Ideas are cheap, but people aren’t. For those working on continuous improvement projects, or any process development activity, it is always easier to come up with a new process than it is to implement it. Having people adopt a new process is always the most difficult aspect of process improvement. When changing processes it requires people to learn how to do them (and spend company dollars while doing it).

Here in this post are some ideas to consider when designing process workflows to get your colleagues on board.

1. Path of least resistance

As with electricity, people migrate towards the path of least resistance. If what needs to happen aligns with the easiest way to do it, your colleagues will catch on quickly. If people tell you that new software won’t be successful unless the process is already successful, then they haven’t had successful alignment with the path of least resistance. Try to find assembly tools, software, or design features that help the person complete the task the way you want it completed, and you will end up with the intended outcome every time.

2. Intuitive Design

You already know the process because you designed it, but it doesn’t mean it’s obvious to everyone else. Garner feedback from a select few and take constructive criticism with a grain of salt. You might get some ideas on how someone expects your process to work before they know how it works. If someone can figure it out on their own, you save time and money.

3. Balanced loading

If your approval process includes sending everything in an approval workflow to the CEO, he probably won’t review things very critically. Try establishing early reviews with peers, and with successful peer reviews migrate approval up the ladder. There are more peers than CEOs, so establish balanced work loads.

4. Established work-arounds

Many will want to have a work-around for emergency or priority events. If you establish these work-arounds up front into the process, it can be tracked.

5. Make the process map available to everyone

If people don’t know the process, they may not take it seriously. Making process maps easy to understand and publicly available to everyone helps them understand the process for themselves.

 

Change, to many, is difficult to adapt to. The best way to implement change is to utilize technology to make things easier, ensure everyone is on board, and explain the rationale behind the change. Typically, it just takes a little transparency, constructive feedback, and some due diligence in planning it out. Processes should always be a work in progress, so don’t let the fear of change hinder improvement.