Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 - (Page 4)

InspectIng (continued from previous page) installed, or PDA inspection tools. Since quality and consistency cannot be separated as they pertain to quality control measurements in environmental services, these new tools allow a manager to maximize the practice and purpose of facility inspections by way of a relatively user-friendly tool. Productive inspections that yield useful results can help a facility in many ways. Let’s take a brief look at a few of the potential benefits found in PDA inspection tools. 1. Inspection Computerization and Customization: While paper-based inspection logs can be created and printed to mirror your facility’s blueprint, over time they are often rendered obsolete if the blueprint is altered by facility expansion. Task frequency and task standards are also susceptible to change, but with paper-based inspection forms, it is easy to miss translating those changes each time they occur. With a PDA inspection tool, changing the duties, standards, and practices is easily done and can be uploaded within several minutes—all without having to use reams of paper to reflect even the smallest updates. In addition to the customization of the actual form, the computerization component of PDA inspection tools allows for a simple interface as opposed to a packet of paper. A good example of this can be found in PDA inspection tools that allow you to pre-load standards and procedures, which can then be referred to during an inspection, helping to ensure that the inspector is aware of and applying the appropriate scores. This not only saves time, but allows for a standardization of the inspection procedure and creates quality inspections that capture relevant data. Generally, the work of customizing the tool is well worth the effort in that you’ll be able to make the tool work bet- While paper-based inspection logs can be created and printed to mirror your facility’s blueprint, over time they are often rendered obsolete if the blueprint is altered by facility expansion. ter for you if you are able to make it relevant to your specific needs and facility layout. 2. Findings: What is the data gathered during your inspections really showing you? Are your inspections simply a function of compliance, or have you found a way to use the information they reveal to make quality improvements? How do you currently report the results of your findings to your employees, and are they able to effectively use the information and make any necessary changes? Are your inspections practical? There is nothing wrong with doing inspections via clipboard, but what can sometimes become difficult is reducing the findings into something that looks and feels like a statistically relevant and understandable conclusion. PDA inspection devices can help to make understanding what your inspections are revealing more simple by creating easy-to-read reports that include, but are not limited to, average room/area inspection scores, average inspection scores for individual employees, the most detected deficiencies, and how your facility is actually performing compared to national benchmarks or internal standards. They can chart monthly inspection scores, so you can determine if there are certain times of the year that yield higher or lower overall scores, which may help identify ways to make your operation more consistent. Reports that indicate areas of concern can almost immediately help you to address those areas, without having to sift through a number of paperbased inspections and itemizing each score and task manually. In most cases, these findings are easily accessed and produced. Findings can then be shared with both the customer and the employee and needed improvements and modifications can be made in a timely manner. Besides the useful and easy-to-read reports that illustrate findings, one of the most unique and helpful features of some of the leading PDA inspection devices is the ability to record findings with a built-in camera. A deficiency that is simply recorded in writing is useful if communicated appropriately—but more useful still are recorded images that accompany inspection results. Those pictures and videos can then be used for both training new employees and in providing continuing education for existing staff. In this way, a picture is truly worth a thousand words. 3. Farewell to Guesswork: As mentioned earlier, many PDA (continued on page 8) 4 Executive Housekeeping Today/July 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 Contents Executive Corner Inspecting a Different Way Quality in the 21st Century Frugal Housekeeper How Eliminating Nuisance Animals Can Increase Quality Healthcare Goes Green Feature Article IHW Product Information The Green Scene 2008 Call to Convention 2008 Convention Information Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members CEH/REH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside I.E.H.A. What I.E.H.A. Has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

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