Once you’ve defined reality, the next challenge is turning that truth into progress. Most factories struggle here — not because they lack ambition, but because they build targets on yesterday’s best day instead of today’s truth.
When targets feel arbitrary or disconnected, teams lose faith. Operators stop trying, supervisors start gaming numbers, and executives question every forecast. Real improvement depends on believable targets that motivate effort, not frustration.
The second stage of the Amper Unlock is about aligning your entire organization around the right kind of stretch — one that pushes performance without breaking credibility.
After visibility improves, many manufacturers fall into a new trap: they see what’s happening but still set goals that don’t reflect it. ERP still assumes ideal cycle times. Leadership reviews old dashboards. Metrics drift without context.
Operators stop believing in the numbers because they’re disconnected from what’s real on the floor. And executives lose trust in the forecasts built on them.
Targets should stretch performance, not faith. The goal is to make progress measurable, believable, and compounding.
1. Reality first.
Build every target from a current, verified baseline — not from engineering assumptions or last year’s ideal.
2. Stretch, don’t snap.
A target should challenge performance, not credibility. The best goals push effort without breaking belief.
3. Shared ownership.
Targets work when operators, engineers, and managers build and review them together. When everyone understands the “why” behind the number, accountability follows naturally.
Targets that meet these three criteria create trust. And trust drives performance.
Ad Hawk, a high-mix CNC shop, wanted to improve throughput without adding equipment. They started by recalibrating machine targets based on real-time performance data — replacing estimates with truth.
By aligning operator goals with actual output potential, Ad Hawk saw faster ramp-ups, smoother throughput, and a stronger sense of accountability across shifts.
Clarity unlocked performance. Teams could see progress in real time and adjust mid-day instead of post-shift.
Read more about Ad Hawk’s story →
Targets built on truth energize teams because they make success visible. Here’s how to start setting them:
Start with the data you already have. Even a weekly “targets audit” can reveal where ambition and reality have drifted apart.
For operations teams:
Clear, credible targets create focus. Teams know what “good” looks like and how to achieve it.
For executives:
Confidence in targets builds confidence in forecasts. With every baseline reset, you protect margins, strengthen forecasts, and make capital decisions with greater certainty.
When targets evolve with your performance, every improvement compounds instead of resetting.
Amper makes setting and sustaining believable targets simple by:
When you set targets from reality, every win becomes the new baseline and improvement becomes your factory’s daily rhythm.
Believable targets turn data into drive. They build trust on the floor, accountability across teams, and confidence at the top.
Factories that set targets from reality stop chasing ideals and start compounding progress.
👉 Next up in the series: [Run the Day] — how to fix problems in time to save the shift instead of discovering them tomorrow.
📘 Want the full framework? Download The Amper Unlock to see how manufacturers like Ad Hawk, Rough Country, and SMS are running on reality.
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