10 Manufacturing Operations Problems You Can Solve with Power BI (Using the Data You Already Have in Your ERP)
You already have the data to fix these 10 problems. Here’s how you can see it.
1. Late Orders
Problem: Jobs fall through the cracks. You find out when the customer’s already pissed.
Cost: Missed deadlines. Scrambled weekends. Damaged trust.
Fix: A dashboard that automatically flags late or at-risk POs. No more surprises.
How It Looks:
Late Order Tracker: Highlights POs past due or creeping up with no progress.
Floor View Screen: Red/yellow status indicators show what’s slipping today.
Buyer Alerts: Flags when parts aren’t received and are holding up jobs.
On-Time Delivery Scorecard: Tracks by customer, product line, supervisor.
Add alerts 48 hours before due dates if no progress is logged.
2. No Floor Visibility
Problem: You need 3 texts and a walk just to see what’s running.
Cost: Bad planning. Lost hours.
Fix: A real-time floor view anyone can see.
How It Looks:
Work Center View: Live view of all jobs, machines, operators, and run times.
Job Tracker: Shows what’s done, what’s running, what’s next.
Shift Screen: Compares today’s targets vs. actuals.
Downtime Alerts: Flags idle or slowed machines immediately.
Add ERP + machine data to see run rates vs. standards, live.
3. Inventory Overbuying
Problem: You over-order “just in case” and clog up cash and space.
Cost: Tied-up capital. Clutter. Waste.
Fix: A reorder dashboard based on real usage and timing.
How It Looks:
Usage-Based Reorders: Calculates order points from actual burn rates.
Lead Time Logic: Adjusts timing based on supplier delivery history.
Stockout Risk Flags: Warns you before you're in a bind.
Dead Stock Tracker: Highlights what’s just sitting there.
Auto-adjust min/max based on trends or seasonality.
4. No Accountability for Goals
Problem: Everyone “feels” busy, but no one knows if they hit the mark.
Cost: Low performance. No urgency.
Fix: Visual dashboards that show goals vs. actuals. No hiding.
How It Looks:
Individual + Dept Dashboards: Real-time tracking by shift, line, or person.
Daily Scorecards: Yesterday’s performance, today’s targets, tomorrow’s plan.
KPI Wall: Live progress bar view for the whole shop.
Missed Goal Alerts: Flags when you’re slipping.
Use it in daily huddles to build real accountability.
5. No Clear Ownership
Problem: Nobody knows who’s on what. Stuff sits.
Cost: Missed handoffs. Delays.
Fix: Make ownership visible and track handoffs.
How It Looks:
Ownership Columns: Every PO and job has a name attached.
Handoff Heat Map: Shows where things get stuck between teams.
Overdue Alerts: Notifies owners when they’re the holdup.
Workload by Role: Shows who’s got what, by department or job title.
Add timers. If it sits 48 hours with no action, flag it.
6. No Leadership Bench
Problem: Good people, but no plan to grow them into leaders.
Cost: Burnout. Chaos when someone leaves.
Fix: Dashboards that surface emerging leaders.
How It Looks:
Operator Scorecards: Side-by-side view of quality, output, attendance, cross-training.
Top Performer Trends: Who’s consistently good—not just last week.
Cross-Training Matrix: See who knows what and where the gaps are.
Promotion Readiness: Flags team members with the track record to step up.
Layer in safety, rework, and attitude signals too.
7. Logged Hours ≠ Billed Hours
Problem: Labor gets lost between the floor and the invoice.
Cost: Margin drain.
Fix: Side-by-side view of time logged vs. time billed.
How It Looks:
Time Comparison Dashboard: Line-item view of hours worked vs. hours invoiced.
Missing Hours Flags: Spots where logged time never made it to billing.
Profit Heat Map: Shows which jobs are bleeding margin.
Audit Trail: See who logged what, and what got missed.
Set alerts for labor gaps over 10%.
8. Lean Projects Fizzle
Problem: You launch Lean... then nothing changes.
Cost: Wasted time. Team tunes out.
Fix: Track initiatives and results like any other job.
How It Looks:
Project Health Board: Shows every Lean effort, owner, and target metric.
Sustainment Dashboard: See if improvements are sticking.
Action Tracker: Live list of open items with status and due dates.
Impact Review: Monthly summary of what the projects actually saved.
Review it in ops meetings. Keep it front and center.
9. Uneven Workload
Problem: One guy’s drowning. Another’s sweeping.
Cost: Burnout. Waste. Missed throughput.
Fix: Balance the load with a dashboard.
How It Looks:
Operator Load View: See who’s got too much and who’s got nothing.
Assignment Tracker: Trend view over time—are you always overloading the same people?
Utilization Score: Compare available hours vs. actual logged.
Live Assignment Board: Reassign work in real time.
Filter by skill so you’re not just dumping tasks randomly.
10. Errors Slip Through
Problem: Quality misses cost you on the back end.
Cost: Rework. Credits. Angry customers.
Fix: QC dashboards that surface problems before they ship.
How It Looks:
Failure Tracker: By part, process, shift, or operator.
Repeat Offenders: Spots recurring issues so you can fix the root cause.
Cost Dashboard: Shows rework and warranty cost in dollars, not just rates.
Checkpoint Monitor: Flags missed inspections or approvals.
Tie it to shipping. Flag anything that leaves without a final QC.
What’s Next?
You don’t need new systems. You just need to see what your current ones are trying to tell you.
Imagine walking in Monday morning, and everything you need is on one screen.
What’s late. What’s at risk. Where labor’s overloaded.
No chasing people. No scrambling. Just clarity and time to actually lead.
Power BI + your ERP + a few spreadsheets = clarity, speed, control.
Want to see what this looks like in your shop? Learn more.
