Doing More With Less: Implementing New Processes

In recent weeks we’ve been talking about operational innovation, how to identify opportunities and make sure you pick the right supplier or vendor. In the final blog of this series, we look at implementation.

The way in which you roll out new processes in your business can be the most important step in the operational innovation process. It takes a team to implement new processes, and a ‘top-down approach can often run into difficulties. So how do you get it right the first time?

 

Do your homework

Doing your homework isn’t just about shopping around for the best price. It means having discussed and agreed upon the challenge and solution with your team. You know what success looks like; you’ve identified what will make the difference and ensured a robust rationale for a process change, with everyone clear on the objectives and benefits. You’ve also spent time making sure you have the right type of solution provider. A partner when you need a supplier means an over-engineered solution. A supplier when you need a partner will means you might not have the support needed to potentially integrate into your current workflows.

 

Communication

Communication is key. It encourages buy-in with your wider team and ensures appropriate expectations for the project. But communication shouldn’t start when you move to implement. Buy-in for a new process increases significantly when people are involved at the very beginning. As soon as you agree that a process change is required, the people affected by this should be involved. That way, they feel part of the process, decision making and beyond, which means they will feel more inclined to make it a success.

 

Objectives, reasons, and benefits

Providing everyone, particularly those using the technology, with a detailed shared understanding of what you hope to achieve and why, along with the benefits to them as individuals, is key to ensuring success. You need to make sure you’re framing this reasoning for the individual rather than for the organisation. Stating that new software will really help a company’s bottom line is a far less engaging message than saying the new software will free up an individual’s time and help them spend more time on areas of work they’re passionate about.

 

Create Champions

Having an individual responsible for monitoring the progress of the new process and supporting some of the more recalcitrant team members with the technology can have a dramatic effect on the success of the adoption. The champions should have a good grasp of the new technology, the benefits and intended outcomes so that they can both support their teams, but also provide feedback and listen to any concerns their team may have and suggest adjustments if required. It can also be helpful that the champion is in liaison with the supplier or partner to provide feedback on future requirements that would benefit their workflow and business.

 

Show the value and metrics.

Implementation doesn’t stop once it’s been rolled out. Over the course of the first few months, you want to continue to show the value of the new process in order to ensure it has cemented with the team. Developing a set of key metrics to demonstrate success and ensuring these are cascaded regularly around your team can help you do this. These can be operational, financial or customer service-based. But like the objectives, it’s important to align them with the individual impact in your team and should be drawn from the initial conversations you had with team members at the beginning of the process.

 

A fully ‘top down’ approach to implementing innovative new processes is one that can be fraught with difficulty, particularly if you’re trying to change legacy processes. From our experience, the most effective implementations involve collaboration with both your technology partner and your internal teams. Keep communication lines open and approachable, find the right levers, and you will be able to effectively improve your operational efficiency.

Photo by Tool., Inc on Unsplash