Overview
When you're reviewing opportunities for improvement, don't forget to include the views of local residents and land holders. It is commonplace these days for community members to take a close interest in the activities of local forestry operations, and be well informed about environmental protection laws and regulations.
If you engage with the community on these issues you'll be able to build a strong level of goodwill, and a better understanding of each others' needs and expectations.
Operational plans and work practices are never 'carved in stone'. What might have been considered best practice for the last job is not necessarily going to be the same for the next job. Even during the course of a contract certain elements may change, requiring a re-think of the methods you're using or the plan you're following.
To be a successful supervisor or manager you will need to develop skills that encompass flexible thinking and adaptability.
Are you always on the lookout for ways to improve your systems and procedures? Are you proactive about keeping your work site performing well and making the most of opportunities? How much effort are you putting in to 'continuous improvement'?
In this section, we'll look at the continuous improvement process. We'll also discuss one of the tools used to analyse performance, the Pareto chart.
Completing this section
The assignment for this section is designed to introduce you to a simple continuous improvement model. Have a look at the assignment now to see what you'll need to do to complete it.
Also in the menu bar is a link to the lesson for this section: The continuous improvement process. This will provide background information to help you with the assignment.
There is also a case study showing the activity that Joe, a harvesting supervisor, has chosen as his topic for the assignment.