The need for a
business to address issues at the core and avoid skirting around them – for
whatever reason this may be – is paramount. 
Issues left to fester will become major problems before long and as
highlighted, avoidable issues can be quashed before they have an effect, if
tackled at source.

Along with
tackling problems comes the need for change. Change is inevitable, and firstly
acknowledging that it is required, and then acting upon this requirement can
often be ignored.  The current situation
or way of doing things can be ‘the norm’ – whether they represent good working
practices or not – and so things can be left as-is to avoid change.

Change should
be embraced and acted upon without prejudice. To enable this to be the case,
the use of change control should be considered. 
Control measures such as non-conformance reporting are often taken as an
attack on an individual’s ability or way of working.  In order to embrace change, we all need to
accept that nothing is ever perfect and that change, and indeed continuous
improvement, can only be achieved through accepting that this is the
reality.  This type of change control
should be implemented with a view to identifying issues around working
practice, procedures and processes, and not necessarily the individual involved
in the activities.

Continuous
Improvement should be exactly that – continuous.  This can only be achieved through identifying
issues and problems, seeking solutions to these, and implementing them through
accepting and acknowledging that they are necessary.

Identify the
issue.  Seek the solution.  Implement the change.

Don’t just
‘water the weeds’, deal with the problem.