​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Introduction

As a business or organization grows it typically reaches a point where the strain of growth starts to become apparent.

 

Clients are frustrated because the service they receive has become inconsistent.  Little things keep getting forgotten over and over again, staff often blame each other and interdepartmental communication becomes poor, and it becomes hard to put in place the improvements that you want and to make them stick.

 

This state may persist for months or years, it’s a state we can live with but is unpleasant for managers and their teams and it will seriously impede the growth of the business.

 

The solution typically suggested is to put in place process, however the issue comes when that leads to an exercise to “document” how processes should work!

 

People think documenting processes is a magic solution that will solve all their problems. The trouble is that just documenting your processes, while not completely pointless, is at best very close. 

 

Documented processes are typically stored in a file share or on a shelf and never looked at again (except perhaps once a year when they are dug out to be updated because current practice has moved on from what was documented a year ago).  Making them pretty 'Visio' style documents doesn’t change this fact.

 

If you’ve been through this experience, you’ll realize just how time consuming and ultimately disappointing this approach is.

 

The truth is that whilst documenting processes in isolation is close to pointless, process itself does offer that magic solution to solving all of your problems.

 

The trouble is that process implementation is typically misunderstood and almost always poorly achieved. The key misunderstandings are:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

If you are looking for a guide on how to implement process that achieves results, then you have come to the right place.

 

This guide won’t tell you how to manage a twelve month project to document your entire business, or how to control activity in your business using process. It also doesn’t provide tutorials on how to employ process mapping consultants, or create a mind-bendingly complex flowchart that represents every activity flow that happens in your business.

 

That is because to achieve results, these things aren’t necessary.

 

For process to truly bring sustainable value to your business it needs to:

• Empower employees to suggest and implement change

• Provide autonomy for individuals to achieve their best results

• Foster the creativity that will give your business a competitive edge

• Free senior leadership from daily operations so they can drive growth

 

If this is what you are looking for and you are willing to be the driving force for change in your organization, then this guide is for you!

 

Read the next module to understand the importance of creating a vision that will bring people with you on this journey.