About Allan Sayle's Comment

Hopes and goals for a new column

The preamble to a regular column written by Allan Sayle, describes what he hopes his column will provide.

What will hopefully become a regular column, will comment on matters that arise and which, to some degree or other, in my view, may well affect people working in the business improvement and quality professions. It comes as a result of various discussions over the last few months between Simon Timperley and myself.

The goal is to cover a wide range of topics. They will include business affairs, geopolitical matters, economic trends and data, as well as management and will try to show how they relate to the quality and business improvement professional. Their effects and influences on the content of an organization’s quality program and improvement efforts will be indicated.

From time-to-time the column will try to present bigger issues: global if possible; sector wide, when possible. That is because quality people tend to become immersed too much in day-to-day minutiae of product quality and tools. The realities of organizational and business life demand that we consider a broader range of matters that affect quality programs. Since quality programs should serve the organization by preventing or eliminating avoidable costs, it seems sensible to take that point of view as the programs must be adapted to the forces and influences that do or will affect the organization. Accordingly, the emphasis will often be on risks for the future so that preventive measures can be considered for incorporation into quality programs.

Responding to matters by being agile in the content of one’s quality program, supply chains and internal controls is essential. One of the (often unspoken) purposes of quality programs is to prepare for the future. This requires us to observe what is happening that may affect our organizations and adjust accordingly before we are overtaken by events. Timeliness in considering current affairs and issues, rather than waiting the arrival of monthly magazines that reflect at best what happened weeks or months ago is needed in the quality community. Currency of information is important. Only the internet can help us to communicate problems and solutions to our global professional community in a short space of time. That is why a site such as Saferpak is so important.

The column is unlikely to include ISO matters as these are covered well elsewhere and are of no great interest to management and executives anyway.

The tone will, however, vary: occasionally light-hearted, even satirical; sometimes serious; maybe pensive. We hope the column will offer food for thought and some stimulation. Of course one does not expect readers always to agree. But, if, to parody President Lincoln’s words, we can please some of the readers some of the time and simultaneously spur debate that will be well and good.

For every profession, globalization creates a global community and we are fortunate the internet and such sites as Saferpak now allows us to hold joint discussions, though we may never meet face-to-face. And, if you email your contacts, customers, clients and colleagues etc., so that the Saferpak community grows internationally, together we can build a body of professional opinion and information benefiting us all. But, it cannot be effective without the input of its community (you) and its effectiveness will be more than directly proportional to the community size: such is the truth underlying Metcalfe’s Law.

Here we can enjoy free speech without judicious editing or selection of articles and “letters to the editor” as happens in professional bodies so that the views of an establishment only are reflected. When it comes to professional fare, I like it the same as my eggs: free range, not battery produce. (And, yes, to continue the metaphor, I accept the occasional risk of professional salmonella!) That freedom, though, does not mean a free-for-all. Saferpak does not censor articles or people but of course expects the usual courtesies and legal constraints to be observed by its visitors, contributors and denizens. I will support Saferpak so long as those key values are upheld and hope you will also.

Optimistically, the column will be as if a crucible: a place where matters are subjected to forces that test them and may make them change. So, feel free to send (polite!) email to me at Publish@SaferPak.com. I will respond if time and mood permit! Apologies in advance if I do not for, please remember I, too, have a day job and all of life’s usual pressures and commitments. Certainly we encourage you to contribute to the “threads” that are or become available at Saferpak.

The column is an experiment. So, let us see how it goes over a period of time.

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