Deepwater Horizon Review

Deepwater Horizon is an excellent example of what can go wrong when quality management principles are disregarded. The movie shows the tragic events of a disaster that might have been avoided if better management and quality systems had been in place. Transocean's oil drilling rig suffered a disaster due to negligence, resulting in the deaths of various members of the oil crew. Much of what happens in the film is a demonstration of what not to do in an emergency. Several quality management principles were violated in several cases. As a result, numerous people were killed. To avoid such results, these quality management principles must be followed throughout the production process to assure quality and safety.

First, throughout the film, the quality management concept of Leadership was broken. This is due to a lack of coordination and communication across the various teams. For illustration, BP Managers Donald and Robert insisted on workers go home early without doing a "cement bond log" test. The lack of commitment to lead was the direct cause for the issues that would soon arise on the oil rig. The failure of leadership did not end there; other scheduled tests were continually postponed due to the irresponsibility of the designated leaders. In the film, these managers also opted to renew certain equipment at the cost of a proper contingency plan in the event of a disaster. Because of the leaders' uncertainty, various crucial processes were repeatedly reversed by higher-ups, resulting in several delays that may have saved lives.