Time Management at Rescare Inc. The Time

Time Management

At ResCare Inc. The time consumed between the auditing processes and conducting training is substantial. This time could be used more efficiently and there are opportunities to reduce the time frame between those two processes. There are methods that can be used to manage and reduce this time which fall under the realm of time managing process. Time management is processes of planning, creating awareness, and harnessing control over the amount of time spent on specific activities to increase the overall level of efficiency and effectiveness. Some of the more popular types of time management concepts are: The ABC analysis, Pareto analysis, The Eisenhower Method, and POSEC method.

The ABC analysis approach is a technique that organizes activities based on their priority and importance. The "A" category of tasks are those that are perceived as being the most urgent and important while the "B" tasks are important but not as urgent and the "C" category consists of items that are neither urgent or important (Babakhanlou, Behzadiohar, Kurnik, Rousta, & Zand, 2009). Simply categorizing different tasks based on these criteria can be very useful to ResCare Inc. because it allows them to focus on the most important and urgent tasks first. The Pareto analysis also prioritizes tasks by their importance but views this problem from a slightly different perspective. This rule states that eighty percent of the tasks can be performed by twenty percent of the disposable time available.

The Eisenhower Method is also a framework that also organizes tasks based on their importance and urgency and allows organizations to rate these tasks on a matrix. The POSEC model is an acronym that stands for prioritize by organizing, streamlining, economizing and contributing. As a consequence of all these models, organizations have many options to focus on the most important organizational functions first and find alternate ways to expedite the less important tasks.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance, or QA, is the act of analyzing processes and monitoring operations to ensure that high quality standards are being met at all times. There are many models that can be used to meet these objectives and also many metrics that can be formed to monitor quality. There are also several tools that can be consistently engaged to minimize the chances of such a problem occurring in the future. In many cases simple tools such as scatterplots, control charts, flow charts, histograms and many others can help organizations find the root of the quality problem quickly.

Figure 1 -- Example of a Histogram (IMF, n.d.)

Not only can statistical tools be used to help troubleshoot problems related to organizational issues, but they can also be used as part of a more comprehensive Total Quality Management (TQM) approach. The goal of this approach is to foster improvements on a continual basis. Another tool is to construct dashboards that give quick insights to the efficiency and effectiveness of various important processes. These dashboards can represent a wide selection of different metrics or specific information and must be constructed to fit the organization. Once the dashboard is constructed it for organizational tasks they can offer reliable insights to the current state of the organization (Malik, 2007).

Training Effectiveness

Another factor that should be considered is training effectiveness. All training programs are definitely not created equally and the organization can optimize their training effectiveness. There are surpluses of various training techniques available and many offer mixed results in terms of their effectiveness. Some of the different training formats include three day workshops, online courses, on-the-job training, traditional education methods, and many others as well. It is necessary for the organization to stay informed as the advances made in different techniques to be able to identify best practices and avoid ineffective training methods in their organizations. Training can be very costly and having well designed training programs can save an organization time and resources.

Furthermore, if the program is effective and the employees gain the appropriate work skills then this adds substantial value to the organization in terms of human capital. Therefore the measure of any training program go far beyond the just the time and money involved with having the employee go through the training. The costs associated with training programs themselves only represent a small fraction compared to the benefits to the organization that stand the likelihood of being achieved through training and skill development.

Training effectiveness is generally designed around some desired outcome. Therefore the desired outcome can be compared against the actual outcome in most circumstances. However, the components that constitute the training effectiveness are difficult to discern. One model that was developed categorizes various components that are evident in training effectiveness and is referred to as the Holton's Factors Model (Min, 2010). This model breaks down the actual training program into three key elements; the individual's motivation to acquire the skills, the climate in which the skills are transferred, as well as the design of the training program.

Figure 1 - Holton's Factors Model (Min, 2010)

Risk Management