behind our success, and SWSS is here to support you every step of the way.
If you would like more information on Standard Work Books – how to access, use, or create them, please contact Frederick R. Tolentino, Production Resources Process Improvement Manager at Frederick.r.tolentino.civ@us.navy.mil.