What You May Not Know About Mark Paradies, Founder of System Improvements, Inc.

Who is Mark Paradies, and what should you know about him?

The picture above shows Mark with his “big mustache,” around the time he started System Improvements and began developing the TapRooT® System (1988).

If you’re a TapRooT® User, you probably know that Mark Paradies is the Founder of System Improvements, one of the co-creators of the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis System, and a co-author of the TapRooT® Series of books and many articles on the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Blog.

You may have heard that he has extensive experience in root cause analysis, incident investigation, and human performance improvement; has taught advanced root cause analysis to thousands of TapRooT® Users; and holds two patents for incident investigation and root cause analysis software. He has also consulted with major corporations in the oil, chemical, nuclear, utility, and aviation industries to help them implement state-of-the-art root cause analysis and performance improvement programs.

Also, you may know that Mark has been:

• On an IEEE Committee that wrote the IEEE Standard for root cause analysis in the nuclear industry,
• On a CCPS Committee that wrote a book about performing process safety incident investigations,
• On a CCPS Committee that wrote a book about recognizing and responding to normalization of deviation, and
• A member of the committee that developed the 2012 Budapest Statement on EHS.

But did you know that…

Mark Paradies is a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE).

He was the 85th person to be certified in ergonomics and human factors by the Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists. Mark has worked extensively on projects aimed at improving human performance and reducing human errors.

His master’s degree research at the University of Illinois was focused on the proper roles of operators and automation for the next generation of nuclear power plants (human factors function allocation).

Before starting System Improvements Inc., he worked at DuPont on projects to improve aspects of human performance (including procedure usability and usage, a control room human factors review, and operator, maintenance, and technical training). He also developed a system for managing performance improvement in a resource-limited environment (an integrated living schedule).

He was also asked to review INPO’s Human Performance Evaluation System and suggested several improvements, and co-developed the NRC’s Human Performance Investigation Process. Both were early systems developed to evaluate and improve human performance.

After starting his own company, he used his human factors knowledge and experience to build the TapRooT® System, including the ability to analyze and fix human performance/human behavior issues.

Mark was in Admiral Rickover’s Nuclear Navy (a high-reliability organization).

Mark has studied high-reliability organizations. But Mark has one major advantage over most of those who do academic research and speak about high-reliability organizations: He has worked in a high-reliability organization, the Nuclear Navy (the original high-reliability organization). Therefore, he knows firsthand what works, why it works, and what doesn’t work BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN THERE. He understands Admiral Rickover’s management systems and practical methods to guard against the normalization of deviation.

Mark has a unique understanding of process safety.

Mark has two engineering degrees (BSEE and MS Nuc E), human factors training, and experience working in Admiral Rickover’s Nuclear Navy (where he achieved his Engineer Certification). This gives him a unique understanding of process/nuclear safety. He has written about this experience and given talks for companies worldwide interested in improving process safety systems and senior management’s understanding of process safety.

Mark has developed trending techniques for infrequently occurring safety and quality data.

Mark used the work of statistical experts Dr. Donald Wheeler, Dr. Walter Shewhart, and W. Edwards Deming to develop techniques for finding statistically valid trends in infrequently occurring accident data. Mark wrote a book about performance measurement and trending, titled “Performance Measures and Trending for Safety, Quality, and Business Management,” and developed a trending course.

Mark is a TV celebrity.

Well, not exactly. He has appeared on three TV shows (hosted on Fox Business News, CNBC, and Bloomberg TV). One was recorded in Hollywood, next to the studio where Johnny Carson filmed The Tonight Show) where he was interviewed about advanced root cause analysis. Here are two videos of his appearances on shows…

Of course, Mark has appeared in scores of TapRooT® Podcasts and webinars (recorded in our offices in Knoxville, TN). A recent appearance is shown below.

To subscribe to our podcasts, CLICK HERE.

Mark has unique, hands-on practical experience.

In his spare time between working for high-reliability organizations (the Nuclear Navy and DuPont) and leading System Improvements, Mark designed and built roads (driving a bulldozer, track loader, excavator, and dump trucks), produced hardwood lumber from trees, and helped design two houses.

While still in high school, Mark worked in agricultural jobs, construction, and retail, and ran his own lawn-mowing/landscape business (which he started in the 5th grade). While working in college (getting his BS in Electrical Engineering), he was a field supervisor (in actual agricultural fields), supervised a commercial kitchen, and installed and repaired cable TV networks. While pursuing his MS in Nuclear Engineering and Human Factors, he served as an Assistant Professor of Naval Science, teaching midshipmen naval weapons theory and naval history.

Summit Organizer

Mark has spoken at many conferences as a keynote speaker and breakout session presenter, but in 1993 he decided a conference focused on incident investigation, root cause analysis, and human performance improvement was needed. So Mark and his staff organized the first TapRooT® Summit, held in 1994. It included presentations by Dr. Charles O. Hopkins (human factors expert), several SI staff members, and TapRooT® Users sharing best practices. Below is a picture of Mark and the System Improvements staff relaxing at dinner after the seventh Summit, held in Galveston in 2001.

And here is a video that Mark made for the 2007 Summit. The highlights he mentions in the video still apply today…

Yes, the video and audio quality have improved over the years. So has the Global TapRooT® Summit!

CLICK HERE for complete Summit information.

Questions?

If you have questions for Mark or would like to consult with him about your improvement efforts, submit a request or call 865-539-2139. You’re guaranteed to learn something you can apply immediately.