Most businesses have procedures in place for performing vital tasks. However, not every company has those procedures documented and made accessible to all who need them. Instead, most procedures “live” in a team member’s head, and that person has to train incoming employees to ensure everything is done correctly. This means that vital knowledge is hard to disseminate and is easy to lose.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem. Read on to discover it.
Documentation is Just the First Step
The first step to take in combating this common issue is to document processes and procedures. This means getting your team together, creating a short list of vital processes and a long list of additional business systems, then working with the team to document the steps necessary to complete a process.
This may or may not be something you’ve already done. In fact, you may have a binder of processes and standard operating procedures sitting in HR right now, collecting dust on top of a filing cabinet.
There are several reasons those procedures are not being implemented. I’ve listed the most common reasons - and their solutions - below.
Why Your Employees Aren’t Following Business Procedures
The problem? Your business procedures are documented, but no one is following them. Here are five reasons this may be occurring, along with the solutions.
Reason #1: Leadership doesn’t follow procedures.
Process implementation is a top-down action. If you want to implement business processes across your business, you must lead by example and utilize the business systems yourself. This tells your team that everyone is following the processes and procedures. It also shows them that this is the best way to perform a task - it’s so good that leadership is following it step-by-step.
Reason #2: Business procedures are not up-to-date.
Your team is not going to implement old and outdated business systems, which is good news. But it also means you have old and outdated systems that need to be updated. If you see your team going off-script after your company installs new software or launches a new product, take a step back and review the processes you are asking them to follow. If they are out of date, work with your team to update them so that new employees are not onboarded with faulty training.
If you want to take a proactive approach to updating business processes, start by encouraging questions and feedback. Take on your team's suggestions and improve standard operating procedures in real time. Keeping an open door and encouraging feedback will go far toward proactive process improvement.
Reason #3. Business procedures are not accessible.
If the statement above about a binder collecting dust on the top of a filing cabinet resonated with you, then you need to take steps to make your systems accessible. There are many options for building accessibility, but they all come down to creating a centralized system for housing procedures. You can use sophisticated software like SweetProcess, or simply place the processes in an accessible Google Drive.
No matter how the process documentation is shared, it’s vital that the method ensures employee access. There are many options for information sharing. Pick the one that works best for your business and budget, and then move forward from there.
Reason #4. There is no way to ensure procedures are used.
Implementing business procedures improves performance and increases efficiency. This means that compliance is measurable. Utilize performance metrics and your existing accountability processes to ensure procedures are followed.
Reason #5. Following procedures is not ingrained in your culture.
If you are just starting out with process implementation, then following standard operating procedures will be new to your team. It will not be part of the company culture. Here are three things you can do to build processes into the company culture:
- Create a process that uses standard operating procedures during onboarding to train new employees.
- Include employees in the documentation and revision process.
- Stay open to feedback and communication about procedures.
If you have existing systems in place, work through the above five reasons to determine why they aren’t being used. And if you need help harnessing the power of processes and procedures in your business, get in touch! Click here to schedule your free process mapping session.
