I never pay attention to instruction manuals and it drives my wife nuts. Using a manual to dope out how to install a dishwasher or set up a DVD player just feels like cheating to me. (I’m also not good at asking directions when lost. It’s probably a guy thing.)

A few years ago there was a series of beer ads where friends argued about whether the beer “tastes great!” or was “less filling.” The punchline was that both were right.

If you think training is expensive, consider the alternative. One way to classify training is task specific and general. An example of task specific training is teaching operators how to run a particular machine. An example of general training is teaching mechanics effective troubleshooting skills to be used throughout the plant. Both are essential to ensure smooth running lines.

It is human nature that we are much more likely to respond to a single large event than a number of small events. This is true even though the cumulative effect the small events may exceed the single large event.

It’s a brand new year, with a brand new name for the magazine. It’s also time for New Year’s resolutions. Will this be the year you stop fighting the crocodiles and begin draining the swamp?

My last column discussed the need for good machinery manuals but how do you make sure people use them? If not used, manuals won’t do much good.