Running great work processes isn't just about extracting maximum efficiency and productivity from your team members.
Apart from the obvious productivity boosts, managers who take responsibility for business processes also promote a sense of trust and loyalty, while making daily work less chaotic and more fulfilling for team members.
Managers with effective process management skills come across as better leaders—your team will have more faith in your daily decisions and high-level understanding of their work once you establish helpful workflows for their daily tasks.
The goal of this guide is to help you introduce workflow orchestration practices to your team, and equip you with the tools and expertise needed to comfortably implement great work processes.
Our guide is based on how your process management experience in 100 days will look if you use Qntrl, an advanced process automation platform. You can try it out yourself.
What is process management?
Process management involves overseeing and optimizing the various activities and workflows within an organization to achieve efficiency, productivity, and quality outcomes. It encompasses the design, implementation, monitoring, and improvement of processes across different functional areas such as sales, marketing, HR, finance, and IT.
SaaS platforms like CRMs, hiring software, or ERPs often give users automation as a feature. They aren't the solution to automating complete processes or for helping teams stay on top of the everyday tasks that span across multiple products and teams. As a consequence, teams relying on process automation inadvertently end up tracking their work processes through clunky spreadsheets, and going back-and-forth through multiple emails to track the progress on current team tasks.
In essence, process management encompasses the broader goal of optimizing organizational workflows and activities, with a more sophisticated approach to achieving this objective, particularly in complex and dynamic environments.
Days 1-14: Setting the foundation for Process Management
Embarking on the journey of process management requires meticulous planning and strategic assessment. In the first two weeks, the focus lies on laying a solid foundation that will support the successful implementation of streamlined processes in the future. Depending on the scenario—whether inheriting an established process framework, building processes from scratch, or modernizing existing processes—the initial steps may vary. Let's explore each scenario in detail:
Scenario 1: Inheriting an Established Process Framework
For managers stepping into roles where processes are already in place, the initial days are akin to navigating through uncharted territory. The primary objective is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing process landscape, its efficacy, and areas for improvement.
The journey begins with assessing the current process framework, including documentation, workflows, and performance metrics. While gut instincts and first impressions play a role, it's imperative to adopt a structured approach to evaluation. Utilizing frameworks like Six Sigma or Lean Management can provide valuable insights into process efficiency and effectiveness.
Once the assessment is complete, the focus shifts to engaging with process owners and stakeholders. This involves understanding their roles and responsibilities, gathering feedback on pain points and bottlenecks, and identifying opportunities for optimization. Open discussions and feedback sessions can facilitate a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the existing process framework.
By compiling comprehensive assessments of the current processes and engaging with stakeholders, managers gain a holistic view of the current state of affairs. Armed with this knowledge, they can formulate strategies to optimize processes, drive efficiency improvements, and enhance overall performance in the weeks to come.
Scenario 2: Building Processes from Scratch
For managers tasked with building processes from scratch, the initial weeks are characterized by laying the groundwork for future success. The focus shifts from assessment to creation, as managers define processes, establish workflows, and set performance metrics.
The journey begins with identifying the core processes essential for organizational success. This involves understanding business objectives, defining process goals, and mapping out the steps required to achieve them. By involving key stakeholders from different departments, managers ensure alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
With processes identified, the next step is to design workflows that optimize operations and maximize productivity. This involves mapping out each process from start to finish, identifying sequential tasks, dependencies, and decision points. By leveraging industry best practices and consulting with subject matter experts, managers create efficient workflows that lay the foundation for future success.
As processes take shape and workflows are finalized, managers play a pivotal role in ensuring clarity, consistency, and accountability. This involves documenting processes, establishing performance metrics, and providing training and support to team members. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, managers set the stage for ongoing optimization and refinement of processes.
Scenario 3: Modernizing Existing Processes
For experienced managers seeking to modernize existing processes, the challenge lies in overcoming resistance to change and outdated workflows. The initial weeks are characterized by diagnosing inefficiencies, designing solutions, and rallying support for transformative initiatives.
The journey begins with a comprehensive assessment of current processes and workflows. By leveraging their industry expertise and insights, managers identify pain points, bottlenecks, and areas for improvement. This stage also involves gathering feedback from process owners, stakeholders, and end-users to gain a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities at hand.
Armed with insights from the assessment phase, managers formulate strategies to modernize existing processes and workflows. This may involve introducing new technologies, tools, or methodologies to streamline operations, enhance collaboration, and drive performance improvements. By championing innovation and change, managers inspire their teams to embrace new ways of working and adapt to evolving business needs.
Throughout the modernization journey, effective communication and stakeholder engagement are paramount. Managers must communicate the rationale behind proposed changes, address concerns and objections, and enlist support from key stakeholders. By fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and collaboration, managers create an environment where change is embraced as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
Days 15-100: Building and Refining Processes
As the initial groundwork is laid and the foundation for process management is established, the next phase of the journey involves building and refining processes to drive operational excellence and achieve organizational objectives. Over the course of days 15-100, managers will focus on developing, testing, deploying, and fine-tuning processes to maximize team performance and streamline business operations.
Ensure Consistent Adoption
The first step in this phase is ensuring consistent adoption of standardized processes across the organization. This involves training team members on process documentation, providing access to process repositories, and establishing clear guidelines for process execution. By fostering a culture of process adherence and accountability, managers ensure that everyone follows standardized procedures to drive efficiency and consistency.
Visualize Processes
With processes documented and standardized, the focus shifts to visualizing them through process maps and diagrams. Managers collaborate with process owners and stakeholders to create visual representations of processes, highlighting key steps, decision points, and dependencies. By leveraging process modeling tools, managers create visual aids that facilitate understanding and alignment among team members, leading to more effective execution of processes.
Test and Refine
Once processes are visualized, they undergo rigorous testing to identify areas for improvement and optimization. Managers select a test group of team members to execute the processes and provide feedback on usability, clarity, and efficiency. Through iterative testing and refinement, managers fine-tune processes to enhance their effectiveness, address any pain points, and ensure seamless execution across the organization.
Deploy and Train
With tested and refined processes in place, managers are ready to deploy them organization-wide. This involves rolling out the processes to all team members, providing comprehensive training and support, and ensuring that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. By offering ongoing training sessions and resources, managers empower team members to execute processes effectively and contribute to organizational success.
Monitor and Evaluate
Even after processes are deployed, ongoing monitoring and evaluation are essential to ensure their continued effectiveness. Managers utilize process management tools and analytics to track key performance metrics, identify bottlenecks, and measure the impact of process improvements. By regularly reviewing process performance and soliciting feedback from stakeholders, managers can identify areas for further optimization and refinement.
Continuous Improvement
As processes become ingrained in the organization's culture, managers maintain a focus on continuous improvement. They encourage a mindset of innovation and optimization among team members, empowering them to suggest and implement process improvements. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, managers ensure that processes remain aligned with evolving business needs and contribute to long-term organizational success.
Leveraging Process Automation
Process automation is a key component of modern process management, offering numerous benefits including increased efficiency, reduced errors, and enhanced scalability. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows, organizations can optimize resource allocation, minimize manual intervention, and accelerate time-to-market. Here's how managers can effectively leverage process automation to drive operational excellence:
Identify Automation Opportunities
The first step in leveraging process automation is to identify tasks and workflows that are prime candidates for automation. This involves analyzing existing processes, identifying repetitive or time-consuming tasks, and assessing their suitability for automation. Managers can collaborate with process owners and stakeholders to prioritize automation opportunities based on factors such as frequency, complexity, and potential impact on productivity.
Select the Right Tools
Once automation opportunities are identified, managers need to select the right tools and technologies to implement automation effectively. This may involve leveraging workflow automation platforms, robotic process automation (RPA) tools, or custom software solutions tailored to specific business needs. By evaluating available options and choosing tools that align with organizational goals and requirements, managers can lay the foundation for successful automation initiatives.
Design Automated Workflows
With the tools in place, the next step is to design automated workflows that streamline operations and maximize efficiency. Managers collaborate with process owners and automation experts to map out automated processes, define triggers and conditions, and configure workflow automation rules. By breaking down workflows into discrete steps and automating repetitive tasks, managers can create efficient workflows that minimize manual intervention and optimize resource utilization.
Test and Validate
Before deploying automated workflows into production, it's essential to thoroughly test and validate their functionality and reliability. Managers select a test group of users to execute automated processes in a controlled environment and gather feedback on performance, accuracy, and usability. Through iterative testing and validation, managers identify and address any issues or bottlenecks, ensuring that automated workflows meet quality standards and deliver the expected benefits.
Deploy and Monitor
Once automated workflows are tested and validated, managers are ready to deploy them organization-wide. This involves rolling out automated processes to all relevant teams and stakeholders, providing training and support as needed, and monitoring their performance in real-world scenarios. By closely monitoring automated workflows and tracking key performance metrics, managers can identify opportunities for optimization and fine-tuning, ensuring that automation initiatives continue to deliver value over time.
Iterate and Improve
Automation is not a one-time endeavor but an ongoing journey of continuous improvement. Managers should regularly review and iterate on automated workflows to identify areas for optimization and enhancement. This may involve soliciting feedback from end-users, analyzing performance data, and exploring new automation technologies and techniques. By fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, managers can ensure that automation remains a cornerstone of organizational efficiency and competitiveness.
