Specifying information to support a new mine

Specifying information to support a new mine

An open pit gold operation was in the start-up phase for what would become one of the largest gold mines in the world. Top management was concerned that as the mine ramped up, the data and information needed to run the site as well as measure its performance would not be readily available to provide the business intelligence to support top management’s targets.

Immediate objectives included:

• Alerting staff of the need to start specifying what data would be needed and what would be measured.
• Aligning the organization around common data needs to run and measure the operation.
• Training the organization in basic Lean analytical tools.

A workshop brought 30 people together for 2 days. It introduced the management associated with the new mine site to the need for providing good timely data and information. They learned that flow of the right information has to be planned, and that there will be a number of obstacles to providing and maintaining good information flow. The workshop transferred the skills to the staff that would enable them to specify all their information needs, to understand where the pitfalls to information flow might be and to prioritize the work around avoiding the pitfalls.

Activities in this case study include:

• Workshop
• Training
• Work Charter
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
• Brainstorming
• Information Hierarchy

Sign up to read the full case study!