Sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing. We spend so much time advocating for compliance programs that we forget to remind companies that sometimes too much compliance is not a good thing. What do I mean by this?

Simplicity is a good thing. The true measure of intelligence is the ability of someone to take a complex subject and explain it in simple terms so that anyone can understand it. The same holds true for compliance. A compliance program needs to be clear and it needs to avoid complex concepts and procedures.

It is important to avoid ineffective or unnecessary advisory groups made up of people who have no direct responsibility for compliance but use the group as a forum to offer suggestions or solutions which have little value. Too many companies adopt complex compliance structures making sure that they are politically constructed so as to avoid controversy or create compliance enemies.

In order to avoid these common pitfalls, let me offer a few suggestions...