Notice that our process is more descriptive and detailed while our process map has changed very little. We simplified the Customer Data step. Is this right or wrong or better? It comes down to personal preference. Use your best judgment and observe the reactions of the project team and staff – do not spend too much time trying to decide and do not let the team get too wrapped up in what is better. Keep it simple and keep it moving.
For administrative processes especially, consider gaps or delays in the process and how to alleviate or eliminate them. Is any delay internal (within your office) or external (another office, department, or vendor)? If it is internal, how can we accelerate the process? Do we need to assign the task elsewhere or is it even necessary? If it is an external delay, what can be done to help that step go faster? What occurs? If we provide more information or submit the materials in a different format would that make it easier to process?
Can we combine or cut out steps? What about re-ordering steps?
In our Invoice Preparation example, the staff member has to pull information from multiple sources. Is there a way to consolidate these to reduce the steps in the process overall? Think creatively, but also think logically. Many of you are already questioning this process even further and thinking of ways to make it better, right? Do we need to have paper copies of invoices? Can we maintain an electronic log instead? This would save time and money, so what’s stopping us?
What about the delivery methods for different customers? This appears to be a very tedious step, especially if we have to prepare tens or hundreds of invoices. How can we make this more efficient?
This brings up a few interesting points and considerations. First, for smaller organizations one may argue that it’s only a handful of customers and it’s easy to remember who wants what. While this may be true, we want to develop a process that is scalable which means even if we only do ten invoices per month, we could do 300 using the same process with little to no changes in how we do it. We may be able to mentally track 10 or even 20 but beyond that we’re going to have some difficulty. We want our process to be stable, efficient, producing the desired result or output. Another consideration is if an alternate or new staff member has to assume the role or perform the process, we want them to be able to do so with a minimal amount of training.
Consider physical changes to the process. In a retail store or manufacturing facility the physical aspects of a process may be readily apparent, but we tend to discount or overlook this in an administrative environment. Do staff members have to walk between desks or departments? Is a document physically sent to another office or can it be sent electronically? Mouse clicks, searches, and mentally processing information takes time. If a staff member has to go to multiple sources or databases to retrieve information, then work as a team to determine if there are ways to consolidate this information.
There may be times when the information is kept separate for good reason, but in other instances it was originally done in a certain way that is no longer practical. Just because we have been doing things for years, or decades, doesn’t mean it is the best or only way to do it. There is no harm in asking why and encourage your staff to ask why.
Automation: Advances in technology have brought Automation to the forefront. Automation allows mundane tasks to be essentially delegated to robots or “bots” to allow the human workers to spend more time on higher-level activities. While automation has many benefits, before it can be introduced the processes used by the human staff must be consistent and stable. Even with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, the bots do not determine how to accomplish the work, they are following pre-defined processes!
Ask questions, listen, and learn.
If it is a new or newer process, improvements are going to occur naturally with familiarity and practice, but you will want to document these improvements. Later on, we will discuss how to monitor and review changes.
Why are outside consultants brought into an organization – to ‘improve’ processes. Unfortunately, many consultants do not dedicate the time to learn an organization’s core processes to truly add value and bring forth practical recommendations. This is not always the case, and there are many great firms and consultants out there but be aware. An objective or outside set of eyes is generally beneficial, so a consultant can see things differently as can a new employee, so take advantage of all your available resources.
Ultimately, we are striving for consistent and predictable outcomes – not perfection.
Run pilots of the improved process – does it work? Does it make the tasks easier or more efficient?
A pilot is essentially a practice run or trial that we’re doing as a test to determine how specific changes alter a process. During our pilot processes, metrics may be a useful tool. Quantitative measures such as amounts of materials or resources used, or time to complete the process and each step individually.
Realize that an improvement that saves time may have other repercussions – this is why honest and open feedback is important. One step may save a few seconds or minutes but creates issues in a later step of the process or produces an output that is not acceptable to the end-user or client.
Qualitative measures may be considered as well – appearance, utility, color, taste. Yes, there are ways to make these quantitative, but if a form or presentation simply looks bad or needs a better color scheme, then change it or try something else. Solicit feedback from the staff – if a new or improved process is cumbersome it is better to know now rather than after implementation.
Observing your staff completing a new process can provide valuable insight. Watch their body language, their gestures, and posture. Again, consider the physical aspects of the task – are materials too spread out or does a certain step in the process take an unusually long time that can be broken up?
Give sample products to your customers – sample forms or reports or sample goods for them to try. Ask them directly – do NOT assume they will tell you something is obviously wrong – depending on their culture or manners they may be hesitant to tell you, so ask in a polite and objective manner, and make it clear that you want them to be as honest and direct as possible. In other cases, this feedback will be provided without hesitation, so do not take it personally or show emotion or get upset with negative feedback.
Ultimately seek balance between quality, cost, employee satisfaction, and client satisfaction.
There may be a need to train your customers, be it another department that receives your reports or a customer using your product. New options or products may be developed that might not seem as intuitive or obvious to your customers. Consider ways to facilitate teaching them what the new product or output is and how it fits their needs or desires
