When managers are tasked with investigating significant departures from the plan, they typically follow a principle known as “significant departure analysis.” This is an important tool for managers to assess and evaluate potential issues that may have caused the significant deviation from expectations. This involves looking at a number of factors, such as the availability of resources, work load, skill sets, and environment conditions, to find out what caused it.
This analysis serves two purposes. First, it can identify where improvement is needed to prevent future occurrences. Second, it may reveal previously unidentified opportunities to improve performance or efficiency.
The analysis of significant departures allows managers to make more informed decisions by analyzing past performance. This method collects and uses only the most relevant and useful data by taking into account every possible variable that could be involved in any project or task.