We live in a world of fast continual change. Are you able to accept these changes and use them to improve your life? How about your family’s life? How about your organization at work?
What is a PARADIGM? It is a pattern. Examples include driving to work the same way each day. Making toast, taking a shower, brushing your teeth and other processes the same over and over again. There is an excellent video on Paradigms titled, “THE BUSINESS OF PARADIGMS” by Joel Arthur Barker. I suggest that you obtain a copy and view it several times. Show it to your family and employees as it will make them challenge all that they do and look for ways to improve on the tasks that they do every day. Be sure to tell them to discuss their change ideas with you before they actually go forward as this could cause major problems and Risks. Let’s look at a few new paradigms.
DRONES
Drones are the new toy for everyone just like the first transistor radio, the hula hoop, model airplanes and cell phones. Once these items became less expensive more people owned them. Drones sell for less than $50 and the more expensive have controls with a TV Monitor so you can see just where the drone is flying. Drones are supposed to fly below 400 feet and this way they can operate without breaking any FAA laws. Above 400 feet they now are in airspace controlled by the FAA. If you are a pilot or have taken flying lessons you know that airspace below 5000 feet is an area classified as VFR (Visual Flight Rule) which means that aircraft can fly in this area in any direction. So you need to be aware of all aircraft, balloons and other flying objects. When aircraft fly above 5000 feet in North, South, East or West direction they have a 5000 foot area that they must fly in so that they do not collide with each other.
Go to www.youtube.com and enter “drone” and see all the crazy things that people are doing with their drones. People are flying them above 400 feet and there have been some aircraft, including commercial airlines that had to avoid a drone when coming into an airport for a landing at about 1,000 feet. You may think that the small drone will be destroyed when it hits the much larger airplane but what are the RISKS if the drone is sucked into an engine? What concerns me is what protection is there that will prevent a drone from flying and hitting the White House, any building, any boat/ship, any car, any aircraft or any object? Drones have the capability of video recording. When will we learn that a drone was shot down over Area 51 or any Military facility? Oh, that was not a drone it was a weather balloon. Are there RISKS that we need to be concerned about and what can we do to protect ourselves?
The FAA is considering requiring drone owners to have a Pilot’s license. In order to obtain a drone Pilot’s license it should be required that the person take a test that includes the rules for operating a drone. This is one way to raise money for drone enforcement. Drones are not to fly within 5 miles of airports and close to commercial aircraft. The FAA is considering a rule that drones must always be in view of the operator. Why not make the manufacture of drones have a software program that prevents the drones from being flown above 400 feet from ground level? Any drones that are to be flown above 400 feet, the owner must obtain a permit from the FAA that would allow this to happen.
There are some good uses of drones and those may be in trouble if the FAA clamps down on drone use. The Postal Service in France is already using drones to deliver packages. There are drone ambulances being used in Holland to save lives. You call for help and the drone is sent to where you pick it up and carry it to the person that had a heart attack and face the drone camera to where it can see the person. The pads are removed from the drone and placed on the person and shock can happen if required. The ambulance drone can be at the needed site within a minute which is a lot faster than a driven vehicle because the drone can fly a straight path. When it comes to heart attacks seconds are critical to survival and elimination of long term effects because the patient is not getting oxygen. Is the city that you live in going to purchase ambulance drones?
CYBER SECURITY
Now what about Cyber Security? We have read about the attack on Sony and other American companies. I have had people send me E-Mails that looked official but when I reported them to www.abuse@chase.com I was told they were a scam. We have learned not to give out any personal information to anyone that asks us even if the E-mail looks official.
I had an E-mail from an Asian speaking person that said he was from the US Treasury Department and that I had made a mistake on my 2013 tax return and needed to call him. The phone number was a 202 area code which is Washington DC. I knew it was a fake call because the IRS does not call you they send out letters. I called and talked to this person who gave me a badge number. After telling me that I had made a financial mistake on my 2013 Tax Return and wanted more information I told him he was wrong and the end result was that he told me an IRS Agent will be at my door in 30 minutes and hung up. Now why would there be an IRS Agent at my door, especially on a Saturday, Sunday or because I did something in favor of the IRS? I had the phone number checked and found out it was fake and from either India or Pakistan. Reporting of phone numbers like this is the right thing to do but the crooks just change the phone number. This made me ask what our government is doing to protect us from these out of our borders scams. Here again is another example of the RISKS that we face every day.
Is there now a time for a Paradigm shift in Cyber Security for us? Like Joel Arthur Barker I am a futurist and can see what is going to happen. We will end up using encrypted codes when we send important messages over the Internet. The question is how do we inform the people that must know what our encrypted code is? No, we do not send these people the code over the Internet. Do we phone them to let them know, NO.? Can we use the US Mail? How would you do it in the hope of avoiding RISKS? How often would you change the code?
As you can see and have experienced, there are RISKS in everything that we do each day. The important thing is to be aware of these RISKS and take the necessary steps in hope to avoid the negative.
What can we do to protect ourselves and loved ones? Learn how to quickly use the camera in your cell phone so that you can take pictures of crooks and their transportation. Don’t park between trucks/vans at shopping centers. Always keep your car doors locked. Don’t put valuables on the passenger seat that can be seen, especially if the window is open. When in traffic stop with plenty of distance from the car in front of you so that you can move if there is danger. Don’t be forced into a car as you will most likely die later. Yell for help and draw attention to what is happening with you. Hit the crook with your purse, the grocery cart or anything that will hurt them and make them run away.
WHAT IS YOUR RISK TOLERANCE?
Do you use FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis) or the RISK MAP to determine the RISKS of an event? FMEA is more for the evaluation of engineering drawing characteristics. RISK MAP is a visual method of Yellow; Red and Green elements that help us determine better the RISKS that we face. A RISK MAP is easier to complete and is less complicated.
WHAT IS YOUR AUDIT RISK?
What is a BLACK SWAN event? How many have happened in your organization or you don’t know because you don’t know the definition?
Does your organization use COSO? Was it helpful?
These and many other tools will be learned in the next BOOT CAMP that is scheduled February 23-27, 2015 in Seattle, WA. Go to HERE IS WHERE YOU PUT WWW.WEBSITE FOR BOOT CAMP INFOR.
Besides the RISK MANAGEMENT clauses in AS 9100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, TS 16949, TL 9000, ISO 31000 and other industry standards there is much more activity and new requirements. The FAA has now told the airlines that they must have a documented RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM up and running in as little as six months. Now how is this going to be possible with such large organizations? First the RM requirements must be determined. How is the FAA going to document these new requirements? Will there be new FAR’s (Federal Aviation Regulations) or revises the existing ones? Knowing how slow our congress is to making changes how long for the revision to these FAR’s to happen? Then there are documents to write and be approved by the management at these airlines. Once this is accomplished then there must be a training program to ensure that ALL EMPLOYEES fully understand ALL THE REQUIREMENTS. Now do all employees including office, ticket takers, flight crews, maintenance workers, aircraft ground personnel, food service employees, contract employees, cabin cleaning crews and who else is trained in the new RM requirements?
Next step is to have an internal audit program that ensures compliance to requirements. This means that an auditor training program is needed plus job descriptions that the auditors must meet in order to conduct audits. How many audits have you done that the employees of the company being audited do not know their company Quality Policy which is a requirement (shall) of their companies Quality Manual, Customers Purchase Order and Industry Standard from the Purchase Order? Where is this Quality Policy quickly available? It is hanging from several banners in the facility and on the back of the employee’s identification badge. A better question to ask is, “What does your company Quality Policy mean to you?”
Don’t forget that the RISK MANAGEMENT requirements must be flowed down to your suppliers. How is this going to be accomplished and who is going to audit your suppliers to make sure they are meeting all your contract requirements?
While this is happening our Federal Government has been informed that all Federal Offices will have a RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. Not sure what document or documents enforces this requirement or what the full requirements are really. Do you know?
Is your organization fully prepared for all the new RISK MANGEMENT requirements? Do you know what tools will help your organization achieve full compliance?
Before it is too late I suggest that you and other members of your organization attend the BOOT CAMP scheduled as explained above. Perhaps you would rather have the BOOT CAMP held at your office and that can be done.
ANY QUESTIONS?
You can contact me at billwalkerrm@gmail.com for assistance. I will respond as quickly as possible to your questions. Please include your phone numbers when you send me questions.
Thanks and let’s get started as the process will take time to accomplish fully.
Bio:
Bill Walker is a quality consultant and writer in Everett, Washington, USA. Are there some questions for me? You can contact me at billwalkerrm@gmail.com. My goal is to answer your questions within 5 business days or sooner.