Principle 7 (ISO 9000): Factual Approach to Decision Making
Effective decisions are based on the analysis of data and information
Manufacturers of quality products know too well the importance of inspection and tests for consistent conformity to their stated specifications. How would they endure if whenever you receive a particular model from a manufacturer it differs in size, performance, functional operations, user controls, and features?
And of course, the metrics are everything. If you can’t put a number (measurement) on something, the best you can do is offer an opinion. You really can’t speak factually about it at all, since one person’s opinion about the same thing will differ from the next person, based on age, experience, personal bias, and personal mood at the time of consideration. For example, a “too loud” response for a sound system playing a popular music program would likely occur a different sound pressure levels depending on the age of the person offering the response.
But engineered systems integration is significantly different in that AV designers and installers are not being paid to provide a particular advertised product. They are paid to provide a custom, one-of-a-kind system to perform a particular set of functions in a particular space. Their “product” isn’t physical, its expertise and labor. AV products from the manufacturers are simply the raw materials in this “product”.
Besides performance data, the most important metric is hours. How long does it take to perform each particular required task? Without this critical data, management would have no clue as to where a company requires additional resources to get the job done correctly and efficiently.
Equally important is where the data reporting goes. Is it being routed to the people actually expending the hours so they know how they’ve done? Is it being routed to those that will perform periodic analysis so that a continuum of improvement can take place?
Is your company making costly, pivotal decisions based on personal opinions? Or do you start with the facts, and balance with experience and intuition?