Taking over the bike shop...

[Andy in Germany]

Forgot to mention that it's likely the bike shop will have to move downstairs within the year, according to the fire department...

 

[Andy in Germany]

This is the "after" shot: this morning I couldn't see the wall, let alone the floor. I found an electric welding set buried in the corner.

Tomorrow I'll try and add a lot of hooks for wheels, and use some of those trays in the boxes (liberated from the skip) to start getting really small parts organised.

I'm also going to make myself really unpopular with a couple of people because I'll be going through all the bikes in the showroom and sending anything not saleable back up to the workshop.

 

[Reynard]

That looks really good. Onwards and upwards.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

It's always satisfying to have a visual sign of progress! Well done.

As for this....

I'm also going to make myself really unpopular with a couple of people because I'll be going through all the bikes in the showroom and sending anything not saleable back up to the workshop.

Is there anything to be said for you and the "couple of people" going through the bikes together?
Yes, it may be slower, yes, it may be frustrating but it gives you a good chance to be collaborative, to include them in the new way of doing things. A discussion about standards, what is and is not acceptable might be more beneficial in the long run.
It may also be a chance to bond, to forge relationships or at the very least get a feeling for how these people are thinking.

I know you're working with clients, not employees and I understand the objectives are not necessarily normal commercial objectives so all this may be irrelevant.

Good luck in any case

 

[Andy in Germany]

Is there anything to be said for you and the "couple of people" going through the bikes together?

Ah, yes; poor communication on my part. That's exactly the plan, partly so that I can do some basic language learning with them too.

My job is basically "doing things together" with clients, ("Here's how to do it, now you try") or preferably, taking a step back and encouraging them as they do it themselves; ("How would you do this? Okay, try that then...")

It's so ingrained into the profession I just forget to mention it.

 

[Andy in Germany]

To my complete lack of surprise the client I spoke to yesterday didn't turn up.

The other two did though, and I worked alongside one who clearly knows what he's doing; he's also becoming motivated because I'm making it clear I trust him and that his work is very helpful.

After talking with the manager I made a basic checklist this morning, partly because the normal one was too complex for people who struggled with German. The boss wants to make sure everything is checked by at least two people, and he suggested that this should apply to me as well because that builds trust; I have no problem with this; the competent clients will be able to help me correct my mistakes, which is a win-win.

After much assistance here and elsewhere I'm starting to develop a a basic checklist system, so everything will be checked twice and signed off. It's simple at the moment because several clients can't read German, so I have to go through it with them.

Another issue that came up yesterday is that one client is selling bikes to other clients directly from the workshop, rather than asking them to pick one from the sales room. before they reach the shop. That's not to say he's pocketing the money, but it does mean it's bypassing any checks and pricing/quality control that would otherwise happen. He could still get away with this in days I'm not at the shop, so I've added the "Thumbs up" card. Only bikes with both can be sold, and only the manager and I have copies of the "Thumbs UP" cards. That way clients can check each others work but we control what leaves the shop.

We're getting there. I've started a few other organisational things but now we need to start using the system so we can get back to repairing bikes and selling them...

 

[Reynard]

Reading that, I'm realising just how rusty *MY* German is...

Just a wee thought though, as you mentioned that some people can't read German. What about a small icon / graphic relating to each item? Surely there has to be some clip art somewhere that would work? Or maybe just a very simple line drawing?

Sounds like it's coming together well, though.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Reading that, I'm realising just how rusty *MY* German is...

Just a wee thought though, as you mentioned that some people can't read German. What about a small icon / graphic relating to each item? Surely there has to be some clip art somewhere that would work? Or maybe just a very simple line drawing?

Sounds like it's coming together well, though.

That would have been the ideal; I was/am under time pressure because this is also a shop and it's summer so the manager wans saleable bikes, like; yesterday. The list also needs to fit easily into a Din A6 clear plastic folder, so pictures would be small.

On the other hand, I'll make pictures for the drawer labels, for example, with names in German. This will be helped because the bike workshop will probably have to move within weeks; this holds much opportunity for pictures on walls, a large image of a bike and names with pictures; you name it...

 

[Reynard]

That would have been the ideal; I was/am under time pressure because this is also a shop and it's summer so the manager wans saleable bikes, like; yesterday. The list also needs to fit easily into a Din A6 clear plastic folder, so pictures would be small.

On the other hand, I'll make pictures for the drawer labels, for example, with names in German. This will be helped because the bike workshop will probably have to move within weeks; this holds much opportunity for pictures on walls, a large image of a bike and names with pictures; you name it...

Ah, yeah, A6. That's tiny! Adding graphics to THAT would be problematic.

The rest definitely sounds good tho.

 

[CharlesF]

@Andy in Germany you seem be getting on top of most things quickly, makes happy reading.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The Great Checklist Introduction has begun.

It's very interesting how people are responding. One has accepted it, in fact he seems to appreciate knowing his boundaries. He has checked my bikes and I'm checking his, no problem. He's an experienced mechanic, so there's little trouble, although I'll have to work on fine setup; getting brake blocks more accurately set, or gear indexing. If it's not a safety issue I'm not pushing too hard in his case.

The other two aren't that happy; one is trying to avoid the issue, and the one time he mentioned it was when he delightedly pointed out a spelling mistake, which amused me highly. The other hasn't spoken about it but is following the list, which is very interesting. Again, I'm not being too strict yet on non safety critical issues; there's time for that...

As of yesterday two bikes were ready; with four people working. I know we're slow, but that's another issue which will have to be resolved over time; my clients get pocket money so I can't treat them like bike mechanics. I think as we get used to the list and the clients get used to being more accountable, we'll probably get better over time.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The Great Leap Downwards is coming... The Boss and the Manager will be walking through the (currently empty) downstairs section of the shop to decide how it will be used. I've sent a copy of the picture in the original post from this thread, with a request that we are as near as possible to a washbasin, as we're currently right over on the other side of the building, which delays our responses to customers.

We shall see what the response is...

 

[Andy in Germany]

The Great Leap Downwards is coming... The Boss and the Manager will be walking through the (currently empty) downstairs section of the shop to decide how it will be used. I've sent a copy of the picture in the original post from this thread, with a request that we are as near as possible to a washbasin, as we're currently right over on the other side of the building, which delays our responses to customers.

We shall see what the response is...

The Great Leap Downwards may be postponed, because they may be rebuilding the 30 year old fire alarm system and putting in Sprinklers. No-one is convinced this will work because apart from anything else we didn't think the parts were still available, but we'll see what the technicians say. This is a bummer because it means we'll stay in this building as it is for two more years. If we don't move I can't have an open workshop, as the furniture manager has intimated there will be fisticuffs if I try to take any space from him.

As he has a big team of very big clients who move heavy furniture like it's a bag of crisps I decided not to press the issue.

In the meantime I'm working on getting the checklist accepted. Unfortunately it looks like it will take time to get people up to a standard where the bikes can be sold, and in the meantime I have to check and often re-repair bikes they've signed off.

One client is still trying to avoid the checklist; today he was trying to persuade me that we just needed to take bikes downstairs for sale because the store is getting crowded. told him that if he checked them all with the checklist I'd double check them later; he suddenly stopped being concerned about the problem...

Oddly due to a combination of unrelated family and personal reasons, and general local politics, I may not have any more clients in a few months, which may not be a bad idea as it means I can concentrate on getting better, tidying or moving the workshop, and being ready when the next clients come, probably in September.

 

[CharlesF]

New clients - that sounds a great idea. No previous knowledge of working there (I hope) gives you a clean slate to work with.

 

[Andy in Germany]

New clients - that sounds a great idea. No previous knowledge of working there (I hope) gives you a clean slate to work with.

This could be an advantage. It would also mean I can tidy the junk out, get a lot of much needed practice, and get some routines and procedures so when the next people come they're coming into a department and we don't have to have too many discussions about why I'm "changing stuff".

I'm currently working on quality control; it's an uphill battle, not least because one or two clients have taken against the idea of a checklist. I suspect this is because having to tick to say a job has been done, and then have their name on the bottom, makes them a bit too accountable; I have one client in particular who will always claim a mistake was made by "someone else"; If a customer comes with a bike where the brakes don't work he'll say it was fixed by another client even if I'd seen him repairing it.

On the other hand the system for taking bikes to bits is getting better; my lads in the other centre have really tried, bless them, and we're starting to get more usable spare parts, taped together so where they are in pairs we don't lose one. They still don't really know what they're looking at so I have to throw some away, but at least this way we have a higher chance of getting the bits we need...