When to Use an Outside Investigation Facilitator

When an investigation needs independence, dedicated bandwidth or specific experience that isn’t available internally, organizations use our Facilitation Services to complement their team.

Before becoming a full-time investigation facilitator with ThinkReliability, I started my career as a field engineer and worked my way to reliability manager. In that role, I was expected to keep up with my regular responsibilities while also leading investigations when incidents occurred. Now I lead investigations full-time, supporting a range of companies with a variety of incidents. Clients have shared many reasons why they bring us in to help. Here are five, in no particular order.

1. When the Incident Needs an Independent Perspective

For a serious injury, major production loss or other high-impact event, objectivity matters. Those leading the investigation may also work closely with the people, equipment or processes involved, so an independent perspective can help reveal assumptions that might otherwise go unrecognized.

An outside facilitator provides a fresh perspective. Because we are not immersed in everyday operations, we ask questions that internal teams may not consider. We also bring technical expertise and hands-on experience from investigating a wide range of complex problems.

A facilitator does more than collect and organize information. We follow the engineering details, recognize when something does not add up and know when to dig further.

2. When Your Team Doesn’t Have the Bandwidth

Resource capacity is one of the most practical reasons to bring in outside help. The people who know the problem best may be capable of leading the investigation, but that does not mean it is the best use of their time.

Investigations require interviews, meetings, evidence collection, follow-up, documentation and eventually a clear report or presentation. When all of that gets added to someone’s normal responsibilities, the investigation can drag out and their regular work can suffer.

A dedicated facilitator manages the investigation process while the internal team provides the technical knowledge and expertise that only they have.

"The people who know the problem best may be capable of leading the investigation, but that does not mean it is the best use of their time."

3. When the Same Problems Keep Coming Back

If the same type of problem keeps recurring, the investigation may not be getting far enough into why it happened or, specifically, why the corrective actions are not working.

For example, if investigations keep ending with “procedure not followed,” retraining or counseling the employee, the organization may be treating the immediate failure without understanding the underlying factors that allowed it to happen. An outside facilitator helps push the analysis further into the equipment, work process and specific circumstances around the event.

4. When Employees Need To Be More Candid

Frontline employees often know details about how the work is actually performed that cannot be found in procedures. However, they may be understandably hesitant to share those details with a manager or internal investigator, especially if they are worried about blame or other consequences.

An experienced outside facilitator makes those conversations easier and more productive. We encourage companies to involve frontline employees in the problem-solving process. We have talked with employees across a wide range of investigations and know how to build rapport quickly. That makes it easier for people to talk through what actually happened, including details that may not come out in a more formal internal interview.

"Frontline employees often know details about how the work is actually performed that cannot be found in procedures."

5. When the Investigation Needs to Move Quickly

Someone who facilitates investigations regularly has seen a wide range of equipment, processes and failure modes. Every incident is different, but that experience helps a facilitator ask more targeted questions, recognize where more information is needed and move the investigation forward faster.

A dedicated facilitator stays focused on the investigation from evidence collection through final review, rather than fitting the work around other responsibilities. That allows the investigation to move quickly without rushing the final product. An experienced facilitator can carry the work through evidence collection and analysis to a clear final management review and report, so speed does not come at the expense of a thorough deliverable.

When to Use an Outside Facilitator for an Investigation

1. When the Incident Needs an Independent Perspective

2. When Your Team Doesn’t Have the Bandwidth

3. When the Same Problems Keep Coming Back

4. When Employees Need To Be More Candid

5. When the Investigation Needs to Move Quickly

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