Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 733 New Rules on Human Relationships

The next day.

Steel rolling mill, materials department.

"Once this is done, it'll be about time to focus on preparing for the exam."

Looking at the plan regarding the document issue on the table, Li Kailang muttered to himself.

Liu An needs to prepare for the college entrance examination, and Li Kailang also needs to prepare for the graduation assessment.

Since it concerns my future, I should still make the necessary preparations.

Shaking his head, he turned his thoughts back and forth, focusing on the 'major task of sorting out documents'.

Li Kailang had no hope that Old Wang would report the truth; this matter was still up to him to resolve.

Instead of making a big fuss about "reform," he adopted a more cautious and arduous approach—conducting on-site investigations.

For the next few days, Li Kailang practically lived in the warehouse.

Instead of just looking at documents, we follow the key nodes in the flow of each document.

During the receiving process, observe how the warehouse manager checks the delivery note against the actual quantity of goods, performs a preliminary visual inspection of quality, and checks the initial records of the receiving documents.

He discovered that some warehouse staff had illegible handwriting when making records, and the names, specifications, and quantities of goods were often unclear. They even relied on the "verbal information" of the drivers.

During the quality inspection process, he followed the quality inspector Sun and observed the inspection procedures and methods he provided. Everyone was able to proceed in an orderly manner without any major errors.

However, some inspection records may have incomplete or missing information.

In the document transfer process, it is the most direct, and at most it passes through three people. Everyone is directly connected with the warehouse manager and the accounting veteran, Wang Tou.

However, when it came to the bookkeeping and auditing stage, Old Wang would occasionally miss one or two things.

For him, "There are too many orders, it's normal to miss one or two sometimes. Everyone is busy, who has time to match them up so meticulously every day? As long as the numbers match up at the end of the month, that's fine."

His words conveyed an attitude of "it's better to do less than more," and also implied that a culture of "good enough" is the norm.

Li Kailang observed his workbench and found that some of the documents were stacked haphazardly, and some were even being used as draft paper.

Finally, when it came to Accountant Wang's review: "The process is a little troublesome, but the department has been using it for many years and has always gotten through it."

"Some things can't be rushed; we have to take it slowly, think things through carefully, and consider the feelings of the elderly."

The words had a hidden meaning, implying that Li Kailang should not be too hasty and threaten the "old guard's" interests.

Li Kailang did not criticize or refute the various attitudes of the people; he simply collected information and evidence and then summarized them.

I finally got a feel for the internal workings of the materials department and the warehouse.

Written regulations are largely ignored, and actual operations rely mainly on habit and experience. Everyone has tacitly agreed on a more "convenient" but extremely risky alternative.

The resistance from veteran employees: Old Wang, Li Mazi, and other veteran employees have been in their respective positions for many years and have developed fixed mindsets and work habits.

Finally, there was also the deliberate doing of Section Chief Qian.

He seemed more concerned with the superficial "harmony" and "stability" of the entire department, and was not entirely unaware of the deep-seated problems in basic management.

They simply prefer to manage the situation by "stabilizing the situation and avoiding major mistakes."

Having Li Kailang do this task serves two purposes: using a newcomer to "nitpick" and also as a buffer and a test.

If it succeeds, great; if it doesn't, then forget it.

"Finally done!"

Based on a thorough investigation, Li Kailang drafted a "Suggestions for Optimizing the Material Department's Warehouse Entry Document Process (Draft)".

The solution does not aim to solve everything at once, but focuses on addressing the most pressing issues.

First, standardize records by designing a simple and standardized receiving record form, requiring warehouse staff to clearly fill in the specifications and quantities.
The content must not be altered arbitrarily, and the principle of "whoever registers is responsible" applies.

Second, establish inspection-pending signs and physically isolate the inspection-pending area, requiring all uninspected materials to have clearly visible inspection-pending signs.

Third, the timeliness of quality inspection records and documents is mandatory. Quality inspectors must clearly mark the qualified/unqualified, the inspection time, and sign the document after inspection.

Fourth, we will pilot information sharing by setting up information boards in prominent locations in the warehouse to record the status of key goods arriving that day and their quality inspection, thereby promoting information flow.

After writing the plan, Li Kailang prepared to have it reviewed by Section Chief Qian and get his feedback.

After carefully reviewing the plan, Section Chief Qian had a somewhat complicated reaction.

"Hmm, Xiao Li, your plan is extremely detailed, very good, and very clear."

"To be honest, it's really not easy to observe these aspects so closely and come up with such targeted solutions."

Section Chief Qian flicked his cigarette ash, then changed the subject, "Implementing these measures will definitely benefit standardized management, but..."

Section Chief Qian leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.

“Here, it’s not enough to just follow the rules; we also have to consider human relationships and the actual situation.”

After saying that, he cited a real-life example.

"Take the idea of ​​'whoever registers is responsible' for example. It's a good idea, but some quality inspectors just don't write very well and are sometimes a bit careless."

"If you make things so strict, what will people think? It will actually make it harder to carry out the work, won't it?"

"And this information sharing board," Section Chief Qian said with a wry smile. "You mean the quality inspection status? If someone finds a problem and posts it publicly before it's even been dealt with, who wouldn't be able to save face!"

"And what if, just what if, some materials have a wide reach and get seen by the factory leaders? That wouldn't be good, would it? Don't you think so?"

Section Chief Qian tried his best to persuade Li Kailang in a gentle and soft-spoken manner.

His series of words conveyed several messages: respect for the elderly, consideration for personal relationships and face, and the wide-ranging implications.

The final sentence, "It wouldn't be good if the factory leaders saw this," further hints at the complexity of the issue.

“What I mean is,” Section Chief Qian softened his tone, “this plan is definitely on the right track. I think we can discuss it internally first and try it out step by step.”

"For example, let's start by standardizing receiving records and information sharing. The content of information sharing can be adjusted; let's not include sensitive information for now?"

"As for the rest, let's take it slow and give everyone time to adjust. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Li Kailang vaguely understood that streamlining the document process was not just a technical task, but also a game of boundaries and interests.

Surprisingly, the recent crackdown on steel mills did not affect this area.

"Section Chief, you've thought things through very well. I was a bit too hasty," Li Kailang said, showing acceptance at the right moment. "Indeed, reforms need to be carried out gradually, taking everyone's feelings into consideration."

"Then we'll do it your way. We'll start by piloting standardized record keeping and establishing information sharing, and see how it goes."

"Let me elaborate on the specific operational details for these two points based on this direction?"

"Okay! Let's do it this way! Take it one step at a time, and do it as it comes to fruition."

Section Chief Qian smiled again, expressing his satisfaction with Li Kailang's "sensible" behavior.

"Okay, go and refine these two points a bit more. I'll schedule a time later for us to have a short meeting to discuss them with the relevant staff."

"Okay, I'll go and perfect it right away."

After saying that, Li Kailang turned to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Section Chief Qian suddenly called out, "This matter is over. Just focus on your studies. You'll be graduating soon, so don't let departmental matters interfere with your studies."

"Otherwise, if you don't do well on the exam, I won't be able to explain it to Director Yang." Section Chief Qian spoke sincerely; in the first place, he just wanted Li Kailang to come and gain some experience.

He was surprised to achieve so much so quickly, which made him feel both gratified and pressured.

If Li Kailang puts all his energy into this, he will be held responsible if he doesn't do well on the exam, and all his previous achievements may be overturned.

Li Kailang nodded: "Don't worry, Section Chief Qian, I've always kept my studies in mind, and I plan to focus wholeheartedly on my studies after finishing this task."

"That's great that you understand. Alright, go ahead and get busy." Section Chief Qian breathed a sigh of relief.

Following Section Chief Qian's instructions, Li Kailang began to work on the "trial" part of the plan.

Standardize receiving records and establish a "mild" version of the information sharing board.

The pilot program started with the warehouse receiving process.

Li Kailang meticulously designed a new receiving record form with a clear format, well-defined items, and included filling instructions and a template.

A brief briefing was held directly with the relevant warehouse personnel.

Looking at everyone in the warehouse, he said, "I'm really sorry to have you all come despite your busy schedules. There are two new rules that Corey has issued today, and I ask you all to follow them."

After saying that, he showed everyone the new harvest registration form and sample.

"From now on, all new receipt registrations will be done according to this new form, and whoever registers it will be responsible for it."

At Section Chief Qian's suggestion, Li Kailang deliberately downplayed the issue of accountability and focused on the practicality of "leaving work records for easy traceability".

However, the resistance was more stubborn than he had anticipated.

One of the warehouse managers was the "old-timer" that Section Chief Qian specifically mentioned.

Faced with the new form, he said, "It's good, clear," but then sighed and rubbed his presbyopia:
"Hey, Deputy Section Chief Li, we're getting old, our eyesight is failing and our hands are shaking. These boxes are too small to fill out properly."

"You see, as long as the meaning is conveyed, it's fine. But delaying quality inspection and loading/unloading is unacceptable."

Another person chimed in, "Yes, Deputy Section Chief Li, look how busy we are, the truck drivers are waiting, if we're slow they'll start cursing. Aren't you just making things worse?"

"Yes, yes, this is too much trouble. We don't have enough manpower and we have too many orders. We don't have time to do this."

Seeing this, the other warehouse staff chimed in, seemingly wanting to resist.

Li Kailang wasn't going to tolerate them.

"This was clearly instructed by Section Chief. If you disagree, you can talk to Section Chief Qian. This matter is settled."

"The sample form is right here. If you don't understand it, just fill it out by looking at this form. We'll start implementing it today. Section Chief Qian will review these forms before we leave work."

After saying that, Li Kailang turned and left, regardless of what they thought.

The warehouse keepers were left looking at each other, bewildered. "What do we do?"

"Why don't we go talk to Section Chief Qian?"

"are you going?"

"I'll pass, it's so busy here, why don't you go?"

The group passed the buck to each other, and no one dared to go.

Li Kailang didn't go back to the materials department. Instead, he took a large blackboard and several boxes of chalk and went straight to the materials area where the quality inspectors usually chatted.

I found a prominent spot against the wall, quickly set up the blackboard stand, and placed the blackboard securely in place.

"Squad Leader Wang, could you please gather everyone together for a short meeting to discuss some new arrangements?"

Squad Leader Wang looked at the blackboard and immediately became curious: "Everyone come here! Deputy Section Chief Li has something to announce!"

The crowd slowly gathered, and seven or eight quality inspectors stood in a semi-circle, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of wariness as they examined the brand-new blackboard.

They all knew that Li Kailang had been running around the warehouse a lot these past few days, but they were still unclear about what he was doing or what instructions the new section chief had given them.

"Everyone, I apologize for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedules." Li Kailang cleared his throat, his voice clear and strong.

"Based on Corey's decision, and in order to make our warehouse information flow more smoothly and our work more efficient, starting today, we will set up an information sharing board here."

Following Section Chief Qian's instruction to "de-sensitize," Li Kailang removed the "eye-catching" information such as "quality inspection status" and "unqualified batches" that he had originally envisioned.

Instead, a relatively mild summary was adopted:
Today's arriving goods and materials are listed by their main categories only.

The key statuses of document flow are simplified into several categories: "Goods received completed", "Quality inspection in progress", "Bookkeeping in progress", and "Review completed".

"Of course, this column currently only records the status progress and will not indicate any specific quality issues for the time being."

He emphasized the word "temporarily" as his gaze swept over the solemn faces.

"This step is mainly to let everyone know where the materials are progressing, so that the warehouse management and accounting departments can arrange subsequent work according to the progress."

"For example, if the warehouse manager knows which batch of materials are still under inspection, they cannot arrange for the goods to be shipped out and signed off in advance. Accountant Wang also knows which documents are still being held up in the quality inspection process."

This explanation eased the tension at the scene somewhat.

"This is the initial idea: information sharing and mutual exchange. The goal is to serve everyone's daily work, and it's very easy to implement."

"Information updates will be written down casually during work breaks, just to keep it timely."

Master Lin first agreed, saying, "Deputy Section Chief Li, your idea is quite novel. In all my years of work, the warehouse has always received the goods, handed over the order form, and we just checked the goods against the form."

"After that, sign the results and send it back, then Accountant Wang can enter it into the books."

Then, changing the subject, she said with concern:
“Everyone does their job and follows the rules step by step. Haven’t we gotten by like this all these years? Now that you suddenly put up a board, do we have to assign someone to write it?”

"I'm afraid we're willing but unable to do this extra work."

“Yes, wouldn’t doing it this way just make things worse?” The other quality inspectors also didn’t think it was a good idea.

Li Kailang naturally considered everyone's difficulties.

"Everyone, I understand the practical difficulties and concerns you have raised. This is not an extra burden that is being forced upon you."

"Information sharing is to improve overall efficiency, and the ultimate goal is to reduce everyone's workload."

"Regarding the misunderstandings that may be caused by untimely updates, the original intention of this board is to facilitate communication, not to create conflict."

"If the warehouse is delaying the driver's unloading without reason because the goods are showing as 'pending inspection,' then that's a warehouse problem."

Li Kailang offered a compromise buffer plan that adhered to principles while taking into account practical difficulties.

Faced with Li Kailang's watertight explanation, no one could find a stronger reason to object.

“Alright,” Li Kailang pressed on, “we’ll start trial operation today. I’ve already made arrangements with the warehouse.”

The quality inspector's issues with the documents were also mentioned.

"Alright, everyone get back to your work."

The meeting ended quickly, and before leaving, the quality inspectors all glanced back thoughtfully at the blackboard.

"Let's give it a try. Who knows, it might actually work. Didn't our Deputy Section Chief Li do some pretty good things before?"

Someone said something that immediately made everyone more accepting and willing to give it a try.

(End of this chapter)