3.23 Production
At Level 1, the collective members become familiar with the various requirements for a smooth production process. Members actively engage in all aspects of production, including sampling and quotation making, pre-production, production, and post-production. MAYA ORGANIC takes the main responsibility for production at this stage, such as training on quality criteria, developing production plans, quality-checking and bookkeeping. At this level the collective has little to no management responsibility, and members act primarily as job workers. All the while, members learn both from feedback from the facilitators and by participation in the production process.
Slowly, with the introduction of functional groups and shared responsibility, members start discussing the details of an effective production process: how to make a quotation and prepare a sample, how to factor production capacity, which quality criteria to look for in an order, how to divide labour, etc. Gradually, in Level 2, for simple orders, the staff turn over responsibility for these areas to the relevant functional groups. They give fewer instructions and leave more decisions up to the group. As groups reach Levels 3 and 4, they handle larger and more complex orders, and start defining targets and quality criteria independently.
While most Garments groups do still require varying levels of support from MAYA ORGANIC, many are functioning on a much more independent level. Most groups are skilled enough in executing orders that the staff now meet with them only once or twice to plan production of a new product, and the orders run quite smoothly. Many members even voluntarily stay late to fill their daily production target when required.
Incentives and consequences related to production and quality are important aspects of the MAYA ORGANIC approach. Incentives include rewards for high-performing groups in order to encourage friendly competition. Better quality and more efficiency in meeting targets are similarly acknowledged by shared profits. When a client issues a financial penalty for late delivery or poor work quality, money is debited directly from the collectives. This has made the groups much more conscious of the ramifications of unprofessional work and, as a result, they have greatly improved in this regard.
Pre- and post-production meetings are important aspects of production, and are integrated with the appropriate functional groups. When MAYA ORGANIC receives a purchase order or request for production from a client, a job order for the group is prepared. Planning to fill the order is accomplished in pre-production meetings, which are of two types: one to discuss a potential order and the other to plan the details of servicing an order. The first meeting involves sampling to help determine price and daily capacity. Discussions in the later meeting focus on setting quality criteria and production targets, with input from the sample-maker.
After the production is complete, each collective meets to reflect on the execution of that particular order. The group reviews the problems, if any, that arose, and discusses ways of overcoming such problems in the future. The meetings help the members understand where improvement is needed, while positive feedback gives them confidence in their work. Quality in all regards has become a major focus of these discussions.
