Process Improvement: Let’s break it down
Everyone has that thing, you know, the one they hate? It comes up every day, week, month, or year and we can’t stand it. Have you ever asked yourself, why do you hate it so much?
It could very well be that deep down; it just doesn’t make sense. Whatever it is, it takes too long, is ambiguous, or doesn’t add value to your life or your role within your organization. Compare this task to one that you enjoy doing and reflect on why that is. It is probably easy to do, flows well from start to finish, and it’s evident how important this is to you or those around you.
A valuable skill that will serve you in both personal and work life is Process Improvement.
While there are entire methodologies, like Lean and Six Sigma devoted to process improvement, you need to be neither type of professional to tackle enhancing a process in your own life successfully.
Before we get into the how-to, let’s take a moment to ask ourselves, why does this need to be improved? Wouldn’t someone have already done this?
Not necessarily.
It is easy and quite common to accept that we have always done something a certain way. It can be overwhelming to break a complicated process or procedure down into steps. We can also fall into the trap of thinking that nobody wants us to change the process. The reality is, it often doesn’t occur to people to change something, and it’s not because they don’t want us to.
The reality is, it’s for the above reasons that processes often get stuck in a method that doesn’t make sense.
Now that we are ready to tackle the process, let’s go!
- Map it Out
Outline the process in a way that makes sense. This is often achieved through a visual or procedure document. This phase aims to outline the entire process from start to finish to understand the complete picture best. Spend a good percentage of time here. Mapping out the current process should include all steps, any inputs, and people involved. It should also include records of any instruction manuals or reference materials used in the process. If there are any type of approvals required in the process, include these too. In short, the more detail, the better.
If there are other people involved in your process, ask them to tell you about their part, in their own words. Pro-tip: Review your completed work and leave it for a while, returning to review one last time with fresh insight.
2. List out the Issues
With your process document in hand, it’s time to identify the problems within the process. You are looking for pieces of the process that are difficult for you or others. Things that take too long or that don’t make sense.
3. Design a better process
On the road to a better strategy, there are several questions you can ask yourself and others to identify areas of improvement. The most important word here is “WHY.”
Some examples: Why do we have to have this approved two times? Why do we keep a paper copy of that record? Why does only one person understand how this is done?
When you isolate why parts of the process are done, you can put together a process that removes unnecessary pieces. It’s essential to involve other stakeholders in this part, as they may have to change their part of the process along the way.
Here is an example of the thought process around why we might be keeping a paper copy of something:
Q: Why do we print a copy of that invoice?
A: Because we can refer back to it when we look at the customer’s file
Q: Isn’t that invoice stored electronically?
A: Yes, it is.
Q: How many times in a given week do we need to reference the customer’s invoices
A: Less than two or so
Q: How would you feel about looking up the invoice in the system when required and stopping each invoice’s printing? This would save the time of printing and the paper used in that process.
4. Implement the process
Once the above design and review are completed, it is time to implement the process. Make a plan to outline the new method in some kind of written reference, like an instruction manual or set of notes to refer back to.
5. Measure & Review
The final and most crucial step to any process improvement would be understanding if improvements were actually made. A critical measurement here is the reduction of time. Did it take less time to complete the next time? Was there a reduction in the number of errors made?
An essential part of the review process is to complete it regularly. The other part is to engage other stakeholders for feedback. It is key to ensuring you continue to have buy-in on the process change you made.
With feedback in hand, make any necessary adjustments, and enjoy an improved process.
Good luck!