1. 4M & 1E
I personally consider 4M & 1E as the "friendly basic compass" to structurally guide
program managers. They are the main topic to be considered before a program manager
can work on the details of matters in a structural manner.
A program manager can group each matter into these 5 categories, before working on the
details. This helps the program manager to plan better, and utilize his/her limited
resources more efficiently & effectively.
4M:
a. Man: All human resources related matter such as direct labor & indirect labor, hiring
& firing, training, wages & benefits, knowledge & experiences, etc should roll under this
category.
b. Machine: Anything related to equipments, testers, jigs, fixtures, calibrations,
specifications of the machine, templates, pallets, tables & chairs, tools, etc.
c. Method: Any methods, instructions, specifications, guide, tolerance, etc.
d. Material: This applies to both direct & indirect materials.
Direct materials are the list of materials that is listed in the BoM (Bill of Material). They
can be easily counted.
Indirect materials are materials that are not listed in the BoM (Bill of Material).
Alternatively, they can be items that are difficult to count. For example the materials that
are in liquid, semi-solid and powdery form.
1E
e. Environment: This applies to work station, temperature, ESD (Electro-Static Sensitive
Device), moisture sensitive devices, air conditioned, humidity, vibration, air pressure,
clean room environment, dust free requirement, etc. This is a rather small portion, but
anything that is related to environment will fall under this category.
If you would like to know more on a basic 4M + 1E checklist, please write to me. I hope
the templates that I have can minimize your efforts to re-invent the wheel.