Course description
This training course provides an introduction to the fundamental element of the RM3 model, item (c), but also assists the delegates to return to their places of work and be confident in delivering the other elements listed above. It is not intended to be an ‘audit’ training course for those not yet competent to audit.
You will be able to:
• Decide what evidence to seek, to try and identify the maturity of the organisation against that criterion;
• Present findings of the assessed maturity level, and quote evidence that stands up to challenge to demonstrate this.
All businesses will be able to recognise that all delegates who attend this course, will be able to conduct assessments without further development, using their network of contacts from the course to compare ideas during their own assessments.
The end of the course includes an ‘Open Book’ exam where each delegate is asked several questions about the RM3 standard and its use that are based on the RM3 documented requirements (in the ORR PDF Document) and the course materials. Successful completion of this exam, and achievement of the pass mark, does not make the ‘successful’ delegates fully qualified and/or an experienced assessor, but it does readily identify those who have struggled with the concepts, and would need to have significant coaching during an assessment to become a valuable member of the assessment team.
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Outcome / Qualification etc.
Attendance/Completion Certification
Training Course Content
Session A - 1 Hour
Welcome / Course Introduction / Introductions / Experiences - Delegates Self Introduction
Style: Trainer Presentation
Subject: RM3 Origins and Main Features
The origins of RM3, its roots in European Rail Safety Legislation and its uses by the UK National Rail Authority. It contains a brief overview of the model contents and a comparison with other safety maturity models and criteria that the delegates may have used previously (exact content depends on the delegate’s previous experience).
Session B- One Hour
Group Exercise in Ordering RM3 Criteria
Style: Facilitated Exercise for All Delegates together with Discussion and Feedback
An exercise to get used to using the RM3 model and the five levels of maturity contained. Done using remote whiteboard technology, delegates are presented with a series of boards, each with five statements which need to be ranked from Ad-Hoc (Level-1) to Excellent (Level-5). Delegates are asked to drag and drop note images labelled 1 to 5 against the relevant phrase.
The learning point is to get used to the language used in the RM3 model and see how for any given type of evidence that there are tools and techniques that can be used to quickly identify the approximate ‘level’ being demonstrated. This approximation is a key part to effective RM3 assessment as the process is much more efficient if the starting point for assessment is quickly identified before a detailed evidence analysis proceeds.
Session C- One Hour
Facilitated Exercise in selecting appropriate RM3 Criteria for different aspects of management systems.
Style: Facilitated Exercise with the Trainer adapting whiteboard slides in on-line discussion with Delegates.
This session focuses on the similarity between the RM3 criteria and other system models with which delegates may be familiar, that also use the ‘Plan-Do-Check-Act’ (PDCA) framework. By determining the system elements in the scope of the review that fall into each PDCA category then a map can be drawn to lead the assessor in to find appropriate RM3 criteria to evaluate each piece of evidence.
Delegates will learn how to quickly select the appropriate RM3 criterion when presented with a given piece of evidence. It improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall assessment process.
Session D- One Hour
RM3 Criteria – Using the RM3 Model on Real Evidence Examples
Style: Facilitated Exercise with the Delegates working together in small groups (up to three persons per group)
This session starts with the presentation of a paragraph of evidence to the delegate team, with the RM3 criterion provided for them. Using the RM3 guidance book (supplied as a PDF) delegates work together to agree on what level of assessment the evidence merits. Delegates are then asked to frame questions for more evidence that would confirm their assessment, as would occur in an actual RM3 assessment programme.
There are twenty-five paragraphs available which reflect 25 of the 26 criteria in the RM3 model. These will be run through one at a time with the trainer, and discussed until a suitable group allocation of assessed level is agreed.
Session D with additional evidence sets
An additional series of examples are available to give the delegates experience of ALL of the 25 RM3 criteria, and the trainer will adjust the pace and delivery of these sessions until comfortable that the main ideas for assessment have been understood and practised by every delegate.
Session E- One Hour
Presentation – Other Useful Information
15 minutes: Scoring Criterion OC6
45 minutes: Examples of Using RM3 in Practice
Style: Trainer Presentations
These presentations start by finishing off the 26th RM3 Criterion, which is Safety Culture, which has to be assessed in a different manner to all other criteria. Tools for doing this are discussed.
The second part of the presentation provides tips and techniques for a successful RM3 assessment programme, based on QSS’s experience of conducting multiple assessments in different organisations. Key to this is the re-enforcement of RM3 assessment as being different to Audit, in that the assessor never fully ‘closes’ the allowance for evidence, unlike in an audit where the auditee has a given time to produce evidence. In RM3, the process of identifying evidence never stops, and as more evidence is collected, it simply has a diminishing effect on the overall assessment result. The skill of an RM3 assessor is to draw a line at a sensible and practical point so that RM3 results can be written up and re-presented to the organisation.
Session F - One Hour
Exam on Understanding of RM3 and its Concepts
Style: Open Book Exam, carried out by completing a PDF form exam paper.
The completion of an end of course exam means that the client can be presented with a verifiable course completion certificate to demonstrate they have received some formal training on RM3. Such a certificate is issued under QSS’s management system but does not constitute an internationally recognised standard for RM3 competence, as such a standard does not currently exist.