To understand why deviation management is important, we first need to know what a deviation is. According to the ISO 9000 standard, a deviation is defined as “non-fulfillment of a requirement”.
Within the corporate world, this can be something as simple as an error in a process, non-compliance with company policies, or more complex as failed quality controls. In short, it is when something in the business does not go as planned.
Now that we have identified what an anomaly is, we come to the question of why it should be “managed” and what management entails. Many CEOs and executives may prefer to focus on developing new products or increasing sales rather than focusing on what's wrong. But here's the thing - dealing with discrepancies can actually help you do both parts more efficiently.
Anomaly management is not just about reporting errors, it's about identifying where and how these errors occurred, so that they can be prevented in the future. This means continuous improvement and streamlining of processes, leading to higher productivity and efficiency — something that every company strives for.
Here are some reasons why you should invest time and resources in your organization's anomaly management process:
By reporting and monitoring anomalies, you can identify weaknesses in your processes or systems. Perhaps there is a problem with your provider, or maybe a certain process needs to be refined. Anomaly management helps you detect these problems and fix them.
By identifying and correcting anomalies, you can improve the quality of your products or services. For example, if you have had problems with product defects, by identifying the cause of these defects, you can take steps to prevent them in the future.
By proactively managing discrepancies, you can increase customer satisfaction. When customers see that you take their feedback seriously and take steps to resolve any issues, it will increase their trust in your business.
Managing nonconformities effectively can help you reduce costs associated with rework, returns, and warranty claims.
Finally, by improving your processes, product quality and customer satisfaction while reducing costs, this will inevitably lead to greater profitability.
Effective anomaly management requires an culture of transparency and accountability. Everyone within the organization should feel comfortable reporting discrepancies, and management should encourage this behavior. It is also important to have a clear process in place for how anomalies are to be reported, evaluated and addressed.
In the end, deviation management is not about complying with ISO standards or any other form of external requirements. It's about striving for constant improvement and excellence in everything you do.
Deviation management is about learning from mistakes and using those lessons to improve your business. By investing time and resources in identifying, reporting and managing anomalies, you can create a culture of continuous improvement that contributes to the success of your business.
Deviations, customer complaints, risk observations, goals and suggestions for improvement are all different aspects of the same process - the pursuit of continual improvement.
Deviations are when something in the business does not go according to plan or standard. Customer complaints are often the result of a discrepancy that affects the final product or service.
Risk observation involves identifying potential problems before they turn into anomalies. It can be about anticipating and preventing possible problems in future workflows, processes or products.
Objectives and improvement proposals aim to take the organization to a higher level by striving for constant development, regardless of whether there are deviations or not. Goals can be based on past deviations, risk observations or customer complaints, but they can also be stand-alone initiatives to drive the business forward.
All of these elements play an important role in the success of the company. By having effective systems in place to manage every aspect, you can minimize risks and maximize your potential for growth and success.
Understanding that all of these elements are equally important helps the organization create a culture where all employees work toward the same goal — continuous improvement and excellence.
Driving a car by constantly looking in the rear-view mirrors would be a disaster. Similarly, a company cannot simply manage its business based on what has happened in the past. Instead, the company must look ahead, plan for the future, and try to anticipate potential problems and opportunities.
But just as rear-view mirrors are essential to driving safely, so it's important to learn from past mistakes and successes within your business. There, anomaly management and risk observations play an important role. They help you identify problems and opportunities based on past experiences, which can give you information on how you should navigate the future.
Rearview mirrors also give you information about what's going on behind you right now, which can be crucial for your next steps. Similarly, customer complaints and feedback give you real-time information about how your business is performing, which can influence your decisions about future strategies and actions.
The goals and suggestions for improvement can then be seen as the front window of your car - they give you direction and help you focus on the road ahead. By having clear goals and initiating actions for continuous improvement, you can ensure that your business continues to move forward towards success.
So, even if you can't (or shouldn't) run your business by just looking in the rear-view mirrors, they play an important role in helping you navigate forward. By combining the lessons of the past with a clear vision for the future, you can create a culture of continuous improvement and excellence that drives your business towards success.
Discussions and meetings can be effective ways to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and generate new ideas. But there are several reasons why it is also important to record and document discrepancies, risk observations, customer complaints, goals and suggestions for improvement.
By keeping records of anomalies and other aspects of your business, you create a chain of traceability. This means you can go back and see exactly when a problem occurred, who reported it, what was done to solve it, and how effective the solution was. Traceability can also help you identify patterns over time.
When documenting discrepancies or other actions, you create a clear line of responsibility. It becomes clear who is responsible for what, which can contribute to faster solutions to problems and more efficient processes.
By documenting your processes, both those that work well and those that need improvement, you create a knowledge base within your organization. This can be invaluable when new employees come on board or when you want to share best practices within the team.
Documentation ensures continuity if someone leaves the organization or if other changes occur. Without documentation, important information and lessons can be lost.
Keeping records of discrepancies and customer complaints gives you concrete data to analyze. This information can be used to improve the quality of your products or services, streamline your processes and increase customer satisfaction.
In summary, communication is important, but it is not always enough. Journaling and documenting your business contributes to traceability, accountability, learning, continuity and quality control — all key components of a successful organization.
When it comes to anomaly management, there are some common mistakes that organizations often make. Here are some of them:
One of the biggest mistakes an organization can make is simply ignoring discrepancies. Whether due to a lack of time, resources or just an unwillingness to admit that something has gone wrong, this can lead to bigger problems further down the line.
Another common error is the lack of a systematic process for dealing with anomalies. Without a clear process, it can be difficult to effectively identify, report and resolve problems.
Communication plays a key role in anomaly management. If employees do not feel comfortable reporting problems, or if management does not communicate effectively about how to address these problems, this can lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies.
Finally, the lack of follow-up is another common mistake. Identifying and reporting a discrepancy is only the first step. It is equally important to follow up and ensure that appropriate action is taken to resolve the issue.
Another common mistake in deviation management is silo thinking and sub-optimization. This means that different departments or teams within the organization do not work together effectively, which can lead them to focus only on their own specific areas and miss the overall perspective. This, in turn, can lead to inefficiency and a failure to manage deviations.
Silothinking can also create conflicts between different parts of the organization, as each department or team may have different priorities and goals. Instead of working toward common goals, they may begin to compete with each other, which can be detrimental to the success of the entire organization.
Sub-optimization, on the other hand, means focusing too much on improving a particular part of the process without taking into account how it affects the entire system. This can cause some parts of the process to be very efficient, while other parts become inefficient.
To avoid these mistakes, it is important that organizations foster a climate of collaboration and open communication. Everyone should be aware of the overall goals of the organization and how their individual work contributes to those goals. In addition, there should be a systematic process in place for managing anomalies, including clear communication, follow-up and continual improvement.
Deviation management is not only a defensive mechanism for dealing with problems after they have arisen, but it is also a powerful driver of proactive improvement and innovation. When business leaders embrace a culture of openness andbeing, where every deviation is an opportunity to learn and evolve, these “problems” are transformed into valuable insights that can drive the business forward.
By integrating anomaly management with a holistic perspective on risk, customer feedback, and continuous improvement processes, you equip your company with the tools to not only respond to changes, but also to anticipate them and act strategically. This creates a dynamic organization that is not only ISO certified but also ready to meet future challenges and exploit new opportunities.
So take the step away from just “fixing what's broken” and move toward building a robust, forward-looking culture that sees deviation management as a core part of business strategy. This strategy will engage your employees, increase customer satisfaction, reduce costs and, most importantly, ensure that your business not only survives but thrives in the ever-changing business world.
Join us to deepen your understanding of how deviation management can be a catalyst for success in your organization and discover tools and strategies that can transform your challenges into benefits. Let's make deviation management a part of your success story!
