When you’re creating procedures it’s important to look at how the process is done currently, write it all down, then analyze each step. The goal is to make sure none of the steps are missing, they are in the correct order, easy to follow, are flexible enough to be tweaked as needed for a particular client, and it the result is what you want and expect. Keep in mind that procedures may change as new ways of doing something comes into play.
So, let’s look at the procedure for making a pie:
- decide what flavor you want
- find recipe
- get the ingredients
- make the pie crust
- make the filling
- roll out the bottom crust
- fill the crust
- put on the top crust
- bake the pie
If we take the concept of following a recipe when creating your procedures, you should have easy to follow guidelines when you are done. If you’ve ever watched the Great British Baking Show you will know that sometimes following directions doesn’t get the correct results. Forgetting to turn on the oven can have devastating effects. If you decide to add cinnamon to an apple pie or take the cinnamon out and instead, use ginger, will give you a different outcome. just like a recipe is not written in stone neither is a procedure. I challenge you this week to tweak your procedures and see what happens – good or bad you will have information to work from.