Getting started with processes
Getting Started with processes is often a messy affair. Usually we have a number of factors that cause us to pay attention to this issue. These include:
- Someone or something is making us document our processes
- Our process is broken and needs to be fixed
- Everyone has a different idea of what is the correct way to do something
- We can’t train staff quickly enough
- Quality problems are affecting the business or organization
I could go on. Many view dealing with processes as an inevitable task, but one to put off as long as possible. Why is that? It’s a question worth examining because it brings us to the hub of why dealing with processes is often viewed as something as attractive as a disease or psychological disorder. After 35 years of dealing with organizations and processes, here are a few of the hotlist. “I don’t want to deal with it now” reasons.
- Will put my career at risk if I get in the middle of this project
- No precedent in the organization for doing a project for process improvement
- People, including me, don’t like to share information
- It’s counter cultural to our organization
- I don’t know how to do this type of project
- Where would I begin?
- No clear Return On Investment or Strategic Goals from Management to support the project
The bottom line, for someone without any experience in this field, and for the most part it is not taught at college, this can be a scary proposition. In the coming posts we will examine how to peel back the layers of this onion and learn how to proceed.