This week marked a significant milestone in our MES project—the selected vendor came onsite for a line walk to better understand our operations and expectations.
Watching them observe our production lines with fresh eyes gave me a chance to reflect—not just on how far we’ve come, but also on what we’ve overlooked.
Initial Observations from the Vendor Visit
It was both reassuring and sobering to see the vendor engaging directly with our shop floor processes. Their questions ranged from basic to insightful, and it became clear very quickly: the gaps in our Business Requirement Document (BRD) were real, and they mattered.
Some observations they raised seemed so obvious in hindsight—like inconsistencies in how we define lot vs. serial tracking across different stations, or how we handle repair loopbacks. Others pointed to the assumptions we had unknowingly made when drafting the BRD, such as:
- Not specifying trigger logic for key MES events like “Start Work,” “End Work,” or “Pause/Reject.”
- Assuming certain process steps were standard across lines, when in fact they varied line-to-line or product-to-product.
- Overlooking hand-scribbled quality checks still used in specific workstations.
What I Overlooked
The biggest realization for me was this: our BRD was a strong starting point—but it wasn’t complete. And I have to own that.
In a perfect world, a BRD would be co-created with deep input from every process owner. But in reality, I didn’t have access to all of them. Some roles were unfilled, others lacked clear ownership, and a few processes simply existed as tribal knowledge passed informally on the floor.
As a result, some details fell through the cracks:
- The process of incoming PCB at warehouse.
- Exception handling when operators deviate from standard routing.
- What is the rework process? What is the retest pass and fail criteria?
These were things I should have caught—but didn’t.
Lessons Going Forward
Despite the discomfort of acknowledging these oversights, I’m thankful they came up now rather than later. This visit reinforced a few important lessons for me as an MES Manager:
- Don’t Wait for the Perfect BRD
Start with what you have. But recognize it’s just a working draft—something that must evolve as more people and processes come into focus. - Bring the Floor to the Table
The best documentation is co-created. Even if process owners aren’t available, finding proxies (supervisors, line leaders, etc.) can be a powerful way to uncover real practices versus what’s written. - Ask for Visuals
A single photo or hand-drawn flow often reveals more than a paragraph. In this case, watching how an operator interacts with a legacy system explained more than any SOP could. - Use the Line Walk as a Reset Point
Rather than being frustrated about what’s missing, I now see this visit as a reset button. It’s a chance to enrich our BRD with real-world inputs that will make the MES implementation stronger.
“In the end, the vendor line walk wasn’t just for them to learn about us—it was for me to learn about us too.
I’m walking away with more questions, more clarity, and more confidence that this project, while challenging, is on the right track. The BRD will evolve, just as we will. And I’m proud to be part of that evolution.”