Lean Management Systems
Mike Allison
In the early days of Management Systems, almost every activity finished up in the Quality Manual. As the standard evolved, it became more flexible, but not all systems developers took advantage of this.
As a result, many organisations have Management Systems that are unnecessarily large and costly to maintain.
Getting people to use the system to record key data and make improvements is often difficult, because the users see the system as cumbersome. They see it as cumbersome because it is!
Add the more recent developments in electronic systems and it is possible to have a snappy, easy to use system that costs little to maintain.
The typical “old” system has lengthy procedures that demand many signatures and form filling as evidence that checks took place.
Today, the system really can be paperless, with electronic records completed only at key steps. The Management System can be Browser-based for ease of use and forms can be clicked-through for ease of access. Almost everybody has used a Web Browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, so it takes no time to learn.
Here’s a typical comparison of the old approach with the new:
| Old Approach (paper-based) | New Approach (Browser-based) |
|---|---|
| Wade through the manual to find the procedure | Key procedures are clickable from the front page |
| Locate the form to write down the process readings, then file | Click to open the form and record directly - save with a click |
| The system consists of piles of paper | A single screen and just a few clicks to find any part of it |
| Document control is a nightmare, with old paper forms difficult to recall | Document control is a breeze. The old version is gone, the instant the change is saved |
| Improvements take ages to crawl through the system | The person responsible for improvement is just a click away, via email |
Which would you rather have?
This  |
Or This?  |
If your system is tired, or you have been hesitating to build a Management System, contact us.