Recently, we’ve been posting about the importance of agility in your operations and in your software. This matters for us just as much as it does for our customers.
When a software stagnates, it’s the beginning of the end of its usefulness. That’s why we’re always updating and improving the tools we offer.
Risk management is no exception. In the latest round of software updates, we’ve revamped how this critical tool works to make it blend in better with your other processes.
As we described in our previous blog, integrating risks with your other routines is how you take it out of the silo and into the continuous improvement cycle.
Now we want to show you how we’ve upgraded the tool to help you do just that.
In this post, you’ll learn:
The context
You’re probably well aware of the limitations of paper-based processes. They’re fundamentally out of step with a connected, digital factory.
This is important for understanding how risk management became a siloed, isolated function.
Keeping risk assessments stored in filing cabinets and static registers (as if they were fixed and permanent facts) failed to account for the multilayered reality of risks on the shopfloor.
New risks emerge all the time. They often affect multiple areas simultaneously. And how you mitigate these risks is changeable too.
A digital platform is the natural solution. It’s moveable, searchable, and can be accessed much more easily for those who need it.
So we built one.
The mlean Production System handles all your admin and data inputs across the whole spectrum of your operations. The ultimate goal is to create a method and culture of continuous improvement within your factory and company as a whole.
It’s our experience in lean manufacturing that led us to this point. We saw firsthand where manufacturers needed support in achieving greater efficiency and profitability.
And it starts with processes like risk management.
HSE Risks in the mPS
If there’s one thing we wanted to achieve with our HSE Risks module, it was to encourage our clients to move away from the paper-based system.
We knew it would be in the best interests of safety, efficiency, and profitability to do so.
This is because risk management is a hidden driver of continuous improvement. We go into this in more detail in our previous blog, but it’s worth repeating: risks are about a lot more than safety.
You might have a very well-oiled machine, a highly capable staff, top-of-the-line processes, and a wealth of internal knowledge. Risks, identified or otherwise, can still make these critical advantages irrelevant.
A machine stoppage at the wrong time can spoil your projections and drag your numbers under. Doing all you can to avoid this is the best way to stay lean.
Our HSE risks module allows workers to log risks on the shop floor via tablet or mobile. The nature of the risk is described briefly, and mitigating steps can be listed alongside it.
Those who need this information can be given access immediately. And the traceability of access helps you stay compliant with health and safety regulations.
The risk register is taken out of the filing cabinet and onto the shop floor. It’s a living, breathing part of your operations, and a key element of your routines.
What we've changed
We wanted to upgrade the Risk module to make it more useful for our clients.
The overriding objective was to integrate it better with audits, so that risk management can become an essential part of shopfloor routines.
From now on, you can launch risks directly while performing audits without needing to leave the Audits app.
Previously, to log a risk you needed to do so separately, which created a barrier.
To make HSE Risks more user friendly, we knew it would be best to integrate it with Audits, and perhaps with other modules in time as well.
Now, the risk will also follow the audit through its trail and be available to see within the audit itself for anyone with access.
This means that risks are now embedded within the auditing process.
Reducing this friction between your audits and your risk management operations could be the difference between a risk being registered and followed up swiftly or being allowed to become a problem.
Find HSE Risks with our other improvement drivers
Our clients know how important improvement drivers are for our software. They’re the end product of all the data you feed into the system: action plans, problem-solving suggestions, and improvement ideas.
Because you can complete all the audits and routines in the world, but without follow-up they mean very little for your performance.
HSE Risks has always been an improvement driver. However, now it has the functionality to be a core part of your operations, especially when performing audits.
Take a closer look
The mPS: shaped by feedback
HSE Risks is the latest upgrade to the software our engineering team has produced, as we continually review and improve our product.
Sometimes our improvements are sourced directly from customer feedback. Other times they’re part of planned upgrades and rollouts.
The main thing is that we understand that the tool can always be fine-tuned. It’s a key component of continuous improvement. And we like to practice what we preach.
The mPS is always changing, just like HSE Risks.
Learn more
If you want to expand your use of the mPS, or even get started from scratch, request a call from our sales team. They’ll show you the full power of our software, including HSE Risks, and draw together a package of modules to suit you.
