Sometimes it’s hard to see the wood from the trees and this is especially true when you are given a new process to write and implement. There is so much to do and so many people to please. Where should you begin? What should you include? and How will you train everyone in a way that resonates with them and means they actually remember it?
This blog explores the top six things to do to fully understand what is needed to make this process work before you write it. Following these steps will mean the process you write will solve the problem you have as well as ensuring it is easy to follow maximising the chances your team will actually use it.
1. Consider the purpose of the process What problem will this process solve and does everyone agree that the problem that needs solving is the same one? Defining the problem and getting everyone to agree on that problem at the start allows the whole team to concentrate on the most important part of this issue. Resulting in a process that deals with the issue and doesn’t get side-tracked to solve one person’s individual bug bear instead of the main issue.
2. Understand the problem Speak to all the people who currently use the process, or will use it in the future. Understand what must the process have to work, also consider the nice to haves, these can always be added later if not at the start. Talk to all the stakeholders and everyone who will use the process in the future to make sure it is going to work for everyone and not just one part of the team within the organisation.
3. Start with what you have and adapt it By this I don’t mean the paper version that may or not be used I mean the one that the team use on a day to day to basis. It is rare that there isn’t a system in place at all. How do people manage this problem at currently? The system being used at the moment might have many flaws however starting with something that is being used gives insight into what will and won’t work when the new process is developed.
4.Test Small Using a small group to test the process before it is officially rolled out to the whole team will allow you to gather valuable feedback and make changes to the process in a structured and managed way. This testing plan can be completed several times while various options and trialled to find the best solution. Using a small team for initial testing also avoids confusion across the wider group as a result of changes made in the testing phase.
5. Train and train again It takes time for people to learn something new, factor that into your training plan. Start with a short session introducing the process, why it’s needed and how it will help the people who are using it. Then explain the basics of how it will work. Have a written document you can send out to the team to be used as a prompt. A few weeks later set up another session. Aim for this session to start with a quick reminder of what was learnt last time and then add a new element of the process or hold a Q&A session for people to ask their questions.
6. Measure success To truly understand if the process has solved the problem, it’s important to consider what a successful outcome would look like at the beginning of the project. Success can be measured in any number of ways. Remember it should always relate to the problem that was identified and it should always be measurable in a way that’s meaningful. If you don’t know where you started, you won’t know where you want to end up or even if what you’ve delivered is better rather than just different.
Using these six tips on writing a process will allow you to create something that solves the problem, works for the whole team and delivers the results you need. If you’d like to talk to me about your process challenges contact me using the button below.