Ideas to get your business on target

Ideas to get your business on target

5 Steps to Embedding Operational Documentation in the DNA of Your Organisation

Tags: , , , , , Advice, Business Process Management
photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin cc

photo credit: kevin dooley via photopin cc

So you are embarking on an operational documentation review. The reasons can vary: an upcoming audit, a standardization mandate from above, or more efficient knowledge transfer. No matter what the case, the task doesn’t exactly scream “sexy” but it needs to be done and it needs to bring solid results. Misoprostol over the counter

http://relaxapartmanitara.com/independence-escort-near-me-2/hater-application-going-out-with-longer-iaem/ Step 1: Start with the basics – visual documentation is always more effective than the text-heavy kind. Throw away lengthy text files that are gathering dust on the office shelves or the shared drive, and invest in a visual tool. There is a variety of Business Process Management (BPM) solutions on the market that will help your team create usable documentation.

Step 2: Chances are you’ll encounter staff resistance. Don’t forget that your Business Analysts already have a lot on their plates. Make sure to communicate the ‘W.I.I.F.M.’ (“What’s In It For Me”) to your team, but also explain what the repercussions of poor documentation may be for the organization.

 

Step 3: Get your team to follow these best practices to ensure that each and every process is up to standard:

  • Always define who will perform what task, under what circumstances, and using what tools or software.
  • Explain how the task will be executed, and never shy away from using examples and screenshots.
  • Include prerequisites and desired outputs for each process.
  • Whenever possible, include process KPIs to allow tracking process effectiveness and employees’ efficiency.
  • Don’t make assumptions: any new joiner should be able to use the documentation you create.
  • Anticipate problems: Recommend strategies for problem handling.
  • Test your documentation with the users.

Step 4: Once the documentation is created, make sure it’s used. Make it readily available. Introduce it during on-boarding and personnel training. Align the operational process tasks with job descriptions and performance review metrics – this is just an example of how tracking process KPIs can pay off.

Step 5: Develop a plan for maintenance. If we were to leave you with one final thought, it’s that operational documentation is not a project – it’s a process in itself.  Why not develop a standard procedure for reviewing operational documentation? Plan for annual reviews and allocate staff hours to ongoing maintenance, or risk ending up just where you started.

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