{"id":4267,"date":"2018-08-16T09:29:03","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T14:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/?p=4267"},"modified":"2018-08-16T09:29:03","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T14:29:03","slug":"being-a-tool-builder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2018\/08\/16\/being-a-tool-builder\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a Tool Builder"},"content":{"rendered":"

 
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\nWe work in a world of tools. Humans are distinctive from most other creatures on this planet by our ability to make and use them. The earliest advances in society are measured by the tools we built and used (fire, hand axes, spear throwers, the wheel, pottery and so on). The automotive industry is\u00a0particularly\u00a0defined by the tools we use. How many jobs can you do without some highly specialized tool?
\nTools have an especially strong personal association for me. My father is a tool-builder. For as long as I can remember, he\u2019s been the Toolroom Foreman for a metal stamping\/fineblanking\u00a0plant in Wisconsin. Even before I understood the technicalities of what he did, I was fascinated by the idea of a whole department focused on creating the tools necessary to run a business.
\nTools make people\u2019s lives easier and make the impossible possible,\u00a0from lifting a 2-ton truck overhead to flushing all the crud from every nook and cranny of a radiator. My dad takes a lot of pride in how the tools he builds impact his business and the people who work for him. His example inspired me, and I am honored to call myself a Tool Builder as well.
\nInstead of working with metal and stamping process, I work with software and business processes. But, the process is largely the same\u00a0(and surprisingly simple):<\/p>\n

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  1. Identify a point of need.<\/li>\n
  2. Isolate the ways it could be done easier\/faster\/more effectively.<\/li>\n
  3. Build the tool\/process to address those points.<\/li>\n
  4. Refine and revise by starting again at Step 1.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here\u2019s the thing: we are ALL tool builders. When you think of a tool, it\u2019s easiest to think of the wrenches, sockets,\u00a0and other items in your toolbox. But, at its most basic level, a tool is anything that extends, amplifies and\/or simplifies your efforts to accomplish a specific task. So, what about the people who work for you or the processes your business employs? Those absolutely count as tools*.
    \nAnd, just as you invest in the traditional hardware tools in your shop\u00a0to make individual jobs easier, investing in the human and process tools in your operation will make your entire business run more easily and reach higher levels.\u00a0Investing in those tools doesn\u2019t need to be an overly special process:<\/p>\n