Map It summary

Right from the start, the action mapping begins with gathering information, not assuming any one  solution in particular. So let’s get back to your conversation with Amy about the safety training to see how she’d approach this in practice. 

Amy might ask you something like, “is there safety training as a part of onboarding?” or, “Is the information on the prepared slides you have already available to workers in the warehouse?” Finding out that the slides are taken from an on-site safety manual and there are workplace signs already in the warehouse, her next questions will center on finding out why these resources aren’t working.

So when Amy asks you about this, you say, “Well, when we ask the staff, they say they don’t check the manual after training because it’s all the way up at the front office. They say the signs just fade into the background, too. Just last week someone fell off a ladder without a safety harness, but he passed three signs about wearing one before he climbed the ladder!” 

Knowing this, Amy might ask for pictures of the signs from the warehouse, or ask why the manual isn’t in an easily accessible spot. She might also ask to talk to staff from various roles around the warehouse, too, in order to get a better picture of what’s happening there.

Focusing her questions on the findings of the report, she might learn from warehouse workers that safety equipment is stored far away from the places where it is needed. Or, that it’s not stored properly and is difficult to locate during a busy shift. Workers who are already pressed for time report that they take “small shortcuts” to get the job done, feeling pressured to keep up with their quotas.  

So far, just defining the problem has revealed a lot. Our imaginary warehouse workers don’t report not knowing about safety protocols, and they know where to go to find out more.  But these talks have exposed some problems in organisation and access that are impacting how they apply this knowledge at work. 

This information gathering process may continue for quite some time, too but it has a purpose: to define the problem as clearly and completely as possible. Along the way, it will also uncover why any safety measures already in place to solve the problem aren’t working. 

It might involve outside research too - almost no business is unique in the world, so there are likely other companies that have faced similar problems. Some preliminary research on other firms might locate even more effective changes to put in place. It may also involve talking to managers about reorganising the job site, or changing schedules to allow for more time on the tasks that have proven records of safety problems.

Once the problem is defined as clearly as possible with all the stakeholders involved, it's now time to set a goal.