We all read the stories about compliance killing business, wasting valuable dollars and distracting board members and executives from enabling their organisations to achieve their goals and objectives.

Let’s face it compliance doesn’t have the best of reputations. “Mindlessly boring”, “innovation stifling” and “tick-box mentality”, are all phrases that come to mind.

Well, times are a changin’. These days, if you search the corridors of progressive organisations, behind the compliance function, you will find technology savvy change managers, not cardigan wearing box tickers.

Compliance basically comes down to two things:

• Ensuring organisations do what they are supposed to do (complying with laws, regulations and contracts); and

• Ensuring organisations do what they say that they are going to do (complying with organisational policies and treating risks).

It’s not rocket science. Surely, doing what you are supposed to do, and what you say you are going to do, must be a strategic imperative for any school that is serious about building a sustainable future and enhancing its reputation.

Maybe we can explain this in pictures. Which one of the following images do you equate with compliance in your school?

 The top image is Cadel Evans after winning the Tour de France.

Ask yourself. Did he do this on his own, or did he have a team of people behind him, making sure that he was doing what he was supposed to do, and helping him to do what everyone expected him to do?

The compliance guys will never get the glory, however, they are there in the background, making sure that the superstars, the teachers, work in an environment that allows them to do what they are supposed to do (provide a great education), and that allows a school’s governors and executive teams to achieve what they say they are going to do (deliver the school’s strategic goals and objectives).

Amongst other benefits a well designed and implemented compliance program will deliver:

• A reduction in adverse risk events occuring;
• A decrease in organisational complexity;
• Increased accountability;
• Increased transparency; and
• An enhanced ability for a school to achieve its goals and objectives.

So how do you create a low cost, highly effective, compliance function in your school? Here’s a hint.

Don’t simply throw people at the problem.

Do design a program that will work for your organisation (the Australian Standard AS 3806 is good place to start).

Do embrace the latest technology solutions.

By embracing the ‘Do’s’ and avoiding the 'Don’ts', you will be able to create a highly efficient compliance program in your school and maintain it on an ongoing basis for about 25% of the cost of a traditional manual system.