Did you know that an estimated 70% of change programs fail?

It's not through simplification. Most businesses fail to change because of overcomplicating process improvement.

Despite that, most business owners who want to improve still haven't mastered how to improve a process simply and effectively.

If you have been wondering how to do that, you'll want to adapt our 12 step methodology. This is a winning and easily replicable roadmap to process improvement success.

People need to see how a process works and what steps they will need to follow the process step by step.

It's no wonder that a significant component in a company's valuation depends on the quality of its processes.

First up, what is process improvement?

Every business has several processes. Some are documented, but most aren't. And nearly all of them were created years ago, meaning they could be improved to save time, effort, money and avoid frustration or bottlenecks.

Ultimately this means happier customers, happier teams and better returns for a business.

Making things too complex is the key reason why process improvement fails.

Consultants love to suggest using the PDCA cycle, Six Sigma, Lean, and Total Quality Management processes to improve a process. You and your team don't have the time to learn all these overcomplicated processes, let alone be able to execute them and keep them running. If you're already deciding not to bother, you're in the same boat as so many other leaders.

And suppose you're a leader qualified in these areas. In that case, most people don't want to know you for a bar of soap because they can smell complexity, frustration and pain in having to work with you and use these processes.

There's got to be a simpler way that works and is not only fun to do it but one that's as effective as hell. Here it is.

Before you start
Assemble a team of people who regularly use the process to be on the process improvement activities.

This is critical. If you're the only one who works on creating the new process, very few will be interested in ensuring it's a success. After all, no one cares about your process, but they do care about the team's process.

Step 1. Identify a process
Identify a process (a way of doing something) that you want to reinvent so you and others can execute the process without mistakes. Your process might communicate how you build your product, how you sell your product, or how you deliver it.

Some examples might include steps in your supply chain, the critical steps in producing your oldest product, or the crucial steps in your referral process.

Step. 2 Identify the Risks 
Grab a piece of flipchart paper, a pile of Post-it Notes, and some markers. On a sheet of flipchart paper, draw a line down the centre and then write the word Risks on the top left section and the term Benefits on the right.

Now with your selected process in mind, list all the risks that exist or will exist if you don't have a thorough, easy-to-follow, well-documented process in place. Go to town on this activity and list as many risks as you can think of.

Some examples might include:

• Quality not maintained 
• Have to keep starting from scratch each time 
• Only very experienced people can do the task 
• If experienced people are sick, no one knows how to operate the machine 
• Don't know what to do if something is broken 
• Will take longer to do and cost more money 

Step. 3 Identify the Benefits
Now you have your risks listed, it's time to work on the benefits. List all the benefits of having and using a thorough, easy-to-follow, well-documented process.

Some examples might include:

• Enables any staff member to carry out the process
• Increases customer satisfaction and delight
• Saves time and energy
• Frees up thinking time to solve critical problems
• Can maintain uniformity in our service delivery

Pin up your risks and benefits page somewhere close, as you must come back to it to cross-check with your process.

Step 4. Process Action Steps
We now move on to writing out each of the action steps required to complete the process onto Post-it Notes. It's essential to record each step like these as an action phrase:

• Open up orders folder. 
• Print out the call sheet. 
• Conduct inspection. 
• Send package. 
• Decide to proceed or abort. 

Expert tip:
Consider a few tricks with your Post-it Notes to help strengthen the process map. If your process has a decision, turn the note 45 degrees. In the flowchart convention, a diamond means a decision point.

If you have a process within a process, say, for example, in a sales process, you have a mail-out method, then all you would do is put a vertical line on each side of the Post-it Note running parallel to the vertical edge. This saves you from having to document that whole process.

Remember to define the step succinctly and consider the process from the perspective of the customer, internal team, supplier, or distributor.

Step 5. Ordering the steps
Now you have your steps listed, place them on the flipchart paper and organize in sequence from beginning to end starting in the top left-hand corner and ending in the bottom right corner.

Step 6. Cross-check the Risks
With your process the way it is (knowing you will add arrows and loops to show how to navigate the process), cross-check with all of your risks. Does your process take care of each of your risks? If it does, great; if not, you need to add a new step in your process to ensure the risk does not eventuate. Continue to cross-check for the risks you've identified.

Step 7. Cross-check the Benefits
Apply the cross-check to the benefits. This time ask the team, "Does this process take care of all of the benefits?" If not, it's time to add a new step.

Step 8. Illustrate the Process Direction
After you've completed the cross-check step and have added all the risks and benefits processes, it's time to draw your arrows. Remember, if there's a decision, there will be a yes or no choice and you need to decide where the process flows for each option of the decision.

Step 9. Visual Documentation
Once you're done, it's time to document the process and test it. I recommend the flowcharting software from Lucidchart.com, but there are plenty of options out there for you.

Step 10. Communicate the process
now that you have a clear visual flowchart of the process, it's time to share it with the broader team for feedback and suggestions to improve. Set a date for when you want that feedback and for when you will finalise any changes.

Step 11. Share, display and implement the new process
It's time to start using the process. Make it visible by sticking it up (if appropriate) so people can see what they are doing and have any briefing sessions if required. Create a date to review the process with those that created it and those that use it. The more critical the process the sooner this review should happen.

Step 12. Review the process
Keep the review short and simple. What's working that should continue? What steps might need to stop or be replaced? And what if any new steps are required?

Repeat from step 8 again.

CONCLUSION
Process improvement needs to be simple and effective otherwise, it will fail. Its success is also determined by having several people involved in the process rather than just one person.

The 12 steps to creating a winning process are:
Step 1. Identify a process
Step. 2 Identify the Risks
Step. 3 Identify the Benefits
Step 4. Process Action Steps
Step 5. Ordering the steps
Step 6. Cross-check the Risks
Step 7. Cross-check the Benefits
Step 8. Illustrate the Process Direction
Step 9. Visual Documentation
Step 10. Communicate the process
Step 11. Share, display and implement the new process
Step 12. Review the process

Make an effort to use these steps this year. :)

Or if you want my team to do it for you, go here.

Cheers,
Nils

PS: You can find an example of a popular and battle-tested overarching business reinvention process here.

Nils Vesk is a Four-Time Author and International Keynote Speaker. Nils has worked globally with over 200 bluechip companies including 3M, American Express, Canon, Caltex, Microsoft, Nestle´, IBM, Fuji Xerox, PWC, HP and Pfizer.