Lessons Learned System Results

Out of the TailPipe of Lessons Learned

The Promises Delivered

Dependent on the scope of your deployment of a REASON® Lessons Learned system there are specific things you can count on reaping as benefits. Some of the benefits are daily-operational in nature. Some benefits are long-term and corporately strategic in nature.

Lessons Learned systems that work are made possible only in conjunction with effective Root Cause processes like REASON®. Effective Root Cause investigation programs increase the flow and improve the quality of lessons going into the Lessons Learned system. In this way, the system has the data and potential to be something meaningful to people and their jobs. Yet, a sizable lessons learned implementation coupled with a small problem-solving (root cause) initiative makes for a poor Lessons Learned system. Solving problems and sharing them go hand in hand. You must have both.

The REASON® system is seamless, in that it provides both sides of this equation. Though it is possible to use another RCA method with REASON®'s Lessons Learned system, it is not as time efficient as the integrated system.

When deployed in the right way, some unique benefits are possible from a REASON® Lessons Learned initiative:

Daily Operational Benefits:

Solutions and knowledge are pushed closer to where problems are happening in the company because the REASON® system is targeting very concise solution knowledge to only the people who need it. Therefore:

Supervisors can solve problems when they are small. Events don’t ‘fester’ into larger issues that are more costly.
‘Shop-floor’ employees are solving problems before they happen because they know the solutions learned from other locations and are acting on them before problems can occur in the first place at their location.
When a problem does occur, the organization has tools and training that will help it quickly solve it the first time.
Maintenance has access to the issues causing down time, hazards and inefficiency around the organization. Like the ‘shop-floor’ employees, maintenance can start using the knowledge of every maintenance employee in your company to proactively prevent counter-quality situations.

Strategic LongTerm Benefits:

The ‘big picture’ of operations can be seen, measured, analyzed and quantified with the REASON system. Therefore:

Managers can see the early signs of problems emerging. In this way they have an "early warning system for change."
The system provides objective metrics concerning the efficiency and health of the organization from an organizational control perspective. Executives can see the common "problem-DNA" that is running throughout the organization's processes and figuring into different types of events around the company.
Executives can measure how certain processes are affecting corporate goals and strategies.
Lessons Learned trending makes your company more sensitive to changes. This enables organizations to be more aware of change and manage it faster than their competition.
The system provides organizations with the ability to better integrate quality, safety and other programs of concern with outside vendors and suppliers.