![]() ![]() They can’t adapt to an answer, they can’t check the validity of an answer, they can’t stop you from completing the form without all the information and they can’t have user explanations, training and information built into them. In essence, paper forms are static, they are what they are and they require the user to understand how to use them properly. No matter how clever you are its very hard to make a form that caters for all occasions and allows for different levels of users to use and understand it. It also means that there is no backstop, no way to catch failures in the system, and no way to alert management of the form not being completed or the audit findings not being actioned. This leads to the conclusion that the system is only as good as it’s weakest user. This also goes for form-based online systems where the transparency issue might be better but you still have very limited control on the process implemented around that checklist, form, audit etc. So everything that happens with a paper-based system is reliant on a human being. Perhaps the most obvious flaw in paper is that it can’t do anything itself, it is an inert object with no abilities or logic behind it. There is no benefit from completing the ‘paperwork’ if it’s not done at the right time, by the right person for the right reason, it would be meaningless. So how do I know it was done at the appropriate time by the appropriate person? A piece of paper has no audit trail, no time stamp and no way to know who did it unless you have a CSI lab ready to do forensic work for you. Let's imagine that I have a checklist that needs to be completed each day at a certain time, or each time a process starts, sounds simple enough. No, I’m not talking about see through paper, I’m talking about knowing the truth about a document. The unfortunate answer is you can’t be sure when you are using a paper system because you have to print the documents and people often don’t even know how to verify the version so you have a big problem.Įven if you have a shared drive on your server that keeps the originals and only one person can edit you still have to print the document to get it into people's hands to use, you have a problem. The essence of the problem is how do you ensure that the end-user is using the latest and greatest version of a document, procedure, policy, Checklist, Audit etc? While paper was indeed a great leap forward in being able to transfer knowledge from one person to another when you are trying to build a compliance management system it also has many flaws.Įveryone who has had to manage document versions knows what I’m going to talk about here, it’s why controlled documents have in bold letter, ‘Uncontrolled when printed’, on them. Well since then we have infinitely increased our paper usage unfortunately and along with being bad for the environment, it’s been bad for compliance management too. I’m old enough to have been doing my university degree in the 90’s and I clearly remember computer sales executives telling us paper was a thing of the past, computers would mean you can do away with paper. So in these pages, we will start by digging deeper into the problems with traditional systems, then we will look at how current technology can change the playing field and finally what the future might look like for compliance management. ![]() It’s all reactive, the reporting is not good and everyone starts wondering why they are bothering? Not to mention the group freak out when it’s time to be audited. So if it can be difficult just to meet the standards required in a traditional system then how are you managing to continuously improve and get greater value out of your compliance system? The answer for many is that they aren’t, compliance management becomes a chore, it’s difficult and seems to have no reward. That being said we haven’t even got to the good stuff, the reason many businesses take on ISO and other Compliance based requirements like HACCP, is to grow, to improve and to show the outside world they are at a higher standard. Control of the system and processes is all human-based and naturally flawed. Due to the manual nature and human dependence of these traditional systems the room for error is large. No matter your diligence, knowing that an auditor is scheduled and feeling comfortable that everything is in place doesn’t come easy. For those of us who have had to manage traditional compliance systems whether they are Safety, Quality or Environmental based, we all understand the pain. ![]()
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