Poor management decisions impacting policy and company performance, as well as serious safety issues were threatening an upcoming contract renewal and eroding a company’s reputation. These were only a few of the problems facing Ken Walker, Senior Nuclear Management Consultant, when he was asked by the BOD of a contractor company to fix the issues, and quickly. Failure to do so would have had disastrous financial and safety consequences. For those of you who make policy and strategy decisions, you may wish to read this story.
He assumed responsibility for all operations including: Safety/Health, Quality Assurance, Performance Assurance, Environmental Compliance, Engineering, Project & Risk Management, Regulatory Enforcement, Aviation Safety, Occupational Medicine, Work Planning and Conduct of Operations for 2,500 workers across 1360 square miles. Within two months of arriving, it became crystal clear why he was specifically asked to straighten things out.
Driven by client expectations, customer demands for product, and an impending contract re-compete, the company had chosen to focus on schedule and delivery. Their response was to relax standards and vigilance for safety, quality, communications and assurance, and if it cost money or operational delays, the response was always, no. This stance resulted in three significant safety events in one week, two of which resulted in serious personnel injuries.
Despite the seriousness of the nuclear safety events, and clear indications that cost-cutting, and systemic problems were preventing management from taking action — even after clear expectations were conveyed from their client — management response was limited and noncommittal.
Ken listened, learned, then acted. He developed and installed a comprehensive Corrective Action Plan including 72 distinct actions, assigned manager responsibilities, expected end-states, Safety/Quality Prioritization, Work Planning and Control, Issues management and Continuous Improvement. He instituted the President’s Safety Council, Daily Awareness Call, Executive Review Board, Senior Management Observation Program, Enterprise Risk Management and a Monthly Dashboard Review. All new actions and lessons learned, as well as Best Practices were identified and shared with the Board and relayed to all company personnel monthly. Nothing was held back, which fostered good participation and enthusiasm from the workforce.
Within six months of initiating the Plan, all corrective actions were initiated. Over 11 major programs were overhauled and new issues were reduced by over 50%. Within a year, the company received a Department of Energy Award for Safety Excellence and received the highest fee score in the history of the contract.
He got the job done. Ken said to me, “In my opinion, the best way for any organization to achieve and maintain the highest level of performance for complex operations is by focusing on Four P’s.” These are:
Processes – clearly defining and aligning operational processes, procedures and programs with the required technical expertise in order to generate the greatest quality and efficiency
People – positioning the best people in the right positions with the tools, training and responsibility in an open, collaborative environment to achieve and exceed personal, team and corporate objectives
Practices – creating a culture of success underscored with teamwork and rigorous adherence to standards to ensure that processes yield the greatest value, quality and output at the lowest marginal cost and risk
Perceptions – using open, ongoing communications, observations, and performance metrics, to manage expectations and ensure the alignment of perceptions of all stakeholders such that the organization can maximize the use of limited, valuable resources.
My suggestion? If you want to discuss your company’s management issues, I suggest you contact Ken Walker, and gain quality advice from an expert who has faced the same challenges as you. I know he will be glad to share with you some of his helpful and practical ideas.
Contact Ken Walker via LinkedIn or email kenwalker91@gmail.com
Listen to the full Podcast discussion below!
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