Your business process is not what you think it is
Deliveries were unpredictable at best, and months late at worst. Frustration at both locations was high, and finger-pointing was rampant. That was the situation when I was assigned to resolve an issue that had been nagging the organization for years. A US-based team was ordering sample assemblies from a production line in another country. No one was happy with how it was going.
I asked to review the instructions for the sample ordering process and quickly discovered that there weren’t any! Next, I individually asked each key stakeholder to put together a simple flow diagram of the process of defining, ordering, processing, and delivering samples. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised - the flow charts from the design engineer, technician, customer service rep, administrative assistant, manufacturing team, and new product development process leader were all quite different from each other.
Working with each stakeholder separately at first helped me understand the specifics of their individual frustrations, understand their view of the process, and ensure they knew they were being heard. Next, I integrated the various process flows into one (giant) document and then pulled the team together to correct and refine it. In doing so, we discovered many simple changes that allowed us to streamline the process (eliminating wasted steps and delays) and clarify how to handle different situations that might arise (reducing confusion). Finally, I documented instructions for all users, published them in a location accessible to everyone, and implemented a system of revision control. Then I organized a rollout/training meeting for the global team. Today there is one complete, clear, efficient, and (importantly) visible process instead of several fragmentary ones, a team who talks when things don’t go as expected, and much improved performance and morale.
Key take-away's from the experience: (1) Your actual process is never what you think it is. (2) If people see that you’re really listening to them, they will be open to listening to you.
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