An interesting expert column crossed my desk recently by Jake Mazulewicz, who consults with companies about eliminating errors in the workplace.

With a background in safety for electric utilities, and working as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and having served as a military paratrooper, Mazulewicz leans heavily on a U.S. Army tradition of performing After Action Reviews, or AARs, in his recommendations to companies in high-hazard industries. 

He advises clients to bring together their crews after completing a project and ask these four questions to seek ways to constantly improve the services they provide:

1. What did we set out to do?

2. What did we actually do?

3. How did it turn out the way it did?

4. What will we do differently next time?

Mazulewicz contends that these sit-downs with employees often only happen when something goes wrong on a project. Perhaps PROs can relate to that. What’s the old saying, the squeaky wheel gets the grease? When you have a few problems on a service route or a weekend event experiences a glitch and the customer calls, a little hot under the collar, that’s when you call in the troops for a dressing down.

In these circumstances, you might correct a thing or two with the team. But there is so much more you can learn and improve if you review every event or construction project you work on, Mazulewicz says. And this effort is time well spent — no matter how busy your crew is day to day.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

“Many leaders argue that their teams are just too busy to spend time discussing why a successful project went well. They just wrap up fast, then dive into the next project,” he says. “The unspoken insights and unwritten lessons learned from that project rarely ever get shared or discussed. Often, they just get forgotten in the frenzy of working project after project.” 

The AAR came into regular use by the U.S. military in the 1980s to gather insights from soldiers following complex and dangerous missions. Leaders quickly realized meetings were drawing out important information that would improve strategies and tactics in missions moving forward, Mazulewicz explains, and the process has become routine.

And you’ll notice if you look at the AAR list above, you might think the obvious question is missing: What went well and what went badly? You’ve probably had situations where you’ve gathered your own troops and this is the first thing out of your mouth.

“Here’s the problem,” Mazulewicz says. “The question nudges us to discuss blame, not improvements. And blame stops learning in its tracks. … After Action Reviews focus on learning, not blame.”

That leads to the three common mistakes Mazulewski says teams make when conducting AARs:

1. You don’t want frontline workers to associate these meetups with exposing failures. If you bring up a problem first, employees will “give short, vague answers to get it over with as fast as possible,” he says. His recommendation is to conduct 80% of AARs after successful projects.

2. Don’t let a lot of time pass after the project to take stock. Get workers talking about what they learned on the job as soon as possible. “Those unspoken ideas have a half-life of hours or less. So if you wait a day or more to lead your AAR, much of the priceless, unspoken wisdom will already have been lost, perhaps forever,” he says.

3. If you’re the boss, resist the urge to dominate the discussion. Let your crew answer the important questions. “You’ll shut your team down until the only person talking is you. … Remember that the leader is the person who talks the least. Choose your AAR leaders accordingly,” he says.

So let’s bring this concept back around to the world of portable sanitation. And November is a great time to do it. Most of you are reaching the end of your busy season, the perfect opportunity to reflect on what your crew did right over the past several months — as well as turning your attention to ways you can improve customer service when the busy season picks up again in the spring.

Gather your crew and answer these questions:

Were you always able to say yes?

Sometimes PROs get on a work site and hear requests for services they have not considered offering. For example, when you’re setting up at an event, planners might ask you for trash bins, crowd control fencing or barricades or maybe they request lighting or other accessories for all or some of your restrooms. Or maybe a construction customer would like a lockable storage container or a generator for an office trailer. Be prepared for upselling opportunities and remain open to accommodating special requests to become more of a one-stop-shop for your clients.

Did your pre-planning hit the mark?

Look back at some of your more complex portable sanitation placements over the past busy season. Were your assessments of the needs of that commercial construction or event customer on the money? Were you unexpectedly called out to provide additional restroom servicing, indicating the units on hand were overused? Keep a detailed record of inventory and services rendered for every larger customer and look for ways to better predict the needs of each client. Constant evaluation will put you in the position to provide just the right amount of service next time around.

Did you have adequate staffing for events?

You don’t want to run your team ragged at a big special event and you also don’t want workers sitting around on-site waiting for something to happen, either. Providing optimal service can be a delicate balancing act; you certainly need proper staffing to keep restrooms clean and well-stocked, but you also don’t want to ask your crew to work every weekend or pay overtime unless it’s necessary. Consistent review of weekend and evening staffing will ensure clients aren’t overpaying and your crew isn’t putting in too many hours and has some time at home with family.

What are your equipment needs moving forward?

After you break down a work site and return inventory to your yard, it’s a great time to review your future equipment needs. How many units at a big event went out with a broken door spring or a failed wall panel? Are your returning units still up to the standard of special event use, or are they looking dingy, faded or generally worn out? Are your trucks and uniforms still presentable for your more demanding event customers? Now is the time to start thinking about stocking up or refurbishing your equipment so you can hit the ground running next spring.

Were you happy with your clients?

The longer you’re in the portable sanitation business, the more you realize not every customer is a good customer. Review working relationships with your regular customers: Are you meeting their expectations or do they tend to complain a lot? Who pays their bills on time and who doesn’t? Do some clients resist providing adequate equipment to serve their users or constantly fight over your prices? Ensuring profitability with each customer and each restroom that goes out the door should be your main goal. And so should taking care of your best and most loyal customers. If chucking a few of the bad ones will help you reach those goals, don’t be afraid to do it.

IN CONCLUSION

Two-way communication with your crew following construction and event projects has great value and is well worth the time spent gathering in the office. After Action Reviews can send your business in new service directions and help you constantly improve service. And that bolsters your good reputation. If you want to learn more about Mazulewicz and his consulting service, go to reliableorg.com.