Turning Pig Farm Data Into Action: Using Cloudfarms and Industrial Engineering to Drive Team Performance

Effective farm management depends not only on data but also on the ability to translate that data into meaningful action at every level of the organization. On modern pig farms, platforms such as Cloudfarms make it possible to measure performance and track key indicators in real time. However, the real value emerges when managers actively engage their teams with this information, align departmental goals with the farm’s strategic objectives, and apply continuous improvement principles to drive progress. 

In this blog, we explore how structured KPI discussions, goal alignment models, and established Industrial Engineering methodologies work together to improve performance, clarity, and accountability across the farm. 

Using Cloudfarms’ Portlets to Support Team Performance 

A core part of farm management is ensuring that every team understands how their daily work contributes to the farm’s overall goals. Managers regularly meet with their teams to review KPI values generated on Cloudfarms. These discussions revolve around metrics that are directly relevant to each department. For example, the farrowing team reviews indicators such as: 

• Farrowing rate 

• Pre-weaning mortality 

• Number of piglets weaned per litter 

  
  

The Cloudfarms Portlet dashboards make this process more effective by allowing managers to set parameters, thresholds, and colour schemes that align with the farm’s targets. The farm owner typically determines the primary production goal — for example, the number of kg/sow/year they aim to produce. Once this primary goal is clear, managers identify the KPIs at each department level that directly support it. 

This visual system makes communication straightforward. Green means performance is on track, while yellow or red signals areas requiring attention. Meetings around these dashboards become valuable opportunities to discuss team performance, identify trends, address challenges, and celebrate successes. Furthermore, Cloudfarms’ canteen reports act as a useful conversation starter, grounding discussions in real data and encouraging constructive problem-solving. But how do we determine the primary goal, and subsequent secondary goals? 

Goal Alignment: Ensuring Every Team Pulls in the Same Direction 

To move from data awareness to meaningful action, farms benefit from applying established models of organizational alignment. Research on the Goal Alignment Model (GAM) shows that aligning worker behaviour and individual goals with organizational objectives ensures that every team member contributes directly to the success of the business. 

One practical way to implement this is the Goal-Question-Metric (GQM+) Strategies method: 

1. Goal – Identify the specific objective. 

2. Question – Formulate questions that determine whether the goal is being achieved. 

3. Metric – Define the measurements that provide the answers to these questions. 

   
   

This approach ensures that KPIs are not selected randomly. Instead, they stem from the farm’s primary goals and the key questions that determine whether those goals are being met. For success, it is essential that managers understand the existing processes deeply. Without knowledge of current operations, it is difficult to choose meaningful goals or validate changes. 

Industrial Engineering Principles That Strengthen Farm Management 

Using the Cloudfarms’ Portlets provides an opportunity to incorporate Industrial Engineering Principles that support efficiency, quality, and continuous improvement. Three core approaches - PDCA, Total Quality Management, and Hoshin Kanri - are particularly valuable for farming operations. 

1. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA): 

PDCA is a four-step iterative cycle for improving processes and solving operational problems: 

• Plan: Identify goals and determine what changes are needed. 

• Do: Implement changes on a small or trial scale. 

• Check: Monitor and evaluate results compared with the planned objectives. 

• Act: If successful, implement the changes on a wider scale; if not, refine and repeat. 

  
  

Cloudfarms’ canteen reports provide the content on which PDCA can be applied, i.e., improve farrowing performance, reduce pre-wean mortality, optimize feeding routines, etc.  

2. Total Quality Management (TQM): 

TQM is a management philosophy focused on building quality into every organizational process. On farms, TQM supports long-term improvement and consistency. Its principles include: 

• Customer Focus: Meeting or exceeding customer expectations — whether those are meat quality standards, welfare requirements, or production yields. 

• Employee Involvement: Empowering all employees to engage in improvement efforts creates ownership and accountability. 

• Process Approach: Understanding and managing processes ensures that daily work delivers predictable, high-quality results. 

• Integrated Systems: All departments align their processes toward common quality objectives. 

• Continuous Improvement: Ongoing assessment and refinement of processes is essential for staying competitive and productive. 

  
  

TQM complements the GQM+Strategies approach by ensuring that team members understand not only what to improve but why it matters. This is worth understanding when developing the Cloudfarms’ canteen reports and discussing its content. 

3. Hoshin Kanri: 

Hoshin Kanri is a Japanese strategic management method designed to connect long-term goals with day-to-day operational activities. It is especially useful when a farm is working toward large-scale breakthroughs, such as achieving a new production target. 

Key elements include: 

• Alignment Across the Organization: Everyone understands how their work contributes to strategic goals. 

• Prioritization: Only a small number of high-impact objectives are chosen to ensure focus. 

• Participative Management: Tools like “Catchball” allow ideas and feedback to move between levels of the organization, ensuring buy-in. 

• Continuous Improvement: PDCA is embedded into both strategic and operational levels. 

• Fact-Driven Decision Making: Decisions are based on real farm data, not assumptions. 

• Responsibility and Accountability: Clear ownership is assigned for each initiative with measurable KPIs. 

  
  

Hoshin Kanri strengthens the connection between strategic production goals — such as kg/sow/year — and the daily actions required to achieve them. Cloudfarms’ portlets acts as that connection. 

Conclusion 

When Cloudfarms’ Portlets, goal-alignment methods, and Industrial Engineering principles work together, farms create a culture of clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement. Teams understand exactly how their roles contribute to the farm’s primary objectives, and managers can guide performance using transparent, data-driven insights. 

By setting the right KPIs, involving employees in meaningful discussions, and applying structured improvement methods, farms can transform everyday operations into a coordinated effort toward long-term success. 

For more information and to find out how we can assist you with your pig and other farming operations by implementing systems, dashboards and strategic goal setting, contact us on systems@taaibosch.com or +27 62 159 3362