1-11 Q8. When apprising your supervisor of subordinates’ performance, your professional judgment should not be blurred by_______________________. Q9.    What items are required for formal counseling sessions? Q10.  In  conflict  resolution,  what   is   nondirective counseling? PERSONNEL QUALIFICATION STANDARDS Personnel  Qualification  Standard   (PQS)   is   a compilation of minimum knowledge and skills necessary to qualify for a specific watch station, maintain specific equipment, or perform as a team member within a unit. The PQS program is not a stand-alone training program but provides a key element of a well-structured and dynamic unit-training program (OPNAVINST 3500.34). PQS is used in the aviation and surface communities, but is not applicable to nuclear propulsion or the fleet ballistic missile weapons systems. It is the individual Sailor’s responsibility to maintain and complete the sign-off pages of PQS sheets. Your responsibility will be to help guide the individual through the program. This guidance involves keeping an accurate record of their progress through a point system. There are two methods of record keeping—hard copy (chart) and automated data processing (computer). Each method is  valid,  and  the  method  used  is  dictated  by  the command. Regardless of which method is used, the same information is entered for  tracking  the  individual’s progress. For detailed information, consult the Personnel Qualification  Standard  (PQS)  Management  Guide, NAVEDTRA 43100-1. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT A major problem facing the armed services today is the lack of money. Our budgets are not going to increase in the foreseeable future. Indeed, they will probably continue to shrink. Although our present system of doing business  is  adequate,  it  will  not  allow  for  many improvements in production. We have done an excellent job with our present system. To make our dollars go further will mean a change in the way we do business. Today's leaders must set their sights on improving the entire system. Increased productivity and better quality through leadership is the primary goal of the Continuous Improvement program. The focus of Continuous Improvement is the process by which work gets done. The person most familiar with the process is the individual worker responsible for making it work. Often, a process is either unwieldy or just plain unworkable. In a rigid bureaucracy, it is nearly impossible for workers to persuade upper levels that there is a need to change procedures. Under Continuous Improvement, supervisors are responsible for making job improvement  suggestions  as  easy  as  possible  for workers. Supervisors and managers should monitor the work process so that they can respond to suggestions from the work force concerning unworkable procedures. Sailors are good at coming up with non-standard (but workable) solutions to problems. In some cases, those solutions result  in  unsafe  practices;  however,  they  often  are extremely practical. We must develop the ability to find improvements    and    include    them    into    standard procedures; doing so serves a dual purpose. First, it makes sure the recommended improvement is easy to use and meets all applicable standards. Second, it makes the improved method available to everyone involved in the process.   Continuous   Improvement   is   a   practical application of “working smarter, not harder.” A popular myth among military leaders is that increased quality results in increased costs and decreased productivity. In reality, improved  quality  ultimately results in decreased costs and increased productivity. How can that be? A focus on quality extends the time between  failures  in  equipment  and  improves  the efficiency   of   our   operations.   It   reduces   rework requirements as well as the need for special waivers of standards.  It  also  reduces  mistakes  and  produces monetary savings through more efficient use of scarce resources. Continuous Improvement has several direct benefits: Increased pride of workmanship among individual workers