
Many mining operations fall into the trap of taking their monthly production target and simply dividing it by the number of days in the month to set daily goals. This oversimplified approach is a recipe for lost productivity, costing mines at least 10% in forgone output.
We have worked with many operations and helped them address this old chestnut, swopping it for far better, first principles-based practices. This has consistently resulted in a increased daily production output.Anecdotally we have been told that this knowledge used to be more common but it has left many operations and they are reinventing the wheel (and many other things along with it).
The Fundamental Principle
When evaluating performance, plans and actuals must align over the same time horizon:
Best Practice Steps
This structured approach enables meaningful variance analysis and opportunity identification. For example, if targets were missed due to low utilisation, you can pinpoint the root causes (e.g., lengthy meetings, missing equipment) and address them.
The Danger of Unambitious Targets
“The greater danger…lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo
By building in excessive buffers, we not only undermine our potential but also fail to generate insightful variances through the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle. Aiming low leads to low output and ignorance of lost opportunities.
Tracking Monthly Progress
While monthly cumulative charts are useful for high-level progress tracking, they become more meaningful towards month-end. A better approach is week-by-week tracking, with plans developed from first principles, not averages.
Generally, planning and scheduling rates should be more ambitious over shorter horizons.