Manufacturers often find themselves in a rush: rushing to fulfill orders; rushing to market; rushing for the next version of their product; etc. The result is that sustainability may be seen as a luxury or an afterthought. Additionally, many quality leaders that I have spoken with do not understand their role in achieving an organization’s sustainability goals. Let me suggest that "We can’t afford to get it wrong."^[1] In this article, I present a military concept, the Stand Down, as a tool that manufacturers can use to achieve sustainability and improve performance.

A "Stand Down" in the Army is a tactical pause to give troops time to recuperate, managers to assess, and leadership to reflect. This is different from a retreat which implies that forces are being removed from the operation; a stand down is a pause in place, whereas a retreat is pull-back. When faced with a high operational tempo, teams do not have a chance to reflect on lessons learned, improvement, or self-development. When added to the formal quarterly planning process, the stand down may be a powerful tool to reinvigorate your team, innovate your product or process, and gain a competitive advantage.

Fortunately, as quality professionals, you have the tools to fully implement a successful stand down program. Tools that may be used to successfully implement a stand down include process control charts, DOWNTIME, 5S’s, root cause analysis, and more. Every kWh of energy saved, ton of CO2 reduced, logistic model improvement, is an act of sustainability. The reduction of muda, mura, and muri results in less extraction, less resource consumption, and less waste overall.

Planning a stand down into your quarterly cycle assures that this can happen informally. While there are more formal projects such as your Lean and Six Sigma programs that can take months to complete, a stand down is short in duration and high in impact. One of my favorite examples of this is Burt’s Bees "Dumpster Days."^[2] While this event was not presented as a stand down, it is a good example of one.

In the Burt’s Bees case, they bring together a cross functional team. The team dumps the contents of their dumpster onto a plastic tarp and the team sorts through the trash. The team is composed of employees from finance, HR, IT, the CEO, and others. They sort the waste into various categories: what is truly trash; what can be recycled but currently is not; what can be recycled and currently is; and what does not belong in the dumpster at all. Everything that can be diverted from the waste stream in this case is less that goes into landfill, less that they have to pay for removal, and better for the community, the organization, and the environment.

This particular stand down is a one-day event on the corporate property with a cross functional team. The result is a team-building event that includes brainstorming, creativity, engagement, and asks the question: "how can we improve?" The insights that come from this activity may turn into Lean and Six Sigma projects but it is not necessary. Small improvements result from employees understanding the impact that they have on operations and the impact collectively that the team has. Additionally, it helps management quantify the positive that they are having and demonstrates a commitment to stakeholders; and, where there are negative impacts, provides insights into areas of improvement.

How do you get started with your own sustainability stand down? First, think about an activity in your manufacturing space on which you would like your team to reflect. This might be a process improvement area, energy reduction, waste reduction, defect rate improvement, etc. Second, schedule a day to host the activity – there is never a good time so just make it happen. Third, provide refreshments and downtime for your team to just talk. Fourth, reflect. Let your team tell you what works; what does not work; their frustrations; their joys; and be open to accepting their comments. View each comment as an opportunity and do not be defensive. This is a cathartic event which will vent pressures. Fifth, ask the question: "If resources were not an issue, how could we do this in a more sustainable way?" Take notes! Finally, be thankful for the input.

This does have a ‘cost’ associated with it. The costs include refreshments, a day of non-productivity and the labor costs, and opportunity costs. The benefits that you get far outweigh those costs. You get a reinvigorated workforce who has bonded with each other. You gain opportunities for areas of improvement and your next quality lead project. You receive insights that you may not likely get otherwise and potential innovations that your competition lacks. You find ways to communicate to other stakeholders the efforts that you are making to improve your manufacturing sustainability. Finally, your team will feel heard and that they have a voice.

In manufacturing as in military operations, your team is likely operating in a high-tempo environment. In order to perform well, which includes quality and safety, they need a day of low-tempo activity to reflect, decompress, and rebuild. The stand down is the opportunity to accomplish this.

While the stand down in the military is often done in the context of intense operations, it has taken on a different context in the veteran community. In the veteran community, the stand down has come to represent a day of respite for veterans. A day where, if few other times, the veteran can get a shower, a haircut, perhaps medical attention, a meal. I encourage you to look into how your local Veteran Service Organization is using stand downs to support veterans. Mine is the Veterans Leadership Program.^[3]