News from Office Octopus - we’ve just argued over how to make the best cup of tea. Tea is very important to most colleagues. We thought we’d share our argument with you and explain a bit more about what we do at the same time.
What shape are your processes in? Here’s an example of a bad procedure.
Here is how the tea instruction was described in the heat of the moment.
"Let’s see if we can get it right this time. I don't want a cold, stewed cup of tea like last time! You need to put the the tea bags in the pot and then pour the water in. The tea is in the cupboard on the left hand side. Sarah prefers a weak tea don’t brew it for long. Put a small bit of milk in a cup and pour the tea in. Oh, by the way, don't forget to boil the kettle first, and make sure there’s fresh milk too!"
The diagram to the right is an improved procedure
Good quality procedures mean that:
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Procedures are your training documents
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Team members will have something to refer to
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Your product / service will be uniform, the same standard item will leave your business
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Production no longer works in different, individual ways
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Your team can see how their outputs link to other stakeholders.
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If a team member is absent, somebody else can pick up the work, risk is reduced.
Are your processes in a muddle? Do your team know what to do in every circumstance? Are you confident a uniform product and customer service is being delivered?
If you’re unsure of the answer to the above, Office Octopus can help, we love processes, procedures, working practice, getting things right first time and auditing too. Get in touch to find out more.
Unsurprisingly we enjoy tea and are always happy to meet and discuss your needs.