Here at Two Twelve Advisors, we are strong believers in the importance of process and procedure within an organization. Coming from experience in landscape business ownership and management, we know the pain of what happens when there isn’t a strong process in place. Often, a process is created, but it isn’t followed through. Or it is created, but your team doesn’t understand the purpose and you can’t get them on board. Or it simply isn’t created at all. We’ve all been there, “We really need to standardize this process”. But time goes by, and nothing is put in place.
When there isn’t a process in place steps are forgotten, mistakes are made, and/or opportunities get missed. Over the years, we have identified 3 keys to a successful process: Clarity of the process, methods of Accountability and Verification of the process, and Recognition of success as a result of it. When these elements are incorporated into any process, you will see more long-lasting success and team buy-in.
Clarity
As obvious as it sounds, the most important element of any process is its clarity. We like the saying “Clear is Kind. Unclear is Unkind”. You cannot expect your team to produce an outcome they don’t understand in the first place. Providing clarity looks like thorough initial training and written steps that are accessible at any point. As much as we would like to train on a topic, and expect the team to remember the process, it isn’t a fair expectation. By creating checklists or SOP’s that your team has access to, you are providing a tool for them to lean on during and anytime after training has occurred.
Accountability and Verification
Once your team has a clear understanding of the process, you must hold them accountable to it. When someone is not held accountable to an expectation, there is a high chance they will not follow the process. People enjoy finding loopholes that make our life “easier”. This goes back to clarity of the process. If you are clear from the beginning hopefully your team will understand the importance of each step within the process. Even if they do, it is human nature to find a way to make something a little quicker, which is why verification should be ongoing.
Ongoing Accountability and Verification might look like creating a weekly checklist with a task-specific to the process. This is something we can help with! Or you might randomly shadow them working through the task to ensure the process is being followed.
Recognition of Success
Once the process is laid out and being followed, make sure to recognize the wins! A win might include someone’s commitment and follow-through of the process itself, or the results that occur as a result of following the process. If you are recognizing the wins in a one-on-one setting as well as amongst your whole team, it is more likely for others to join in. Everyone likes to feel good about themselves, so make this new process another way for them to enjoy their job!
No matter where your processes are at right now, (non-existent, created but not implemented, not being followed, not clear, etc.), we are here to help. If you are curious about how we can help you create, correct, or implement your operational processes and procedures, please schedule a consultation today.
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