Integrated Management Systems offer access database for meetings
Integrated Management Systems offer an access database to administer meetings, projects, nonconformance and more. To implement a continuous improvement system, a specialised database has been developed in Microsoft Access. In this database, there is no need to maintain separate agenda and minutes, and there is no need for cutting and pasting data. Everything is handled in only one file, with each issue occupying one line of the database. Information is entered by means of simple electronic entry forms. Information is retrieved by means of reports that filter the data in required and customisable ways.
There are two main reports, ‘Unclosed Issues’ and ‘Closed Issues’ which take the place of ‘Agenda’ and ‘Minutes’. Any issue that is not closed (the 'Issue closed (signature)' field in the Entry Form left blank) will always appear in the ‘Unclosed Issues’ report. Issues closed at one meeting appear one more time at the next meeting before dropping off the ‘Closed Issues’ report in the following meeting. This means that the meeting process involves reviewing previous meeting closed issues, tackling any unclosed issues, then raising and dealing, if possible, with new issues.
The database does not lose any data and is always available for later review. All issues that are raised remain in the database as separate lines. They are available for searching at any time later filtered by meeting type, person responsible or issue type. The same database can be used for a number of different types of meetings, or one can just copy the file to start two separate databases for separate meetings.
Variations of the review process have been developed for:
- To do lists
- Project management
- Audit
- Nonconformance
- Incidents and injury management
2-Sep-2008