Services

Unify & Modernize

The challenge was to bring the manual siloed process together smoothly. Thoroughly detailing the tasks, potential errors, and getting in front of all line responsibilities from start through completion of each Rivian vehicle. It was critical to first understand what each department was doing when and why. I met with each of the department Manufacturing Managers to understand the complexity over the course of 8-10 hour white board session where they mapped it out with extreme patience. My brain seemed to explode but finally tasks and processes became clear and what was so complex became a  beginning to moving the manual siloed applications forward as a unified more efficient and safe application. It would make each person's job easier and much more efficient and increase the security and level of attention to each detail digitally in real-time in order to avoid line stoppage or frustrations of the users on the line and managers who would utilize the application.

Replace manual, siloed processes with one co-functioning application

Zero-training tolerance — users are on the floor or managers leading the department

Extreme error cost: design had to prevent stops, not just support tasks

A fast-moving project where development began coding features before designs existed — part of my job was designing the product while initiating a process and leading a team of new engineers

Requirements that didn't exist in writing were extracted and written as the design and discovery progressed

Screen shots revealed required overwhelming information

Error mitigation required pre and post validation

Users needed options with sub options spannng varied tasks and roles

01

ME Manufacturing Engineer

02

Shop Line Producer

03

PE Process Engineer

04

Product Owner

Multiple Users Performing Critical Tasks

The design was purely functional at this phase. We had successfully reviewed each segment and connected the previously manual and siloed manufacturing segments so that they would work for all of the roles. We understood that design would iterate continuously but the foundation of success was clear.

Multiple roles were now going to utilize the software application where a new smooth integration of their complexities had been captured in a new modernized interface. Along with my large engineering team we had successfully designed the first manufacturing application of its kind. Rivian was understandably excited!

The Rivian users and functions of the interface:

Enrichment — Authors: Authors enrich Work Instructions, filtering by date, shop, line, station, and location to find their daily tasks. Their status states are clearly showing what is complete and what is prioritized to do.

Within the Enrichment Dashboard menu users can access MCA Review, Order Review and Deviation screens to do their tasks.

Reviewer — Process Engineers: PEs approve or reject enriched Work Instructions: bulk approve/reject via row selection, tabbed WI types with count indicators, and required reject reasons so Authors know exactly what to fix.

Performs Orders — Validation & Recovery: Failed orders open to the reasons for failure, and every line item offers a resolution path: create a deviation, review the original Work Instruction, or contact SAP directly.

The design insight: when there is a reject task flow switches to re-enrich then a resubmit loop outlines the product process. Rejection isn't an error state — it's a designed workflow with a reason attached, so rework is fast, processed and workable.  Recovery from failure always has a next action, because a dead end on a manufacturing floor is a line stop.

Performing Torquing —  The torquing proved to be surprisingly more complex than any other segment we had previously mastered. So I called for a pause in all other design until I would have clear understanding before endeavoring to create any designs. This required a number of meetings and process reviews followed by micro designs I tested with the users before we started up the design sessions again.

Design Patterns for users needed to be visible quickly on screens on the line so that required numbers, validations and checks were easy to read without having to be right upon the screen at their stations. Very large fonts would be a continuing pattern used even when the design of the screens would be produced in a snazzy phase 3. Functional patterns we designed would be initiated online only after vigorous testing and assurance of error prevention and quick handling of errors or line stops was thoroughly tested.