Article 8 Proper Work: Process and Tools Levers

This article addresses the last two levers in Proper Work: Processes and Tools whose symbiotic relationship and significance cannot be overstated. They serve as the backbone for the efficient and effective execution of tasks, ensuring that strategies and objectives are translated into actionable steps to deliver results. In other words, Processes and Tools are used to make meaningful progress happen. However, more than the mere presence of processes and tools is required; they must be deliberately crafted and meticulously implemented. Failure to do so can impede meaningful progress, regardless of how sound your strategy may be. The natural course of events tends towards entropy, necessitating proactive measures to combat the disorder. This principle holds for individuals (it is why I go to the gym and practise yoga) and business entities, underscoring the critical importance of adopting and adhering to best practices in business processes and tools (Lafley & Martin, 2013).

Well-defined processes are at the core of every successful business. They act as the blueprint for executing tasks systematically and efficiently. However, designing effective processes requires careful consideration and intentionality. It entails analysing existing workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and devising optimised solutions to achieve flow. Such deliberate process design and reengineering are imperative and should align closely with your overarching strategic objectives. The "business process reengineering" concept advocates radical redesign of processes to achieve dramatic performance improvements (Hammer & Champy, 1993). While the extent of reengineering may vary depending on business needs, the underlying principle remains: processes should be continually refined and optimised to drive efficiency and innovation.

The selection and deployment of appropriate tools are equally vital to the success of your business’s operations. The market offers many tools to streamline business processes, from project management software to customer relationship management (CRM) systems. However, the key lies in identifying the tools that best align with your business’s unique requirements and objectives.

Businesses often face tool selection challenges due to compatibility, scalability, connectivity (to other tools) and user adoption (Davenport, 2013). To mitigate these challenges, thorough research, stakeholder input, and prioritisation of usability and integration capabilities are essential; a tool should always make a process easier, automated where possible, and permanently reduce unnecessary work.

There has to be a real commitment to adopting the tools in which you invest. Ongoing training and support mechanisms are essential to develop user proficiency and maximise the utility of selected tools. For example, “Smart Work ” is the best training course I have ever attended. It taught me how to use a common business tool: Microsoft Outlook. Delivered by Dermot Crowley , Smart Work is also the training course where I received the most positive feedback from my teams because it taught us how to use the tool properly. We removed unnecessary work and automated functions to manage our calendar and tasks and process email efficiently. Think about this: Did anyone ever teach you how to use Outlook properly? I guess you are seriously underutilising this potent business tool if not.

You must stay vigilant of entropy. One of the greatest threats to the efficacy of processes and tools is the inevitable tendency towards disorder and inefficiency over time. Left unchecked, entropy will erode the gains achieved from your meticulous process design and tool implementation. To counteract this natural phenomenon requires ongoing attention and commitment to adopt proactive measures to maintain vigilance and control (Lafley & Martin, 2013)—regular evaluation of processes and tools, identification of emerging bottlenecks or deficiencies, and swift remedial action. Anything that is impeding your meaningful progress needs to be corrected. Nothing changes if nothing changes; thus, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability is paramount; it enables your teams to respond effectively to evolving challenges and opportunities.

Pursuing operational excellence remains paramount as we navigate our increasingly complex and interconnected world. In this era of rapid technological advancement, we have unprecedented opportunities to leverage cutting-edge tools and methodologies to drive continuous improvement. From robotic process automation to artificial intelligence, technology-driven solutions promise transformation for optimising business processes and enhancing operational efficiency and capabilities. We can automate routine tasks, analyse vast datasets for actionable insights, and facilitate seamless collaboration across disparate teams and functions (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2014).

The effectiveness of your manipulation of the Proper Work levers and, therefore, your entire operation hinges on the deliberate design and implementation of processes and tools. It is essential to strategically approach process reengineering and technology adoption, ensuring alignment with objectives and fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation. We enhance agility, resilience, and our ability to deliver customer value by adopting best practices in processes and tools, managing entropy along the way with continual education and review. When driven by empowered teams of people who are trusted to work autonomously and have clearly defined and aligned objectives and results, embracing technology enables experimentation and continuous improvement to unlock new avenues for innovation and growth, which drive execution, performance and culture.

References:

1. Lafley, A. G., & Martin, R. L. (2013). Playing to Win: How Strategy Works. Harvard Business Review Press.

2. Hammer, M., & Champy, J. (1993). Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution. HarperBusiness.

3. Davenport, T. H. (2013). Process Innovation: Reengineering Work Through Information Technology. Harvard Business Press.

4. Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.