Recommendation Buy-in

For any recommendation to gain acceptance, it must be properly developed and viewed as being a viable credible action which can be implemented, and one that will result in demonstrable improvements. Each recommendation means more work for someone, and we should strive to find solutions that are effective, efficient and long lasting.

The first step in creating corrective actions is to determine if any action is in fact needed. Organizations have a finite amount of resources, and investigators will want to use them wisely. Not every incident requires remedial action. Use your Risk Assessment Chart or Matrix as the first step in the screening process. Think about the probability and consequence of a future incident. A high risk ranking calls for action; a lower ranking may mean these types of incidents are an acceptable level of risk and no further action is needed.

If action is called for evaluate any proposed changes in light of the following; consider how they will be viewed by the person to whom the recommendations are presented.

1. Will the problem this recommendation is designed to address be seen as a real and credible?

(If the accident is not well understood, the credibility of the problem and your solution will suffer. Will your description or report convince others that a safety problem exists?)

2. Will the recommendation be perceived as being capable of addressing the problem?

(Your recommendation must be tied to the problem and must be perceived as solving it. The connection has to be easy to see and understand. Do not expect support from people if they do not think your recommendation will solve the problem once and for all. Think about your recommendation from the point of view of the person paying for it or having the extra workload placed on them.)

3. Is the solution something the decision makers are able and willing to implement?

(Is your solution feasible? If you are hearing “yes…buts” that's an acknowledgement that the recommendation will work, however, it's impractical to implement. Discuss recommendations with those whose open or hidden resistance could sink your recommendation. Who controls the levers of power? Don't just look at potential adversaries. Are those you believe to be supporters really on side? Ask them before formally presenting your recommendations.)

4. Compared with other situations also requiring management attention, is this one sufficiently important to see recommendations implemented?

(How does this particular problem and the risk it presents compare to other situations competing for management's attention? Management will likely judge your proposal using the same criteria they do for other matters. That is on its impact on production, scheduling, staffing, quality etc. Do your homework and include cost estimates for implementation, the payback or reduction in losses along with the cost of doing nothing.)

5. Will there be any legal problems with the recommendations?

(Hopefully this is a rare situation. However, if a problem is identified and no corrective action taken, then a subsequent incident could trigger additional problems for the organization. The advice of legal counsel should be sought in these situations.)

Based on "Investigation Accidents with STEP" by Hendrick, Kingsley & Brenner.

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