I'm gonna make this one short, sharp and sweet.
Paperwork. An absolute necessity in most industries and workplaces, not only due to the nature of the work but also legislative requirements and similar.
But it's time to put paperwork under the microscope.
When was the last time you took a magnifying glass to your processes and procedures and confirmed a few things, such a:
- Does the paperwork reflect work-as done or work-as-imagined?
- When was the last time the paperwork was either reviewed or updated?
- Have processes changed and the paperwork hasn't?
- What's the language in your paperwork? Can the intended audience actually read it, and understand it?
- Have you used pictures, photos, and similar to assist the reader/operator?
- Who wrote the paperwork? (On many occasions I've come across JSA's for example, that have been written by everyone except those actually doing the job itself!)
- How are updates circulated to those that matter? And how do we confirm they've read and understood them?
Don't get me wrong! I know paperwork is needed, but we need to get it right. If we don't, it is disregarded and not used as intended.
