MENU Process Documentation Best Practice #3
#3 Prepare to Hit the Ground Running
A few years ago, Ralph Smith was at a client site for a four-hour process documentation and improvement work session. Ninety minutes in, they were still on Step 1. Why? Because the supplier to this process could be any of a dozen (or more) different customer types, some of whom could skip to Step 2. Were those 90 minutes of discussion worthwhile? Absolutely. But it would’ve been more productive –and less frustrating– for everyone if this complication had been identified and cleared up in advance.
Enter the Orion process documentation questionnaire.
At the onset of every process documentation project, Orion creates a customized questionnaire. Depending upon the client’s business goals, these questionnaires may be as brief as 5 questions or as long as 15 questions. The questionnaire is shared with each subject matter expert who will participate in a documentation workshop. To make these workshops as productive as possible, it is imperative to create upfront clarity on three critical characteristics:
- The goal of the process. What business outcome are we trying to achieve?
- The start and end points. What triggers process execution? When are we done?
- High-level workflow. What are the four, five or six macro steps?
With this framework in place, the process documentation workshop can move quickly into knowledge collection and build positive momentum. It’s similar to the First Law of Motion. If a workshop stalls at the onset, it will likely stay bogged down. If you are able to hit the ground running, it will be productive throughout. Doing the upfront work ensures a productive business process documentation workshop.