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Find an improvement opportunity, learn from the opportunity

Last weekend I visited a local visitor attraction.

The time was approximately 2pm and I was greeted by a sign that read:

Last admission 2:15pm; car park closes 3:00pm.

If this was the case, I wasn't going to have much of a visit. When the I reached the top of the queue and met the car park attendant, I asked for confirmation of the closing time. Apparently it was 5:00pm.

From a little more discussion, it turned out that the sign was for an event the previous weekend, where they had shortened the opening hours. I jokingly offered to remove the sign, which was politely refused.

When I left, the sign was still there.

So, apart from the question about how many people didn't bother to find out if the site was open longer, what is the take away from this little story?

Why I wrote Effective Root Cause Analysis

At every level in the organisation it is possible to take responsibility. I see all too often people passing responsibility on. This can happen up and down the chain of command.

Senior leaders pointing the finger of blame at the operatives. The operatives saying that it is the fault of the organisation. The middle managers looking up and down the chain, with a confused look on their face.

Of course, there are some people that assert themselves. They take responsibility, there and then.

This is why I wrote the book Effective Root Cause Analysis. I want people to look at their ability to respond to a situation, whilst carrying out root cause analyses in their business. A good root cause can lead to long lasting, low cost and simple changes. But, there is the usually opportunity to take an immediate action that is still effective, there and then.

In this particular case, here are some proposed responsibilities:
  • Car park attendant - confirming with management that the sign was wrong and removing it.
  • Middle managers - checking the facility signage is correct, as part of a routine.
  • Senior team - ensuring that the middle managers have a checklist of standards.

Food for thought

Hopefully this short article has given you some ideas about responsibility that you an apply within your organisation.

Importantly, I had a very nice time at the visitor attraction. We needed about 90 minutes (excluding a visit to the cafe) to get around the exhibits. We left about an hour before the car park closed!

If you want to get some more ideas on root cause analysis and changing perspectives on responsibility, you can pick up a copy of Effective Root Cause Analysis from Amazon.


Available from Amazon



About the author:

Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes and embracing Kaizen.

Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.

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