Corrective Action Program Best Practice 9 – Perform Periodic Aggregate Analyses
Condition reports provide detailed information on individual performance deficiencies, operational events, and opportunities for improvement. While such information enables the resolution of specific problems, the aggregate analysis of all condition reports provides insight to the underlying systemic faults the correction of which would prevent recurrence of many of the organization’s issues.[wcm_restrict plans=”48883, 25542, 25653″]
Performing Aggregate Analyses
Periodic aggregate analyses seek to identify recurring event precursor performance deficiencies so that these issues can be mitigated prior to the occurrence of an impactful event. These analyses are commonly performed as follows:
- Aggregate condition report causal code counts (See StrategyDriven Corrective Action Program best practice article, Condition Report Causal Codes)
- Apply a weighting to the condition report causal code counts based on the significance level of the associated condition reports (See StrategyDriven Corrective Action Program article, Condition Report Prioritization)
- Determine the several analysis focus areas based on those area weighted aggregate causal code counts exceeding a predefined review threshold or having the greatest value
- Review the specific condition reports associated with the selected focus areas for commonality
- Identify those common causes the correction of which would have prevented or limited the impact of the majority of the documented issues
- Develop, implement, and track to completion those corrective actions needed to resolve these common causes. Recommendations should be captured within a separately developed condition report
Each analysis should, at a minimum, focus on significant weaknesses impacting the achievement of safety, reliability, regulatory requirements, industry standards and guidelines, and/or management expectations.
Frequency of Periodic Aggregate Analyses
In order for periodic aggregate analyses to be effective, they must be performed in a timely enough manner to identify and proactively eliminate underlying causal conditions before an event occurs. Consequently, organizations having mature corrective action programs typically perform a monthly, high-level aggregate analysis of condition reports written during the past month and an annual, detailed business performance assessment of condition reports written during the past year.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”48883, 25542, 25653″]
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About the Author
Nathan Ives is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.
Adverse conditions and opportunities for improvement present themselves in unexpected places, under unpredictable circumstances, to unsuspecting individuals. While an organization may use a corrective action program supporting application, the system may not be accessible or available to the individual observing the reportable event. To ensure reportable conditions are captured, paper-based condition report forms should be made available throughout the organization’s facilities.[wcm_restrict plans=”48873, 25542, 25653″]
Condition reports requiring no processing past the Identification Phase are either cancelled or closed so to prevent the unnecessary expenditure of the organization’s resources. Reasons for the termination of condition report processing, however, should be well documented so to enable later evaluation of the appropriateness of this action. Furthermore, this documentation enables the initiator feedback necessary to ensure a high level of employee engagement with the corrective action program. (See StrategyDriven Corrective Action Program best practice article, 
Condition reports provide detailed information on the organization’s performance deficiencies, operational events, and opportunities for improvement. That information, however, is typically captured in a voluminous long text format unconducive to the type of aggregate analysis providing insights to the underlying causes and precursor challenges required of proactive management action. Applying standardize, short text causal codes to condition reports helps overcome this analytical challenge.[wcm_restrict plans=”48861, 25542, 25653″]
Condition reports capture adverse conditions or trends data so to enable an appropriate organizational response. Consequently, those documenting issues must provide enough information for responders to evaluate the condition within a timeframe consistent with its significance. Concurrently, too much data must not be required such that reporting problems is administratively burdensome or time consuming; creating a barrier to reporting. To ensure these objectives are met, minimum data reporting standards must be in place and reinforced.[wcm_restrict plans=”25541, 25542, 25653″]