[apollo_mojave]

So how do you even fix a problem like this?

It seems the company had some procedures in place, particularly the documentation of "removals," but the line employees didn't follow that process in this case. One reason appears to be the tremendous pressure they were under to get planes out of the factories.

The article also mentions a possible lack of experience, since some of the workers could be very new to the company...though they could also have been quite experienced as well.

It is so, so very hard to evaluate risk and causation.

[constantcrying]

>So how do you even fix a problem like this?

Slow down production, increase oversight and focus on training. Make sure that many employees stay for a long time and that they are encouraged to share their knowledge with new hires.

[CaptainOfCoit]

Also: (re) foster an environment where people can highlight issues without being ignored or even harassed for it. Once people start noticing that their reports about potential issues are ignored or makes colleagues act differently towards them, it's game over.

[mattmaroon]

Well, if they rushed a plane through due to pressure to get planes done quickly, then that shows that pressure works. So just apply it differently.

[forgetfreeman]

Dig a little deeper and you should come across some backstory that details how the company purged itself of most of it's senior engineering, machining, and inspection staff. Pretty much anyone with the experience to spot a problem and the balls to say something got the chop. Boeing senior management decided to take a page from the private equity playbook and tried to run one of the most complex manufacturing concerns on the planet like a fast food restaurant, with predictable results.

[MilStdJunkie]

On the lines themselves, word on the street is that the powers-that-be greatly relaxed the "greeenlight" process post-COVID, which is a way to get a job outside your specific job code. To remove the Boeing-speak, they made it easier for the janitor to be the electrician. The really cool thing about greenlighters is that they never make quite as much money, and there is a substantial period - as long as two years - where they keep making their janitor salaries while they're doing the higher spec work. Win-win!