Create a small, carrier-owned evidence pack that identifies the problem, its owner and its cost. Do not let a supplier demonstration become the baseline.
A useful carrier-side example comes from FM’s April 2026 podcast: its claims leader describes reviewing which information was genuinely necessary for a small-loss workflow before automating it. That is a process-design example, not a performance benchmark for residential file production. (fm.com)
Diagnostic checklist
- ☐ Name the economic sponsor, operational owner and technical acceptance authority.
- ☐ Identify who pays the supplier and who absorbs internal corrections.
- ☐ Select a defined cohort: loss type, complexity, geography, inspection channel, production route and observation period.
- ☐ Start with a bounded routine residential water or wind workflow; record excluded complex or disputed files.
- ☐ Collect original inputs, first deliveries, returned versions, rejection reasons and final acceptance records.
- ☐ Measure production, review, correction and exception effort separately.
- ☐ Record every assignment, including declined, withdrawn, unfinished and re-routed files.
- ☐ Use aggregate data and authorised, redacted examples for initial discussions.
How should you separate inspection defects from production errors?
Use the following proposed root-cause classification. Treat the first classification as provisional until someone checks the underlying evidence.
| Suspected origin | Question to investigate | First corrective action to test |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection | Was the measurement, photograph or observation absent from the original submission? | Revise capture requirements and inspector feedback |
| Production | Was usable evidence present but transcribed, interpreted or incorporated incorrectly? | Correct production instructions, training or validation |
| Carrier requirements | Could two reasonable reviewers interpret the instruction differently? | Clarify and version the requirement |
| Integration | Did an attachment, identifier or revision fail during transfer? | Repair the hand-off and reconciliation process |
| New information | Did relevant evidence arrive after the original production task? | Treat it as a supplement or changed scope, not automatically a production defect |
| Unknown or mixed | Is the record insufficient to establish causation? | Preserve uncertainty and investigate before assigning charges |
Decision gate: Advance when the sponsor can identify the dominant avoidable work and the evidence supporting that diagnosis. If the cause remains unclear, commission a bounded root-cause review rather than a replacement service.
Working document: Inspection Rework Root-Cause Mapper.
Sources cited on this page
- fm.comfm.com