Driving cost-efficiency and clarity in standards decision-making
A governance review identifies improvements for standards committee decision-making and cost-reduction opportunities.
Tom Lee, Director of Standards
Clear governance is crucial for our industry standards committees to make impactful decisions amid diverse viewpoints. We ensure these vital committees, reflective of the entire industry, operate efficiently with supportive documentation, and avoid unnecessary complications.
To gain an objective perspective on where we can improve, a governance review of standards committees has recently taken place. The review addressed concerns about the challenges committees faced in reaching decisions amid differing viewpoints, and the potential for disproportionate impact across industry sectors. These can lead to unreasonable cost increases in industry so it is important to explore and address this issue.
The importance of this issue meant that we wanted an outside, expert perspective, so we commissioned an independent review of our governance processes. The review assessed the effectiveness of current systems and identified best practices. This involved examining committee structures, decision-making principles, and the quality of meeting documentation. The review team attended several meetings and conducted interviews with a diverse range of stakeholders, including committee members, chairs, government representatives, the regulator, and RSSB Board members. The valuable contributions from all participants are gratefully acknowledged.
The findings of the governance review presented a positive overall picture, affirming the fundamental execution of standards delivery. However, the report also offered 15 recommendations focused on enhancing processes and better equipping committees for future challenges, including rail reform. It highlighted the benefits that could be gained from stronger direction and a more effective escalation processes to facilitate decision-making. The review also highlighted varying opinions on the suitability of consensus-based decision-making and noted areas across different standards committees where practices could be more consistent. Another recommendation was to broaden committee membership to include non-specialist perspectives.
A project has been initiated to address all the recommendations at pace, recognising the potential need for amendments to the Standards Code ahead of the RSSB Annual General Meeting in November. The RSSB Board endorsed this plan at their most recent session. RSSB will be consulting widely on proposed changes over the summer, and we encourage you to have your say.
Here's how to use our ‘Request for Help’ process for standards.
Take me there ❯
