-- HMA Tech is preparing to launch Decision OS, a software product designed to help manufacturing teams report factory-floor problems, notify the appropriate managers, and track the response, according to Michael Holmes, who is leading the product’s development. Holmes says the system is ready to ship and is the first of three products planned for the standalone technology business.
The software is intended for operators, supervisors, and managers who need to share information about operational issues. Its reporting functions combine AI-generated summaries, photographs, and severity-based alerts. Holmes explains that the purpose is to make information from the factory floor available to the people responsible for reviewing a problem and deciding how to respond.
Holmes, chief consulting officer and founder of HMA Consulting Group, says the technology business emerged from needs identified during consulting engagements. Those engagements brought attention to gaps between what employees knew about daily operations and what managers could see through existing reporting processes.
“It’s a standalone business. We discovered the need from our consulting engagements,” Holmes says.
Decision OS focuses on the process that follows an operator’s identification of an issue. According to Holmes, the system communicates what happened through an alert containing an AI-generated summary and supporting photographs. The intended function is to give managers information they can review when determining which operational problems require attention and where resources may be needed.
The escalation process routes reports according to their severity and the relevant management level. Holmes explains that issues requiring attention closer to the factory floor can reach the appropriate local manager, while more serious matters can be escalated to senior management. This approach is intended to connect the nature of a reported problem with the people responsible for addressing it.
Visibility also extends to the employee who submitted the report. Rather than ending the communication process when an alert is sent, Decision OS allows operators to see when a manager has opened the report and when the matter is under investigation, Holmes explains.
“It’s a closed-loop system because once the manager opens it, the operator knows that it’s been viewed and that it’s also under investigation,” he says.
That reporting function is central to the product’s intended role. Holmes explains that employees working directly with equipment and production processes may recognize problems before information reaches other parts of the organization. Decision OS is designed to provide a more direct route for communicating those observations and making the status of a report visible to its originator.
The development effort also reflects concerns Holmes encountered about how operational problems are understood. In some consulting engagements, he says, attention focused on employee performance when the systems supporting those employees also needed examination.
“We’re looking at the gaps between people and systems, and we’re trying to build better systems,” Holmes says.
His approach places human decision-making at the center of the software’s intended use. AI supports the preparation and communication of information, while managers remain responsible for assessing reported problems and directing the response. The product’s purpose is to support that process by helping relevant information reach the appropriate people more quickly.
Decision OS is the first product in a broader software lineup that also includes Kaizen OS and Troubleshoot OS. Holmes says both remain forthcoming, with each intended to address a different part of manufacturing operations.
Kaizen OS is being developed to guide and track continuous-improvement projects. Its planned focus is on supporting improvement work over time, extending the product lineup beyond the reporting and escalation functions associated with Decision OS.
Troubleshoot OS is intended to support maintenance and troubleshooting by helping operators retrieve repair information, schematics, parts details, and guidance relevant to an equipment problem. Holmes presents that product as a separate tool for accessing technical information during maintenance work.
The immediate focus remains Decision OS and its reporting workflow. According to Holmes, the initial product brings issue identification, management notification, and response visibility into a connected process, with the forthcoming products intended to support additional operational needs.
Contact Info:
Name: Michael Holmes
Email: Send Email
Organization: HMA consulting group
Website: https://hmaconsultinggroup.com
Release ID: 89206285
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