Lean Tip
#3391 – Seek to Understand the Process Before Making Improvements
Before
you can utilize a process map to optimize your project workflows, you must
first understand the process you seek to improve. Creating a process map with
your team is a great way to break down the individual tasks involved in an
operational workflow.
Start by
asking your project team what type of process you are depicting. For example,
is it a management process or an organizational process? This will help you
determine what type of process map you need to accurately depict the ins and
outs of the process.
Next,
review who is involved in the process and what tasks are required for the
process to run smoothly. Determine the sequence of these activities and how the
flow of activities affect certain key performance indicators such as lead time
and cycle duration. This will help your team understand how the workflow
operates and ultimately determine which areas need to be optimized.
Lean Tip
#3392 – Detail Every Step of the Process in Depth
When
visually representing a workflow, it is important to list every single step
within the process. Leaving out steps can result in missed opportunities for
improvement and inaccurate representations of current processes.
If you
are mapping out a particularly complex process, be sure to note the logic
behind the flow of tasks so that other project stakeholders can understand why
the process operates as it currently does. When project team members fully
understand the logic behind the process at hand, they feel more confident
giving recommendations for process improvements.
Lean Tip
#3393 – Focus on Optimizing Tasks that Produce Results
The main
purpose of creating a process map is to help a project team better understand
and optimize a specific business process. In other words, process mapping is a
technique that helps organizations produce better results and increase their
bottom line.
When
process mapping, be sure to emphasize and analyze the tasks that directly
affect the end product. In other words, identify your critical path first. All
tasks within a critical path directly affect project completion time, which (in
most cases) is one of the most important key performance indicators that
project teams seek to improve.
By
identifying and optimizing the most critical tasks within a process, project
teams will be able to pinpoint areas of improvement and save revenue normally
spent on resources such as man hours, transportation, and other project related
costs.
Lean Tip
#3394 – Identify and Analyze the Gaps and Pain Points
One of
the main benefits of process mapping is that it helps you identify and analyze
the gaps and pain points in your current process. By visualizing the process,
you can spot the inefficiencies, redundancies, errors, delays, or risks that
affect the quality and performance of the process. You can also use various
tools and techniques, such as value stream mapping, root cause analysis, or
SWOT analysis, to diagnose the causes and effects of these problems and to
prioritize the areas for improvement or re-engineering.
Lean Tip
#3395 – Update and Maintain Your Process Map
Process
mapping is not a one-time activity. It is a continuous process that requires
regular updates and maintenance to keep up with the changes and developments in
your business environment. You need to monitor and measure the performance and
quality of your process, review and revise your process map as needed, and
communicate and document any changes or improvements to your stakeholders. By
doing so, you can ensure that your process map remains relevant, accurate, and
effective for your business goals.
Lean Tip
#3396 – Set Aside Time to Learn
Impending
deadlines, on-going projects, endless meetings – it’s hard to find time to
learn. It’s the number one reason why employees feel held back from learning.
If you’re part of an organization, developing a learning culture, you have to
be an advocate for learning time. Your employees need to know that they’re not
only allowed, but encouraged to take time out of their day to brush up on their
skills.
Some
businesses implement a company-wide rule that team members can have 2+ hours of
training a week, or ask managers to remind people it’s okay to focus on
learning. Either way, letting everyone know they have the time should foster a
culture of learning.
Lean Tip
#3397 – Promote Learning
Employees
aren’t going to learn if they don’t know about it. It’s time to unleash your
inner marketer and promote learning throughout your organization.
If you’re
about to launch a learning program, make learners aware of it by sending around
emails and getting management to let their staff know about the training. Also,
let your employees know what’s in it for them. Knowing the advantages of
learning is a big motivator.
Lean Tip
#3398 – Keep Learning Continuous
It’s a
common pitfall. Businesses decide to invest in learning, but then only offer a
course or mentoring session once every six months. Or they roll out a couple of
courses, but never add more. A learning culture isn’t a one and done practice.
It needs to be continuous, constantly worked on, with new courses and resources
being handed out so that it becomes a habit in your organization.
Lean Tip
#3399 – Make Training Easily Accessible
Employees
won’t want to learn if the process is arduous. You need to ensure that it’s as
seamless and friction-free as possible. Accessibility also encompasses
awareness of where training happens. When you’re launching a learning program,
make sure to tell your employees that courses are available and where they can
find them. This will make the whole process as simple as possible for your
learners.
Lean Tip
#3400 – Reward Learning
Recognition
is important. Employees want to be acknowledged for the time they’ve invested
in learning. We recommend having company-wide initiatives that reward your team
members for their hard work. These can be small, such as a shout out about how
well someone has performed in an email or on Slack. Or it can be larger and
more motivating, like a prize for the employee with the most courses completed
over a six month period.
This will
not only help with the uptake of the courses you’re delivering, but it will
show your employees that you value the work they put into learning.
Lean Tip
#3401 – Encourage Professional Development
Most
employees are not satisfied with the status quo, especially those who are
high-potential and highly driven. If given the proper guidance in their
development, they will become the future leaders of your organization and be
your best ambassadors of the qualities, skills and capabilities that are
critical for your organization’s success.
Consider
your organization’s full potential and how professional development can help
them achieve it. Organizations that are transforming and growing are better off
when they encourage their people to transform and grow, too. A growth mindset
in employees sparks the kind of behaviors that are critical for an organization
to grow.
Lean Tip
#3402 – Pair Employees With Mentors
Although
useful, staff development is so much more than training classes and
conferences. Find someone who is in a similar role to the employee, or a role
where you want the employee to be in the future. Mentoring relationships can
foster positive and productive working relationships, helping employees learn
and gain encouragement and support in their careers. When coached with
encouragement and goals in mind, your employees can help your business adapt to
changes and reach the next level of success, while they’re reaching the next
level of success, too.
Lean Tip
#3403 – Help Employees Build Their Networks
Recommend
opportunities within the organization, as well as networking or professional
groups that will help them build strong connections. Explore ways employees can
share knowledge. Encourage them to travel to other sites/offices to shadow
others and get to know other parts of the business.
These
interactions are priceless in helping people learn from others and make
important and lasting connections around the company that elevate collaboration
and innovation – all the while helping get important business done.
Lean Tip
#3404 – Step a\Away and Let Them Do Their Job.
Many
managers struggle with trusting their team to get the work done. We are all
very busy, so as managers we think the job will get done better and quicker if
we just do it, right? Not, exactly. No
one will benefit from that behavior. The tendency to be a high performer
through personal productivity is a skill that enables managers to get to a
manager role, but has to be unlearned as work is done through your people. Be
sure you’re people are trained, know the expectations, then let go, and let
them handle it. You’ll need to be available and provide supervision, but the
more you trust them, the more confident they will become. Empower them to make
decisions and to handle the responsibility of their roles.
Lean Tip
#3405 – Turn Weekly Meetings Into Learning Opportunities
Employee
development isn’t something that happens only in an annual review, nor
something you can just pass off to the HR department. All of your regular
interactions, from reviews, to project check-ins, to weekly meetings, are
chances to develop your team. Consider ways to integrate a development mindset
into your regular meetings.
