While continuous improvement is something that all organisations strive towards, successfully implementing process optimisation initiatives can be tricky.
A recent survey, investigating the opinions of over five hundred UK-based process improvement and change management specialists, revealed that prosperous process improvement procedures often hinge on the following fundamental features:
Recognition – The root causes of organisational productivity issues must be identified before any optimisation strategies are devised, examples may include bottlenecks in manufacturing processes and time consuming, error-ridden administrative activities. If the exact problem is not identified, organisations could be trapped in a seemingly never ending trial and error phase. The moral of the tale; if isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it!
Training & Support – Ensuring that employees receive sufficient training is essential. Using the implementation of a new time and attendance system as an example; training can be carried out during the installation stage enabling staff to hit the ground running. Furthermore, as any new systems or processes will undoubtedly incur some initial teething problems, ongoing support should be provided by the workforce management solutions supplier.
The Two C’s: Communication & Collaboration – This may sound a little corny but in order to succeed, the whole organisation must adopt a ‘we’re all in this together’ approach. Regular company-wide communication channels must be utilised to keep all personnel up to date with the process improvement strategy plan of action. It is also highly likely that the transition period will get a little rocky from time to time, when this occurs, staff may be required to go above and beyond to restore tranquility.
Leadership – Any process improvement strategy requires strong leadership, either from senior management or an elected ‘change management’ team. The personnel responsible for the coordination of the project and final decision making must be made clear to everyone. While it’s important to provide the opportunity for all staff to voice their opinions, I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying about too many cooks spoiling the broth!
Here at ELF Productivity, we also know a thing or two about optimising business processes!
Ceequel® Employee Management Software is a dynamic, cost-effective time and attendance software suite capable of setting any organisation on the road to continuous improvement.
For more information, please contact ELF Productivity. A range of brochures are also available to download, please click here to view our downloads section.