Let's Talk About Management Systems
A “management system” is simply a collection of processes and activities that an organization uses to achieve the performance it wants. An environmental management system, for instance, is used to achieve environmental performance.
Developing an effective system requires a fundamentally different way of thinking about your processes. Instead of studying them separately as individual pieces, systems thinking focuses on how the pieces (processes) interact with each other and contribute to the whole. Instead of isolating smaller and smaller parts of an issue being studied, systems thinking expands the view, taking into account larger and larger numbers of interactions as the issue is studied.
Systems thinking involves seeing your system as a whole and then focusing on the inter-relationship between its parts. This way of analyzing the system can result in strikingly different conclusions than those generated by traditional forms of analysis, especially when what is being studied is complex or has a great deal of input or feedback from other sources, internal or external.
The keys to developing a management system and using it effectively are to:
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Know the resources you have (system inputs) and what you want to achieve (system outcomes / results)
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Define the processes that collectively will contribute to achieving what you want (your system processes)
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Understand how your processes impact the system and each other (especially when changes or problems occur)
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Improve your system by improving the inter-action between your processes
All of this does not have to be difficult. You likely have all the processes in place that you need for achieving your goals. All you need to do is manage these as a system and the results will occur. For help in doing this contact us.
How to Develop Your Management System
So, the basic steps in developing an effective management system are the same, no matter what you want to achieve.
Step 1 - Understand aspects that can impact what you want to achieve, the processes involved and their inter-relationship
Step 2 - Plan your system using existing processes; establish responsibilities; communicate with and train your people
Step 3 - Develop meaningful objectives and measure progress in achieving them
Step 4 - Control your processes and manage changes effectively
Step 5 - Monitor system performance and make corrections as needed
Step 6 - Review system suitability and effectiveness and look for ways to improve
By doing these steps thoughtfully you can create a system that will automatically follow the "Plan-Do-Check-Act" sequence to generate continual improvement.
