Tuesday, November 23, 2010

TSA screeners need better training - Really?

An audit done by the inspector general at the Transportation Security Administration finds that TSA screeners need to be better trained. "One lead TSO indicated that he had not accessed the Online Learning Center since 2005. The TSO also explained that staff had limited time to read printed training materials in lieu of going online." You can understand the urgency of getting the program underway but by now there should have been some kind of assessment by the agency itself.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Arghh...

There comes a time when auditing is not as easy as just doing the work and presenting the results. The dynamics of the organization has to be considered and a strategy developed. As an auditor becomes more knowledgeable about each department in the agency, the strengths and weaknesses start to become more apparent. It's like the relationship with a person. At first you see only the good things, then you begin to see the other side. Whether the relationship will remain healthy or not depends on the ability to not personalize the deficits. You have to keep your eye on the goal and work for improvements. But it is not easy.