Accelerating Backlog Reduction and Productivity in Electrical Maintenance
Client Context
A major metropolitan transit agency’s Electric Power & Equipment (EP&E) department—responsible for third rail system maintenance—was facing growing dissatisfaction from internal and external stakeholders. The department struggled with low electrician productivity, and work orders (W.O.) were taking an average of 13 days to close. Simultaneously, the State of Good Repair (SGR) backlog was expanding rapidly.
Key Challenges
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Poor labor productivity and responsiveness within the electrical maintenance team.
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Average work order closure time was 13 days, creating customer dissatisfaction.
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A growing SGR backlog due to inefficient planning and execution.
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Lack of structured planning and minimal visibility into technician workload.
Approach & Key Success Factors
EFESO introduced a structured process improvement and workforce engagement model:
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Backlog Assessment: Compiled and organized all existing work orders to establish a clear baseline for action.
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Waste Identification Workshops: Facilitated hands-on sessions with electricians, supervisors, and engineers to build awareness of operational inefficiencies.
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7-Day Workload Planning: Implemented a forward-looking scheduling process that allocated a full 480 minutes of productive work per shift per technician.
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Daily Pulse Process: Introduced a daily execution review to reinforce completion targets and drive accountability for backlog reduction.
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Gemba Walks: Established regular on-the-ground reviews to observe work in progress and reinforce productive behaviors.
Results
45%
Reduction in overall work order backlog
9%
Decrease in non-standard labor hours applied to work orders, improving standardization (from 23.1% to 14.1%)