So much has been written about “decluttering” in the last few years. Everything, from your home to your life, should be decluttered say all the books, blogs and boffins. With an array of shows about compulsive hoarding fuelling the frenzy, you may be wondering if there is any merit to all the declutter mutter.
You may also be speculating why on earth a company that develops business process management software is writing about hoarders and decluttering. That’s simple, in our industry we see hoarders all of the time - process hoarders. We see companies with forty step processes, when all they need is eight to achieve the same (or better) results.
How does this happen?
Gradually…
As time goes by the requirements of a business process change. Technology developments must to be catered for; legislative changes need be taken into account; business strategy changes. There are so many reasons why processes have steps added to them! All too often the roles associated with a business process may have several incumbents, with each manager adding their own requirements to a procedure. All these factors add to the complexity of a process, and after a few years no one is certain why a process is executed the way it is, they’re simply following the steps.
How do you know if your process has become more complicated than a Turducken?
You’ll need to document it. Until your processes are accurately documented, you may not even be aware of how complex they’ve become or how much time is being wasted executing unnecessary steps.
Sounds simple enough. If it is that easy why isn't everyone “decluttering” their business processes?
Whenever this question comes up I’m reminded of a story I once heard.
A professor was chatting to his class about productivity. “I was watching my wife make me breakfast one morning.” He explained.
“I observed her making several trips to the fridge. She would get the eggs, then go back for the sausages, and then the tomatoes and so on. I timed her trips, and worked out that if she took all the ingredients out of the fridge and placed them on a tray at once, she could cut down the process from 15 minutes to 7 minutes.”
“That sounds great. How long does your breakfast prep take now?” Asked the class.
“3 minutes.” Replied the professor.
“Its toast. I make it myself.”
Amusing perhaps, but certainly illustrates why employees can be so resistant to point out problems in a process. Often staff realise that there are issues with a formal process within the company, but they are either unsure of how to remedy the situation, or are anxious that they will be seen as nuisances for pointing out the flaws. Encourage your team to be process improvers. Listen to their ideas. There is a lot to be gained from examining your processes in detail; identifying what makes your business uniquely competitive; and weeding out the outdated, unnecessary aspects.
Do you suspect that your organisation is a process hoarder? Follow these useful methods to document a process and see if all the steps are still necessary.
Pro Tip: If any of the instructions include the, “Replace typewriter ribbon…” the process may be outdated.