Formula for Successful Process Implementation
Has this ever happened to you - you come up with a great process or an improvement to an existing process, you implement it and somehow you are back to doing things the old way?
Well if it has, you are not alone, the most challenging part of process improvement is the actual implementation. Good processes are very fundamental to scaling, growing and/or maintaining a business, so it is absolutely important to get the process implementation right.
I have worked on a lot of process creation and implementation projects and this is my formula to getting the implementation right.
Documentation - the very first thing is to document the process, detailing every step so that it is easy to comprehend, follow and achieve the desired outcome. For each process, clearly identify the event, task, any decision points, inputs and outputs.
Communications - have a very clear communication around what the new process is, who is involved with executing the process and the resulting value creation. It is important for your team to understand why things are done a certain way, it helps them understand the big picture and ultimately increases their buy in and engagement.
Training - provide the necessary training to ensure that the team has all the resources they need to successfully implement the process.
Consistency - this is where a lot of processes fall off the tracks and revert to their old ways. The way to ensure consistency from your team is to identify metrics within the new process that can be used as a baseline for performance. Consistently reviewing these metrics will allow you to closely monitor the implementation without necessarily micro managing the execution.
Update - a good written out process is always the first draft. The realities on the ground are oftentimes different, and we have to respond by making continuous updates as needed.
Successful implementation requires discipline to respond to the realities on the ground without throwing in the towel, to consistently monitor implementation and to provide your team with the necessary resources. But the outcome is glorious, so if you face challenges in implementing a process, I encourage you to reference my winning formula and keep pushing.
If you are interested in my free guide - Creating Systems & Processes that Work, get it HERE.