The curse of Excel files
To implement certification (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45000...), an organization must: recruit a QSE manager, create documentation for each process, as well as the company's procedures and operating procedures. It takes approximately six months of work to achieve this.
Finally, it must create all the tools for monitoring performance: files for monitoring non-conformities, files for monitoring audits, indicators, etc.
To manage its management system, it is considered that a company of 100 people must set up dozens of Excel files. The curse of Excel files has only just begun!
Once certified, the company's QSE manager will use his files: he will spend 25% of his time requesting them to define the dashboards. The consequences are easily imaginable: loss of time (and worse, data), lack of reactivity of information and decision-making.
Why not integrate all the data into the existing information system?
Standard management software makes it possible to manage accounting, production and inventory data but also the tools to manage the business. However, we realize that this is not the case for the concept of steering.
There is no concept of managing Quality, Safety, Environment indicators, managing audits, or performance reviews in these tools. The company must create its Excel files to generate management information.
These concepts could easily be integrated into existing software, but only on condition that specific developments of up to several tens of thousands of euros are carried out, which is incompatible with the resources of an SME! The result is that 95% of companies — including major groups — manage their management system on Excel files.
A continuous improvement approach
In a standard flow, the QSE management systems are therefore “drawn” by the QSE manager.
It's the backbone of the system. Remove it and your management system stops! However, there is a solution: to make department managers more accountable by making the management system more collaborative.
This is the only condition that the QSE manager's job can evolve.
He will no longer spend his time collecting and then requesting information; he will be able to propose improvement actions and help service managers maintain their certification.
Dedicated software solutions already exist. They interface with existing ERPs and make certification more dynamic and more active. The QSE manager is becoming more of a “support” for process managers. Company departments can output statistics in real time, obtain new indicators such as the supplier performance index for a purchasing manager, for example.
Forget the business vision, which is very daily, hello the opportunity to take a step back from the business with new tools, to better manage and react.
In summary, use a Quality Safety Environment software For the QSE manager, 25% less time is spent on writing and reporting. For the process pilot, it means more visibility and performance over their activity, and finally, for senior management, it means obtaining real-time dashboards and the possibility of acting accordingly.
Next step, connected data?
The big advantage of digitizing certification is to be able to move from a “single-human” system with homemade tools to a collaborative system.
In other words, to a “professionalization” of the profession.
In the near future, we will be able to go a step further: instead of entering your information, it will come up by itself! Take the case of mileage tracking on cars, the information must be able to be retrieved independently. Also on maintenance data, machines can be connected to push information.
The other advantage of digitalization is of course to be able to transport the management system on a smartphone & tablet. Consult management system data and its performance in real time from any connected location.
If the company manager is often considered to be the pilot of the airplane, then the pilot will be able to access his dashboard, even if he is not in the aircraft. Optimizing business performance at the end of the smartphone, soon to be a reality!
