Film Making and the ‘Q’ word 03
Just like a chubby little
Well, on their own, these diagrams are useful for training and when you’ve forgotten but not a lot else. But bear with me.
If you want something to happen the same way every time then you have to accurately repeat the behaviour which produces what you want. That way you are likely to produce consistently.
And, consistent results are what give you your reputation, So, if you’ve got a great way of doing things then it’s worth ensuring that the great way is what happens every time. And the way to do that? Auditing!
Auditing is a horrible word. It implies dull and bureaucratic little fellows with bald heads and a Hitler moustache finding fault with everything and blaming you. The answer? Become an auditor yourself and exploit the power of blame.
What makes an auditor so objectionable is that they hold you accountable for all the small print you signed up to. In this case it’s the process you mapped out because of last month’s article. You did do this didn’t you?
We have already agreed (well, I did for you) that if you want to get a consistent outcome then you have to be consistent with your process. And there are two ways of finding out if you’re consistent. One is to check the bank account and the other is to audit your work.
The latter is quicker and produces early diagnoses of a potential terminal decline. Or another and more optimistic way of putting it is that it helps you discard all the wasteful things you do which don’t contribute to your creative and fiscal wellbeing; the consequences of happy customers.
So. How do we audit? Lean closer and I’ll whisper the answer. It’s very simple. Start at one end of your process and check that all the described stages and no more are indeed carried out. Check that the description actually fits what you do.
Now, in the real world, you are pretty soon going to discover a discrepancy. Either you don’t do something how you said you did or you do something new and previously undocumented.
Either way, you are now the proud possessor of something the Japanese call a treasure. It’s valuable because it just showed you how to improve your business.
I mentioned the power of blame earlier. Blame is useless when directed at anyone but you. And I include myself here of course. If something is not your fault then how can you possibly change it? If something in your business is not your fault then a part of your business is not under your control. And if it can’t be fixed then you’re hosed for sure. Blame is empowering and blame is good. To put it in words that should resonate with some of us at least:
“May the fault be with you young film maker”
OK. So now you’re all fixed up and dead keen to get started on this auditing lark. Well, here’s how to do a Quality Walk.
You simply pack a notebook and then walk the entire site and conduct a sequential inspection of what happens.
Check that things are being done according to instructions. That the housekeeping is sufficiently rigorous. See if you can spot any Health & Safety or Environmental issues. Check that equipment has been maintained and calibrated on schedule and that records are available. Look at any visual aids and job instruction guides to make sure they’re legible and in good condition.
Keep an eye out for anything out of place. This process will nearly always turn something up and when it does record it. In the forms accompanying the article there is one specifically for the purpose. But if you don’t want to go as far as a formal system then just note down the issues but make sure that you fix them.
It helps to regularly revue the results of your Quality Walk to ensure that you are really closing down any problems you identified.
The best way is to use a problem solving system on everything that you find. That way you can be sure they’ll go away permanently. And that’s the subject for next time.
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