Possible Procedures....

Sometimes businesses can things just right. Staff follow their procedures to the letter, and customers are not only satisfied, but are impressed.

I recently visited a boutique pub in which staff obviously had extensive training to pour beers in a specific manner. The total procedure consisted of at least 10 steps performed in front of the customer. This was part of the selling point, entertainment and branding for the beer.

It was consistent from repetition to repetition (so if a customer missed a step and wanted to see it again, all they needed to do was order another drink, or wait for someone else to order the same brand of beer). Each brand had slightly different procedures - glasses and place mats used etc. This was an extremely impressive development and delivery of procedures!
Have you ever wondered - "How can I write procedures that people will use?"

Put simply:

• Be clear about what the procedure is for...
• Consult with the users - so you can get it right.
• Define who will use the procedure.
• How much time will they have to use it?
• How frequently will they use it?
• Will staff need supervision?
• Will supervision/assistance be available when required?
• Have all legal requirements been addressed?
• What is the next step and how does it happen?

Think outside the box

Only use procedures when they are important or vital - having too many procedures means that people become overwhelmed and non-compliant.

So, when designing effective procedures that staff WILL use think - Talk, Time, Location, Stuff and Knowledge

• Talk - Consult with the staff that are doing the job
• Time - When staff will use the procedure?
• Location - Where will staff will use the procedure?
• Stuff - Do staff have everything required (all resources) to easily complete the task?
• Knowledge - Provide appropriate training and retraining so staff can easily use the procedures.

If they are still not getting it, the procedure should be reviewed.