1. POSITIVE INVESTIGATIONS
August 2016

2. POSITIVE INVESTIGATION MODEL 99.9% of work goes right
Incident
Defect
Failed Task
Unexpected Innovation
LITTLE OR NO TIME IS SPENT ON UNDERSTANDING WHY THIS WORKED
Notes:
Explain this bell curve and how 99.9% of work goes right. But, we are fascinated with failure and spend all our time investigating what went wrong- without have a detailed understanding of what went right. We should spend more time on the RHS than the left but we get too caught up on the left.
Question: Why should we spend more time on the RHS? It already went OK, why should we investigate it?
Does stuff go right on your site most of the time? Do you stop and investigate to learn why it was right?

3. A SIMPLE EXAMPLE
Within your tables, your task is to work together to build the tallest structure using a deck of cards.
BUT THERE’S A CATCH!
You can only use your non-dominant hand and you have three minutes to build your structure.
Notes: Move them into groups of 3 or 4 then run them through this exercise.
Questions:
Is it easy?

4. HOW DID YOU GO? Consider the following questions:
What was the goal your group tried to achieve?
What outcome did your group actually achieve?
What did your group do that made the goal harder to achieve?
What did your group do that helped achieve the goal?
What would your group sustain or improve to achieve this goal?
Notes:
Spend a couple of minutes asking for responses to these cues.

5. Unpacking the process
Often we spend to much time on what went wrong and stopping these from happening again
What if we focussed on what went well and tried to increase these events?
Often we rush to complete the task or project to meet a deadline and miss the opportunity to learn
People are generally motivated by the desire to improve conditions of work and like to discuss and be recognized for what went well.
Notes: Emphasise the 2nd and 4th dot points. A pat on the back adds a lot of value! If we did well and look at what went well then keep doing good stuff, we’ll get even better.
Question: Does anyone do this as a matter of course? Do you do it at home?

6. UNDERSTANDING HOW THINGS GO RIGHT
What tools, resources and methods did people rely on to succeed?
What variation and surprises were there?
What conditions and constraints did you overcome?
Tools & Resources
Methods and Process
Positive Variation and Surprises
Conditions and Constraints
Notes:
Let’s look at how we managed to achieve a couple of levels.
Spend a couple of minutes debriefing these. Use a whiteboard or butcher’s paper if you have it or just talk to the points.

7. POSITIVE INVESTIGATIONS – QUESTIONS
A simple 4 question discussion with project staff, work crews or members of the supply chain to identify how to understand what makes work successful
The 4 questions are based on the After Action Review which has been developed by the US Military and has since been implemented by high-reliability industries (nuclear, oil and gas)
If done well these have proven to increase safety, productivity, quality, innovation and team relationships.
Notes:
This slide and the next shows one of the tools we can use to investigate why things went well.
Explain the 4 question principle that is about to follow.
Questions:
What do you think the 4 questions might be?

8. POSITIVE INVESTIGATION model – Background
Questions:
This is the way they look at it. What do you think?
Run through the 4 questions by relating it to the card exercise.

9. POSITIVE INVESTIGATION GUIDE
Positive Investigation Guide (Approximate time %)
Get multiple perspectives and opinions. There is no single right story here.
What was intended? 20%
What was the goal and your specific objectives/milestones you tried to achieve?
What tools, resources, method and process did you rely on?
What actually happened? <10%
What worked well? Eg. method, tools, resources, knowledge, communication, planning etc.
What surprises and variations were there from what was planned?
What constraints and frustrations did you overcome? When was the work difficult
What did we learn about it? 25%
What did you or your team do that made the work successful?
What surprises and/or variations were considered to be helpful?
What did you or your team do that contributed to communication and team work?
What did you do that made the work more difficult?
What should we sustain or improve next time? 45%
What worked and how will you do more of it?
What would you want to do differently next time?
What can be made less complex?
What changes would you make to the goal or objectives?
What possible innovation and experiments can you try next time?
How will you bring these changes to life for the next activity?
How will you share this insight?
Use this slide to explain how these questions as a guide when they are facilitating positive investigations. Relay it back to the card house or ask someone about a recent positive event.

10. WHITEBOARD EXAMPLE
These were trees that had to be removed in North Sydney as part of the 100 Mount Street project. It went very well despite the traffic and people in this busy area.
Question: What do you think they did well?

11. Positive investigation – tree removal
What was intended? 20%
The task or objective was to prune and removal a number of tress
Prevent disruption to pedestrians / public and vehicles
Work sequentially from one end of mount street to the other
Complete objective in 1 full shift or day
Implement traffic management controls
What actually happened? <10%
Good communication between traffic controllers and tree removal employees, close interfacing
Resources - 4 traffic controllers & 6 tree removal personnel
2 work crews commenced the work however due to certain external surprises/conditions (increase of traffic and pedestrians), work plan was adapted to suit changing conditions
2 work crews compacted into 1 unit to compensate for conditions changes - smaller work area, more resources.
What should we sustain or improve for next time? 45%
A better understanding of traffic and pedestrians volume to plan the works
Improve the level of planning by engaging with the client (traffic control and tree removal organisations)
Continue to work in smaller work groups
Utilise physical barriers instead of witches hats to improve exclusion zones
Commence the activity an hour earlier
Resource 2 additional traffic controllers to manage pedestrian and work interfaces
View activity through a wider lens to consider the public interfacing, pedestrian/traffic and volumes, building entrances
Improve process to react and management to change
What did we learn about it? 25%
Difficulty using MEWP as the gradient of mount street was conflicting with level sensors on plant
Volumes of pedestrian and vehicle traffic was underestimated – predications were that lower volumes would be experienced over weekend s
Tenant delivery trucks not associated with the activity hindered access to trees, access to work area, etc.
Members of the public were not paying attention to directions of traffic controllers or obeying general rules for crossing the roads / walking through work zones
Witches hats were used to delineate traffic, not effective for excluding work area and restricting pedestrian movements
Utilising the kerb in some of the tree locations to assist in levelling the MEWP to enable operation
When the team investigated, they arrived at these conclusions. Take a couple of minutes to run through them. It’s a busy slide so don’t go through every dot point. Pick some relevant examples.

12. POSITIVE investigation – YOUR MISSION
Using the review sheet provided practice a positive investigation with your team
Pick an event or task that has recently happened (ideally within the last 1-2 weeks). While emotions and memories of the event are high
Consider the group size and keep it manageable (no more than 8 people)
These are scalable from a 20 minute in the field exercise to a 1 hour whiteboard to a more in depth, formal session that could take 4 hours and spans several days.
Now we are going to use the question sheet to practice a positive investigation. Break into groups of 3 or 4. Give them 20 minutes to investigate and 10 minutes to run through it for the whole group.
Question: Who’s can tell us about a thing that went right here recently?