Retrospective Assessment
When working offshore, it’s not always practical or possible to assess a Candidate ‘in the moment’ as the working environment and the tasks being undertaken can make it virtually impossible.
Witnessing and accurately documenting a Candidate’s work activities is core to both Grade Assessments and Individual Competence Assessments, but maritime vessels and offshore platforms can, and often do, throw up conditions where a job just needs to be done and a formal assessment simply has to take a back seat.
To illustrate, we’ll set an example scenario:
A ROV launch and recovery crew on a survey vessel have a submersible which has become entangled and needs to be quickly and safely brought back on-board. It’s a high value asset and the prospect of seeing it stranded to the sea bed simply isn’t an option.
This isn’t the point where someone who is assessing a member of the crew should start recording and documenting what they are witnessing. The primary concern is to get the ROV/AUV back to safety and, likewise, ensure that all personnel involved are focused on the task at hand.
Once the operation has been completed, or at the end of the shift, is the point where an assessor’s thoughts can come back to documenting what they have witnessed:
- What was the background to the incident? Time of day, weather conditions, and brief overview of the situation.
- What was the role of the Candidate in this instance?
- How did they react and respond?
- If appropriate, how did they work with their colleagues?
- What did they do well, and where might there be areas for improvement?
On this last point, remember that providing feedback is a valuable element and will support a Candidate’s continued professional development.
This is what we refer to as a ‘retrospective assessment’ and this first-hand witness account is something we at MTCS value highly. This is primary evidence, something that’s happening live and isn’t simulated or a role-play exercise.
Of course, the example we have given here isn’t an everyday occurrence and instances like this are thankfully infrequent, however a retrospective assessment approach is something which can be taken during typical day-to-day operations.
Recording and documenting a Candidates’ activities should never be prioritised ahead of the task at hand for either the Candidate or the Assessor.
Richard Warburton, MD of MTCS (UK) Ltd: “A number of Assessors have quite rightly said that they find it difficult to assess [a Candidate] whilst doing their own job as well.”
“My response to that is always that, yes, you have a job to do in leading your team and supervising the project. However, as you do that, you may see that the project is going well and the team is performing as expected, and that is great evidence to show competence is being demonstrated.”
“So, they may look back on that day or even several days, and recall that the operations went well, done safely and on time, with nothing untoward to report and this all makes for brilliant evidence.”
“And when they are next meeting the Candidate there will be the opportunity to provide feedback on what they have witnessed, and possibly also take into account comments and anecdotal input from other work colleagues.”
“We know that these Assessors are experienced, knowledgeable and experts in their field; they know if they spot something that isn’t quite right or could be done better. Assessors should rely on their time-served instincts and professional expertise, all valuable skills and lived experience that will help them when making their retrospective assessments.”
In a future article, we’ll cover a few suggestions on how to provide feedback to Candidates as part of the assessment process.
