What moves a Work Process to a Work Procedure is the step-by-step efforts that must be made in order to be successful. So, in short, a Work Process names what we do, while Work Procedures document “How” we do it.
Learn more in this episode from Brad Humphrey, the Contractor’s Best Friend!
[TRANSCRIPT]
Benefits to Written Procedures
Recently, I was asked to facilitate a meeting of field leaders with the objective of writing and updating work procedures. Besides being a grueling experience, for all involved, I assure you, the benefits will be realized.
Before I share some real benefits to having written Work Procedures, let me briefly provide a some small, but important differences between Work Processes and Work Procedures.
Work Processes represent the many efforts we do to complete our projects. For example, we may have any number of work processes, similar to a few examples below, including:
- Loading & Tying Down Equipment
- Site Preparation
- Forming Steps and Ramps
- Grout Preparations
- Clean-up of Equipment & Tools
- Preparing Site for Safe Work Flow
- Site Housekeeping
- Securing Needed Tools & Components from Tool Crib
Any contractor may have thirty, fifty, even a hundred or more Work Processes for the field. Even Estimating, Accounting, Business Development, and HR have a multitude of work processes that must be followed.
What moves a Work Process to a Work Procedure is the step-by-step efforts that must be made in order to be successful. So, in short, a Work Process names what we do, while Work Procedures document “How” we do it.
And it is in the process of documenting the step-by-step Work Procedures that many successful contractors have painfully, and patiently, brought discipline and differentiation to their company. Many contractors, who fail in this effort, will forever be frustrated with the many different means of accomplishing work. As long as you have accountable and knowledgeable leader doing what needs to be done, you’re good. But, you may also be on “borrowed time” before that crew leader is gone, and the next leader may have other ideas about how to perform the work.
Here in lies one of the benefits to having documented Work Procedures. So, let’s share a few benefits to making the time, and enduring the frustration, to making Work Procedures formal and used faithfully.
Benefits from Having Documented Work Procedures:
- Commits your company to how, “We do it here.”
- Allows your best performers to review and update when needed.
- Prevents any leader from just doing what they feel like doing.
- More quickly educates new workers, and leaders, to how your company performs the same Work Processes at their last employment.
- Serves as a training document.
- Serves as an accountability document, to make sure workers are following what the company has designed.
- Ensures that your different workers and crews, working on different projects, are all performing the same Work Procedures.
- Provides greater flexibility and options for project schedulers in moving needed workers to other projects or crews, knowing that they are all using same Work Procedures.
- Builds a consistent experience for customers, suppliers, other contractors, etc.
- Allows quicker solutions to process challenges because all the leaders are working from the same Work Procedures.
- Speeds up communication between office and field staff when addressing confusion on required processes.
- Provides confirmation if more than one crew is succeeding or suffering from the same Work Procedure. If it’s not working for everyone…may be time to address needed changes.
- Company projects should realize greater productivity, less “re-work,” better utilization of manpower and resources, and, in the end, growing profitability!
Now, realizing any of benefits listed above comes at a price. It takes time to document Work Processes and Work Procedures. But the benefits, as shared above, can be achieved.
A few suggestions on how to make the actual documentation process smoother, more accurate, and “humane” for those completing the documents are in order. Try integrating a few important techniques that can keep those documenting from going crazy.
- First, spell out what the formal Work Processes are in the company.
- Select 2-5 individuals, the most familiar with the Work Process, and that have proven record for consistency and “brains.”
- Let this team know that what they are about to begin will make the company better, workers more consistent, and separate our company from the competitors.
- Map out a simple Flow Chart that captures 7-11 boxes that provide a “high level” of major contribution to one selected Work Process.
- Take one Work Process, and begin listing the needed actions to effectively complete each “box” of the process.
- Use a Word Document format, or similar, to record all the needed steps of completion.
- Encourage the team to discuss the steps, balancing between recording how often a worker is to take breathes and overlooking things like starting points and end points. (Just joking on the number of breaths a worker takes.).
The final steps should be detailed to the level that the leaders feel that things need to be followed and taught. This is where the stress comes, “How much is too much detail?
Without being overly detailed, realize that some of the Work Process may have more or less detailed in the Work Procedures, depending on what has been the history of the company. If anyone process hasn’t experienced too much quality challenges, then perhaps a less than anal look is adequate. If a process has been very troubling, I would encourage more detail.
Even following every suggestion in this article will still not result in a painless effort to bring formality to your Work Processes and Work Procedures, BUT…it might just put more responsibility and accountability into your people. And that’s got to translate into a more productive and profitable company.
Brad Humphrey
The Contractor’s Best Friend
