Author: Mark Seaman
You hear it all the time, “If you build it, they will come,” so why don’t they? The processes that are built are not used by teams, and the outcome is not what was expected. Yes, the process is needed and will make people’s lives easier. So, why is it so hard to get people to adopt new processes?
Before we can even dive into why people are not adopting processes, we need to go over what makes a “good” process. A process can be anything such as a survey that gets sent out after a work order is closed to an employee skills roster for leadership. While a process can be many different things, a good one needs a few key parts: a clear objective, well-documented, the use of appropriate tools and technologies, and efficient and scalable.
What Makes a Good Process
CLEAR OBJECTIVE:
A clear objective is the most important thing. A process must have a need before you even begin to create it. The process should check off every box from the original objective before it is pushed out past the test group. Ask yourself or the team:
- Who benefits from this the customer, leadership, or the employee?
- What problem is this solving, is it giving better insight into workflows, or removing redundant tasks?
- When does this process need to be fully implemented by?
Once every one of these questions can be answered you have a clear objective.
WELL DOCUMENTED:
A good process is well-documented. How does the user interact with it? There must be a guide for users to be able to do it for the first time. The documentation must include all the steps to complete the task while still being concise. The documentation needs to be readily available and easy to find.
USE OF APPROPRIATE TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY:
When building a process, it’s crucial to use the appropriate tools and technologies. There is no need to put a square block in a round hole. Using the tools and technologies that are made to create the task will show. Yes, you can technically write a report in Excel, but why would you?
EFFICIENT & SCALABLE:
A good process is efficient and scalable. In what ways is the new process creating savings, is it saving costs or time? Knowing the constraints of the process is important; can it only support so many users or entries a week? The goal is for the process to work seamlessly from team to team. While growing with the amount of usage and the company as a whole.
Why Good Processes Often Fail
CHANGE:
Change is a major factor. Change can be hard. Yes, the new process helps with a task, but what was in place before worked, and that can be a tough habit to break. There is also the human element. As we know, some people are stuck in their ways and do not want to change.
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OR COMMUNICATION:
There’s often a lack of understanding or communication. The “why,” “who,” and “what” are not being understood by the users. When these aren’t being answered, they do not see the benefit of using it.
LACK OF LEADERSHIP SUPPORT:
If the push is not there to start the new process, and leaders are not following up or offering help to implement it. Why would someone take time to work on something that they do not believe anyone cares about?
How to get people to adopt a new process
GET USERS INVOLVED EARLY:
Get users involved early to see their pain points. When your users are involved early, it allows them to be able to tell you their pain points with the process before it becomes an issue. This also allows them to be a part of the creation of the process and helps them understand the “why.” This is going to help with productivity, give better insights into workload, or this is a cheaper financial option.
TRAINING & DOCUMENTATION:
You also need accurate training and documentation. Creating these will allow for a more streamlined integration, which leaves less room for questions.
STRONG LEADERSHIP SUPPORT:
Strong leadership support is a must. It is easier to adopt a new thing when you can see that leadership wants it too. When leadership is supporting and invested in a project, it is hard to avoid. Most employees will support what leadership wants. Give credit when the process is adopted. Credit, incentives, and things of this nature are things people love to receive. Acknowledging when something is complete is something that allows everyone to know that the work they did was appreciated and supported.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
While working with a Key2 client, I helped build out a new process. The process was created to send out an automated email with a survey to the customer when a work order is completed. I made sure it met all the requirements to be considered “good,” yet the process wasn’t gaining much traction. So, I asked some of the people what issues they were having. It came down to a few things:
- Users didn’t know they were supposed to start using it
- They didn’t see the benefit
- This was adding something to their current workload
- They felt that what they were currently doing worked well enough
By understanding the users’ needs and pain points, getting leadership to support the new process, and making sure everyone had access to the documentation, we were able to get everyone up to speed and the process began to run smoothly. If I were to have done all things from the beginning, it would have been set up for success from day one.
Conclusion
With the right foundation, clear objective, well-documented steps, the appropriate tools, and a design that is both efficient and scalable, you set the stage for success. However, that’s only half the battle. To overcome resistance to change, a lack of understanding, or insufficient leadership support, you must actively work to get people on board. By involving users early, providing excellent training, and demonstrating strong support from the top, you can create a process that people not only use but embrace. It’s no longer about just building it, it’s about building it right and bringing everyone along for the journey.