Discovery, Blueprint, Kickoff, Build, Test, Train, Launch, Monitor, Maintenance, Audit, Optimize.
That is the ASAP Methodology (version I use) I and many other people used to help thousands of employees work together to produce valuable services and goods to their customers.
- Discovery – Defining/Reiterating the Mission for the Organization and taking an inventory of all your assets and liabilities. Record any problems that need to be resolved.
- Blueprint – Laying out the structure and seeing how things fit together and where there are gaps. Talk to employees and find out what makes their responsibilities easy or hard to fulfill. Find and Train Early Adopters (Champions) who can help the Early Majority (all other employees) switch to and make use of the new procedures. Document and lay out the Communication and Project Plan.
- Kickoff – Bring all staff together to announce the Plan, who can answer questions, and who to talk to if you have concerns.
- Build – Create new infrastructure and build onto existing. Fill communication or process gaps found during the Blueprint.
- Test – Carefully follow all the processes and communication streams, find and fix breakdowns.
- Train – Use Test Scenarios to create training for your users to practice on. Allow them to get familiar with the new or altered processes before they can make any lasting mistakes in the Live System.
- Launch – Countdown to official full switch to New Process and Communication systems. Make sure everyone is ready for the switch and perform Cut-Over.
- Monitor – Careful monitoring of all of the new systems/processes and how they are being used. Careful attention to breakdowns of every sort.
- Maintenance – Extended period of no new processes or updates not critical to normal business functions. Let everything settle and see how people use or not use the system to get their responsibilities fulfilled.
- Audit – Compare resolution of ‘problems to be resolved’ recorded in Discovery to the current state of the company. Answer “Did we meet our goals?”
- Optimize – Blueprint solution to the problems still faced and brainstorm new features or structure that could be blended in the next iteration.
- Discovery – Keep the cycle going . . .
The above is a system ‘any’ company can use to bring harmony to your company’s processes. It allows everyone to know where each other is at in a process and quickly identifies bottlenecks and breakdowns. It allows everyone to use the same language and not get confusing messages or queues. It allows everyone to work in unison and adjust flow themselves depending upon different situations. It takes babysitting our of the picture and allows employers to assign or reassign responsibility easily.
This methodology can and should be implemented in every small business moving forward. I predict that small businesses in the future will be blending the above with Apprenticeship Programs or going out of business. This kind of blending makes it possible for small businesses to compete for the talent and market share the giant businesses currently attract. It’s available to all small businesses.
If you are in the Woodstock Georgia area, I want to talk to you about setting this up for your small business or I’m happy to help anyone get a Guild set up to provide these services for their own local small businesses. It works in Switzerland and I think it is worth trying out here. I’d love to see a guild in every community in the US, I’ll help you get one started in yours.
Let’s connect.