Wessex CQI Branch Meeting Thursday 16th February 2012

Jim Kirk FCQI CQP

CQI Wessex Branch

How can you get people to close NCR's

and complete actions from System Review meetings?

ContributorsAndy Nichols Paul Palmer Duncan

Dando Moira Biggins Mark Braham

David Smart Kar-Wing Lau Ian Dalling David Hoyle Jennie ClarkSteve Brocklehurst Noel Clarke Neil Mellor John

Symonds Jim Kirk

CQI Wessex Branch

Linked In Discussion

29 Comments!

CQI Wessex Branch

What are actions?

(1) actions that people see are valuable to their work, and genuinely intend to do, but just haven't done yet

(2) actions that people see are valuable to their work, but don't have the resources to address

(3) actions that people don't see as being valuable to their work, but regard as a box-ticking exercise - and may try to avoid doing.

CQI Wessex Branch

Other ClassificationsEffective busy people tend to categorise tasks in the following hierarchy, You may have seen this as a chart.

1. Very Important and Urgent - Do Now

2. Not So Important but Urgent - Do Later

3. Very Important but not Urgent - Do ASAP

4. Needed but Not Urgent - Do when there is a spare 5 minutes.

5. Not Required - Bin !

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing MethodsChasing method Points in Favor

of MethodDisadvantages

Nagging emails Easy to carry out and may even be automated

People will get overly used to these emails and treat them as spam and quickly delete them

personal visit guilt feeling by the auditee

Creates Nuisance

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing method Points in Favor of Method

Disadvantages

KPI’s Highlights to management when things are going in the wrong direction

Only of any use if management take notice of NCR and Outstanding actions KPI’s

Chasing Methods

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing method Points in Favor of Method

Disadvantages

Promote NCR from “not important” to “Urgent”

This will make the actionee realize that he / she should to close out the action quickly

The promotion to Urgent status will certainly not be justified for all NCR’s or unclosed actions. This would dilute the effectiveness of this technique if used too frequently

Chasing Methods

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing method Points in Favor of Method

Disadvantages

Name and Shame Quickly produces a guilty feeling by the actionee and encourage quick closure

This makes the whole NCR and closure of actions a negative situation and would cause increased alienation to the process making it harder not easier to get people to do what they are supposed to do in the future

Chasing Methods

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing method Points in Favor of Method

Disadvantages

Escalate to actionee’s boss, or his / her bosses superior, even to director level

This would make the higher management realize what is going on in their department and encourage the manager to discipline staff in his / her department.

This again would tend to have a negative effect to NCR’s and action points and make it harder not easier to get buy in and co-operation

Chasing Methods

CQI Wessex Branch

Chasing method Points in Favour of Method Disadvantages Risk assessments and method

statements are used extensively to control risks and hazards

Clear indication as to the importance and therefore the priority to close the action.White – 2 weeksRed – 3 weeksAmber – 5 weeksGreen – 12 weeks

The easy Green NCR’s regularly get closed first because they are easy.The severity rating bears no relationship on the required amount of time to close the NCR and therefore is not agreed by the actionee Auditors tend to agree that an action plan is put into place within the automatic deadline but record a “verification date” which becomes the actual completion date.

Chasing Methods

CQI Wessex Branch

Top Management Support

Top Management drive the importance of closing findings For example;

a category 2 finding, the completion date set for 13 weeks at 6 weeks the action owner gets a weekly reminder at 10 weeks its escalated to the senior management Then chased by MD or GM on a weekly basis When the completion date is unreasonable it is amended New amended date is chased weekly to demonstrate this

action will not disappear for nil returns the MD or GM sends an email asking for an

update

Top Management Support

Closing NCR’s and review action points should be part of normal business

World class organisations rarely use the escalation process Completion of compliance targets should be built into annual

appraisals Include an element of bonuses with closure of NCR’s Appraisals based on shorter timescales would have better

effect Are people “fired” for not completing their actions? Culture takes years to change

CQI Wessex Branch

CQI Wessex Branch

Other Suggestions Remove ISO requirements and sell as best

practice Show the action adds value

Will save ££ per annum Gives facts “company 'x' was fined ££ for not

doing this correctly”

CQI Wessex Branch

Writing the Action or NCR

Write in plain English, avoid ISO speak Explain NCR’s using simple examples to remove

gobbledegook speak Remove ISO clause requirement Focus on the opportunity for business improvement reasons for raising NCR / action NCR / Action seen as positive rather than punitive CAR closure timescales defined

ISO Speak!

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• Risk is the combination of the probability of an event and its consequence

• ISO 31000 defines risk as "effect of uncertainty on objectives“

• NOTE 1 An effect is a deviation from the expected — positive and/or negative

CQI Wessex Branch

Ownership People won't respond to requests for action

unless they believe they own the problem, obtain agreement from the REAL owner

Without a clear owner, the “buck will be passed” and no one will pick it up

CQI Wessex Branch

Risk Carry out a risk assessment of the non-conformance Carry out an opportunity assessment of the

improvement Use the risk rating to help prioritise action Make sure that they don’t just see the number rather

than understanding the effect of the risk / opportunity risk rating agreed at the audit closing meeting

Risk Rating

CQI Wessex Branch

CQI Wessex Branch

On Line NCR’s With WRAG Rating

Due Dates

White = 2 weeksRed = 3 weeks

Amber = 5 weeksGreen = 12 weeks

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KPIs

percentage of NCRs closed out within the agreed period

percentage of NCRs not closed out within agreed date

By Risk-------------By Owner}

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Due Dates vs. Risk

• Don’t mix up the criticality of the NCR against close out date

• The most critical NCR may have to take longer than a less critical one

Finally, The Gathered Wisdom is ….

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Nag

In Person

Any Questions?

CQI Wessex Branch