Complaint System Internal Audit - Topics to Emphasize

RoxaneB

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#11
Sidney, good point but company has to be careful to not allow the tail to wag the dog, so to speak. Ideally, the process is defined and the tool implements the process. Having a tool define the process is, from my experience, a risk that can lead to all sorts of process deviations ("well if the tool supports it, it must be ok"). This is especially true in a large, "do all" application like Trackwise (from what I understand of it).

A software application should be used to meet its intended purpose. You don't want to end up using your hammer to drive a screw.
I don't believe including the software in this case warrants a "process defines the tool" versus "tools defines the process" debate. An audit that incorporates how the tool is used to support the process can also help gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of a process.

What if one site uses the software and one site does not? The process concepts may be identical, but the identifying best practices from one location or another could be benefit the organization (and process) as a whole.

The audit may also uncover that the tool DOES NOT support the process. What if data is not able to be viewed in such a way for trend analysis and the site is unable to speak to recurring issues other than 'I remember this one time...' examples (i.e., impact on failure analysis)? What if the documented procedure is not aligned with the steps the software takes (i.e., impact on training)?

Standardizing a process should include more than just a documented procedure. It is also helpful to standardize the tools used, be it a software or a manual log. When assessing a process, my own experience has been that it is valuable...and value-added...to include how the tools support the process on a day-to-day basis, as well as from an improvement perspective.
 
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Sidney Vianna

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#12
Sidney, good point but company has to be careful to not allow the tail to wag the dog, so to speak. Ideally, the process is defined and the tool implements the process. Having a tool define the process is, from my experience, a risk that can lead to all sorts of process deviations ("well if the tool supports it, it must be ok"). This is especially true in a large, "do all" application like Trackwise (from what I understand of it).

A software application should be used to meet its intended purpose. You don't want to end up using your hammer to drive a screw.
I agree with the premise and distinction between the tool and the process; actually I made a similar point in this post in the What is the best Complaint Handling system? thread.

But, since the issue at hand was tips for an effective (internal) audit of the complaint handling process, I don't think we should be telling the OP that the tool to be used for the process could be disregarded or that the tool is irrelevant. In my opinion, the opposite is true: proper deployment and use of the tool is paramount for the complaint handling process to be effective. We all know that one of the typical problems with complaint handling is situations where the dissatisfaction does not get captured because the source of the feedback is atypical and not always comes via a call center. If the tool is not used and we lose instances of customer complaint, that might drive ineffective analysis by the organization.

So, to summarize, in my opinion, the OP needs to familiarize himself with the use of the tool to be able to assess if the tool is being properly used, as a critical resource of the process.
 
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