Great process improvement ideas can help drive success. To help you get it right, we asked the experts to share their ultimate process wishlist.
If you’ve been in the business game for a while, you know that great processes are the key to success — and quality process improvement ideas can help make them even better.
But with only 4% of companies currently measuring and managing their processes efficiently, it’s clear there’s major room for improvement.
Get it right, and the benefits are huge. In fact, business leaders agree that addressing process issues could yield a massive increase in revenue through decreasing work errors and inefficiencies.
Pretty cool, right?
So, what’s the best way to approach process creation? How can you make sure your teams actually use company documentation? And what key process improvement ideas can take your systems from good to great?
We’ve compiled the ultimate process wishlist to help create systems your teams will love. Plus, a couple of our favorite documentation pros share their thoughts on how to build killer processes.
Check it out!
5 Process improvement ideas to implement
- A fool-proof writing strategy
- Simplicity
- Employee involvement
- Continuous improvement
- Transparency with employees and customers
Ready to build the ultimate processes? Get in touch for a free Whale demo today!
Wishlist item #1: A fool-proof writing strategy
As President at Hurley Write, Pam Hurley knows a thing or two about how to create killer documentation.
And for Pam, there’s one process improvement idea that beats the rest: A fool-proof writing strategy.
“A lot of companies make two mistakes when creating processes: 1) They task the person(s) who do the tasks with creating them (and they may not know the secret to writing effective processes). Or 2) They task a writer to write the process (and they may not be familiar with the process),” says Pam.
Diving into process creation before you know how to either run or write a process can set you on the wrong path from day one.
Luckily, Pam has the answer.
“Everyone can learn to learn to write effective processes but, as with all writing, there must be a strategy in place to do so,” she says.
For Pam, the reason a writing strategy is so important comes down to employees’ ability to understand the process.
“Whether an employee uses a process all comes down to the writing — in other words, employees won’t use processes that are hard to follow and/or difficult to read and understand,” she says
But creating a great SOP isn’t just about the words you use. It’s the whole package that counts.
“The writer should also understand how to use graphics, voice, sentence structure, and white space to create usable processes,” says Pam.
Wishlist item #2: Simplicity
When it comes to great process improvement ideas, Benjamin Lander founder of Asamby Consulting takes business to the next level.
His consulting company helps set up operations for companies across the globe — and the one thing Benjamin believes paves the way for streamlined ops is simplicity.
“The #1 thing I like to see in quality processes is simplicity. A process needs to be simple enough to be easy to execute and take work off the teams’ plates. Overly complex processes are often (not always) a sign that there’s still room for improvement,” he says.
With 84% of employees planning to stay longer in companies that provide a simple workplace and 95% more likely to trust their company’s leadership, simple processes are clearly win-win.
Wishlist item #3: Employee involvement
That’s not all Benjamin has to say about creating and improving quality processes.
For him, encouraging employees to actually use documentation is just as important as keeping them simple. Now that’s a process improvement idea we can get on board with. 👌
Here are Benjamin’s top tips to engage employees with your processes:
- Involve employees in process creation/ documentation right from the start: This will increase ownership and prevent the ‘not-invented-here-syndrome’. If people have a say in how work should be performed, they’re much more likely to adopt the process.
- Use the right tools for the use-case: Documentation of processes is great in an onboarding process or at the roll-out of processes. For other processes, a workflow is the better solution. The key is to find the right way of documentation and the right level of simplicity to make things as clear as necessary but as easy to consume as possible.
- Sell employees of the idea of processes and continuous improvement: First, make sure the team understands that it’s not about telling them how to do every little thing, but that every world-class operation uses processes to ensure repeatable high-quality outcomes. Second, establish a continuous improvement process that gives teams the space to address process issues, so they realize that by using the process as it is today, they actually have the opportunity to form it for the future,” says Benjamin.
Wishlist item #4: Continuous improvement
Thanks to our documentation experts, you know you need to understand how to write a process, keep it simple, and get employees onside.
But it’s the continuous improvement of your processes that has the biggest impact on your ROI.
Here’s how to keep your processes relevant and employees engaged, no matter where you are in your documentation journey:
- Designate some time every month to discuss process improvement ideas, and ask your teams to contribute for extra creative input.
- Delegate processes to subject matter experts within your teams, so the people in the know are involved in regular updates.
- Send subject matter experts regular update reminders.
- Create a to-do list for updates and improvements. For example, ‘Documentation should be scanned during each update for anything that takes too much time/resources,’ or ‘Simplify any dense jargon’.
- Share updates with on-the-ground employees who actually use the process, so every update is noted and used.
Wishlist item #5: Transparency with employees and customers
From explaining how you plan to build a process, to owning any errors, transparency is the name of the game here.
Because the more employees understand about process creation and improvement, the more likely they are to engage with it.
And it’s not just about your employees.
86% of consumers say transparency from businesses is more important than ever before, while 58% want brands to become more transparent and honest about their processes and products.
In other words, if you can share your processes and own your mistakes, your brand is guaranteed to grow.
Additional process improvement ideas
Still looking to improve processes in your business? Use this checklist to improve current processes;
- Automate repetitive tasks – Use tools to handle repetitive tasks such as data entry, scheduling, and invoice processing.
- Improve customer feedback mechanisms – often common customer challenges indicate processes that need improving.
- Training and development – train all team members on processes and ensure all processes are on hand when needed.
- Centralize processes – Develop and implement SOPs in a central repository to ensure consistency and quality across the organization.
Process Improvement in Action
How clothing brand Patagonia shines a light on its supply chains
For outerwear clothing company Patagonia, transparency is key to great business and great impact. The company highlights exactly what goes on in their supply chain to build trust with employees and consumers, and motivate themselves to do better.
Through their ‘Footprint’ project, employees and customers can check in with a 360-degree view on how and where each product is made. And if part of the process needs improvement? Patagonia owns it and asks for suggestions.
Now that’s what we call a proactive process improvement idea. 💪
🐳 Whale Deep Dive
Rihm Family Companies, Inc. (RFC) is a 4th generation family-owned and operated business focused on providing exceptional service in the heavy-duty truck industry. RFC employs more than 350 people in 21 locations and was looking for a partner to help centralize their SOPs and use them to onboard and train new hires.
The team at Rihm Family Companies and Whale had the following requirements;
- ✅ House all internal documentation and processes in one centralized repository
- ✅ Ensure team members could be assigned automated onboarding and training flows
- ✅ Limited visibility so team members had access to their own documentation
Now that the team has everything documented on Whale, all playbooks have their own subject matter experts, which means that processes are updated frequently.
Now that’s process improvement in action!
FAQs about Process improvement ideas
What is process improvement?
Process improvement involves identifying, analyzing, and improving existing business processes for optimization and increased efficiency.
How to identify process improvements?
There are a number of ways to identify processes that need improving.
- Engaging with employees, customers, and stakeholders through interviews, and discussions can uncover how your processes need improving.
- Identify which processes are not delivering the desired results in the business.
- Where there is a problem in the business, there is probably a problem in the process.
What are the two main types of process improvement?
The two main types of process improvement are incremental and breakthrough improvements. Incremental improvements involve making gradual, small-scale changes to existing processes.
Breakthrough improvements typically reflect new processes that are developed in response to a business problem.
How do you set goals for process improvement?
You can measure your processes.
We also recommend calculating the ROI of process implementation as well as looking at general business metrics.
Key Terms & Further Reading on Process Improvement Ideas
Bottom line
Every business pro knows it takes time to build great processes — and the more process improvement ideas you use, the more likely your business is to succeed.
With a great plan and an eye on improvement, your processes are guaranteed to help improve your bottom line from day one.
Ready to create A++ processes and killer SOPs employees actually love?
Download our complimentary Ultimate Guide to SOP and Process Documentation below.
Ultimate Guide to SOP & Process Documentation
The why, what, and how to unlock the next level of growth in your business with SOPS & systems