Designing Executive Escalation Thresholds for Second Line Quality Managers
Executive escalation thresholds give second line quality managers binding stop work authority based on quantitative financial technical and regulatory triggers.
Executive Escalation Workflow
Meaning
Formal escalation protocols guide the process of moving a critical issue from the operational level to the senior management level. An executive escalation workflow defines the exact triggers that require the attention of a director or a vice president. This path ensures that the most serious risks are handled by the people with the most authority to allocate resources.
Resolution Path
Speed is essential when a problem threatens to shut down a whole facility or a major contract. The executive escalation workflow provides a clear map of who to call and what data to provide at each step of the way. Having a preset path prevents the loss of time that occurs when people are not sure who can make a final decision.
Threshold Event
Criteria for moving up the chain are based on the potential cost or the safety impact of the problem. If a safety incident occurs or a production delay exceeds forty eight hours, the executive escalation workflow is automatically triggered. This ensures that the leadership is never surprised by a major failure that was hidden by lower level managers.
Management Intervention
Authority to commit large amounts of money or to change a corporate policy rests at the top of the chain. When the executive escalation workflow reaches the final stage, the leader must choose between several difficult options to solve the crisis. Their decision is then communicated back down the line to be put into action immediately by the local engineering team.
Managers use this workflow to break through bottlenecks that prevent a factory from reaching its full production capacity during a launch.