Why Kill a Tree When You Can Beam an Electron?
All About Using Your RMIS for Report Distribution
June 2000
Risk managers can add a great deal to their
credibility and value to their organization by providing meaningful information,
in a concise format, targeted for each user. Electronic formats can help achieve
this objective by implementing a risk management information system in conjunction
with e-mail and Internet applications.
by Anita Schoenfeld
Tillinghast-Towers Perrin
Does this scenario sound familiar?
Delivery Guy: Where do you want this, sir?
(wheeling in a foot of paper)
Manager: Over there, on the floor against the
door (not even looking up).
Delivery Guy: But sir, there’s already something
there…
Manager: (Annoyed) That’s OK, just put it on
top of the other pile of paper.
Delivery Guy: I’m sorry sir, but I can’t lift
this pile that high.
Manager: No problem. Just throw out the last
pile (shrugging shoulders).
Delivery Guy: (Quizzically) Sir, this pile
of paper doesn’t seem to have been opened yet.
Manager: I know, (looking down at his work
again) I only use it to prop the door open!
Frustrating, isn’t it? You really felt that report was meaningful. It had
lots of graphs and charts and took hours to produce, let alone print. The report
had essential information that any competent manager should want and illustrated
how successful your program was at reducing loss costs over last year. No wonder
no one realizes your value. They never look at the reports you produce!
Well, maybe all you need to do is improve the way you communicate, and not
the content.
RMIS to the Rescue!
While the above dialogue is somewhat exaggerated, it probably is not far
from reality. Why print reports? For that matter, are you sure everyone needs
a copy of every report, and at the level of detail that you are providing?
What if the manager in the scenario could print only what he wanted, when
he wanted it, and edit or change those specific reports to suit his needs better?
Today’s RMIS (risk management information systems), in conjunction with your
company’s e-mail application, can give you the tools to do just that.
What Kinds of Reports Should Be Distributed?
Current RMIS typically offer three kinds of reports, as follows.
- Standard reports
- Custom reports
- Ad hoc reports
Standard reports are offered with the application and usually include reports
that provide lists (a claim detail listing, a check register, etc.) or that
offer low-level analysis (e.g., number of claims arising from lower back injuries).
Typically, upper management is not interested in receiving copies of standard
reports. However, risk managers should use these reports to provide a level
of detail that will enable them to identify problems arising in the insurance
program or to monitor activity on the program.
The outcome of his or her analysis of these reports, with a recommendation(s)
to address the identified issue(s), could then be provided to management. The
risk manager’s report could include graphical illustrations of the problem and
a model(s) demonstrating how the recommendations could affect the problem, all
generated by the RMIS.
Custom reports typically are specific to a company and are developed by the
RMIS vendor for the users, or may be developed by the users themselves and then
saved for future use. Risk managers should examine custom reports and ask the
following three questions.
- Do we still have the need for which this report was developed?
- Is the report succinct and at a level of detail that is needed by the
targeted user(s)?
- Could the information be presented in more graphical terms?
The answers to these questions will help to determine if a report should
be modified or eliminated. Risk managers should check periodically if the users
still need custom reports or want to change the format or content.
Ad hoc reports usually are generated by the risk management staff to respond
to questions posed by management. Sometimes these reports prove to be very valuable,
but they may not need to be produced on a regular basis or circulated to all
of the management staff. In most cases, the risk manager should use the content
of these reports for analysis and then provide the analysis to management with
a recommendation, an explanation, or observations.
Risk managers should conduct a review of circulated reports at least once
each year. Once the number and content of reports have been edited and the appropriate
parties have been identified for receipt of specific reports, the question then
becomes, “What is the best approach to providing content?”
Don’t Kill a Tree When You Can Beam an Electron!
The best solution for problems with distributing reports is not distributing
them at all. In organizations with company wide access to the RMIS, reports
should be updated at appropriate times and e-mail reminders sent to the users
that the reports are available online. This process can be automated. Batch
commands and report diaries could generate the reports at specific times without
intervention by the risk management staff. Report reminders can be sent automatically
by the company e-mail application or by the RMIS (if the report recipients have
direct access to the RMIS). Users would access the RMIS at will and select only
those reports that are of specific interest to them. The users could review
the reports online or print them locally (if they want the paper).
This approach eliminates the need for the risk management department to generate
reports from the RMIS at scheduled times. It also eliminates flooding management
and other report recipients with reports when they might not have time to review
them. Users could access the reports at will, enhancing their workflow and allowing
them to review the information when their attention is on that subject, and
in a format defined by the user.
There is an alternative to this approach that would still eliminate paper.
Some companies e-mail reports directly to the user instead of providing access
to the RMIS. With this approach, reports designated for specific users are automatically
generated by the RMIS and then e-mailed by the database administrator or automatically
e-mailed based upon preset system batch commands. The user can then access the
report when it is most convenient as an e-mail attachment.
Users may choose to review the reports online or download them into other
third-party applications, such as Microsoft Excel. Once the report has been
downloaded, the users can modify the analysis further, reformat the report,
or add graphics.
Ad hoc reports that have been specifically requested by a user, or that have
become scheduled for future use, may be handled in either of these two methods.
How Do You Accommodate the Super-Users?
Some managers want all of the reports, and then some. How can a risk manager
satisfy their needs?
If access to the RMIS can be accommodated for these users (recognizing there
may be privacy issues regarding specific claims), then super-users can request
their own reports directly from the ad-hoc report writer typically provided
with current RMIS.
Most RMIS ad hoc report writers are actually third-party applications that
have been integrated into an RMIS by the vendor. The interface between the RMIS
and the ad hoc report writer provides seamless access to the database using
a query command written into the ad hoc report writer. The interface eliminates
the need to download the database into the ad hoc report writer and allows the
users to produce the report without leaving the RMIS.
There may be some obstacles to providing access to these third-party report
writers.
On the surface, these applications are simple to use and allow the user to
“click” on a data field identified in a list and then “drag” the data field
over to an electronic “page” as they format the report. The difficulty arises
when the user needs to define “what is the result of” or “if ‘X then Y’ scenarios,”
or data fields that are composed of several “objects” (e.g., the “incurred”
data field is actually the sum of the “paid” plus the “outstanding reserve”
data fields).
Users need to understand SQL (structured query language) commands to build
queries and database objects. Training users how to build ad hoc reports can
be difficult because it requires some understanding of SQL as well as an understanding
of how data fields relate within the database. This type of training could take
as much as a week of full-time attendance. Most managers could not accommodate
this in their schedules.
The alternative is to have the RMIS vendor build the majority of the data
field “objects” for the users before delivery of the RMIS and develop some report
templates that users can modify on an as-needed basis. The majority of ad hoc
user requests could be handled in this manner, with a much shorter training
period for those managers who want to build their own reports. Individuals who
have been designated as “Train-the-Trainers” typically receive more in-depth
training on the RMIS and should receive in-depth training on the ad hoc report
writer. These individuals could offer support to users who want to build their
own reports, respond to questions as they arise, and develop other data field
“objects” as needed.
Conclusion
Risk managers may find that their credibility and value within an organization
come from providing meaningful information in a concise format, targeted for
each user. Using an electronic format to provide information can help achieve
this objective. Your company’s RMIS, in conjunction with its e-mail application,
may be the solution.
With the cooperation of your company’s database administrator and your RMIS
vendor, and with some attention to detail from the risk management staff, you
might be able to “save a few trees.”
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