24/7 Software Blog

It’s Monday at 6:30 AM.

You’re finishing up the final report on last night’s event.

But, there are still a few items to check off.

You need to review reports from last night.

You’ve got to check everything on your spreadsheet, record the information on your Monday morning report, and prepare for the meeting.

“Almost there,” you mutter to yourself.

“Only one protein spill,” you continue.

“OK, that's pretty good,” you think to yourself.

“One fight,” you read aloud.

“Two fixed chairs?” you ask.

You’re confused, so you pick up the pace and scan through the reports.

But, you quickly realize there’s something wrong here.

You stop and stare at the spreadsheet.

“What’s this,” you scream across your office.

Something’s wrong here.

Do you know what it is?

Each department recorded incidents, requests, tasks, and work orders as different types.

You begin seeing the variations.

• Vomit
• Puke
• Protein spill
• Rainbow spill
• Throw up

The list goes on and on.

• ‘Fixed’ as a resolution for a broken cup holder

What does ‘fixed’ mean at your facility?

Was the cup holder replaced?

Or was a new chair moved to the location in its place?

Today’s report can’t be accurate unless you fix this significant error.

This epiphany leaves you with a sick feeling in your stomach as you realize none of the reports have been accurate as a result of this language issue.

But, it’s now 7:08 AM and your meeting will start in 22 minutes.

You were hoping to get ahead of the game today.

That’s not happening.

You’ve got to ensure your numbers are accurate.

Your property needs a common language.

It needs it now.

“I’ll be right behind you guys,” you shout to your operations team as they make their way out of the office.

It’s 1 AM, and you’re finishing up the final report on tonight’s event.

There’s only one last item on your to-do list.

You’ll review the incident reports from tonight, tally everything on your spreadsheet, record the information on your Monday morning report, and be on your way home.

You take the final swig of your water and begin reviewing the numbers from tonight.

“Here we go,” you whisper to yourself.

“Only one record of vomit,” you continue.

“That's pretty good,” you think to yourself.

“One fight,” you read aloud.

You continue reviewing the reports.

But, after three more minutes of review, you stop in your tracks.

“Wait a minute,” you shout.

Something is not right here.

All personnel and departments record incident types differently.

You begin listing the variations.

• “1 vomit.”
• “1 puke.”
• “2 throw up.”

The list goes on and on.

Your report for Monday will be inaccurate if you don’t fix this error.

You must fix it.

It’s now 1:12 AM.

You call Jack from security and tell him that you’re going to be a little longer.

It looks like another night that you won’t get to say goodnight to your husband and children.

But, you must ensure your numbers are accurate, and not only for Monday but all future analysis of your property’s incidents.

You need standardization.

And, you need it now.