How To Get More Done In Half The Time - Process Optimization

Once you’ve documented your processes and created the checklists, you need to put yourself into a different frame of mind and ask “how do I improve on these?”

[0:55] One of the biggest traps that people fall into is documenting their processes while trying to improve them at the same time, which is a recipe for disaster. You have to clearly distinguish between documenting your processes and working to make them better.

[2:00] Just like advisory services, you need to set aside time when you have the highest level of energy and bandwidth to work on your processes. Go back to your video recording and watch yourself do the task and start looking for the cracks.

[3:05] You can’t do this right after you record the process because you need to have as fresh a set of eyes as you can manage. Ask yourself if there is a piece of technology that you can use to make the task more efficient.

[3:50] It’s important to remember it’s not all about technology and apps, it’s about the process. Apps and technology will come and go but the process will still remain essentially the same.

[4:25] The second place to look at is where the bottlenecks within your process are. If you’re working with other people, this is easy to identify. If you have to continually give review notes to the person you’re working with, you probably have a process problem, not a people problem.

[5:20] The main questions you should be asking yourself when improving processes are “how can I do this better?”, “how can I do this quicker?”, and “how can I be more efficient?”.

[5:40] The most powerful way to improve is to ask someone who is five steps ahead of you outside of your organization to review your process.

[6:50] You need to have a process control document in place because improvement is not a one and done activity. You should look at the critical processes that really turn the dial in your business every 90 days.

[7:50] Give your team the responsibility to question how they do things and give them permission to suggest improvements on how things get done.