Turn a process into a checklist people follow

Every business has processes, whether or not they are written down. How an order is taken, how an invoice is sent, how a complaint is answered, how a new customer is set up. When they live only in people's heads, three things happen: the work is done differently by each person, new people learn it slowly and wrongly, and when someone leaves, a piece of the business leaves with them.

Writing the process down does not need to be bureaucratic. A one page checklist that people actually use is worth more than a folder of manuals that nobody opens.

Choose processes worth writing

Do not document everything. Start with the ones where it matters most:

• Mistakes are costly. Wrong invoices, wrong shipments, errors with customer data.
• Many people do it. Differences multiply.
• It happens rarely. People forget the steps between the times.
• It is risky. Safety, security, legal requirements.
• New people must learn it quickly.

Pick one to begin with. Finish it, learn from it, then pick the next.

Watch the real thing

Before you write, find out what actually happens. Ask the person who does the work to show you, and watch. Do not accept "we always do X" without seeing it. Write down the steps in order, the tools, the documents used, the decisions and the points where things go wrong.

Then ask a second person to show you the same process. The differences between them are valuable. They show where the steps are unclear, or where one person has found a better way.

Decide the best way, together

Look at the differences and the pain points and agree on the best way to do it, with the people who do it. Remove steps that add nothing, move checks to where they catch problems and fix what is clearly broken. Writing the process down is a good moment to improve it.

Keep it honest. A procedure that describes an ideal world no one lives in will be ignored.

Write short, active steps

Use plain language and one action per step. Start with a verb. Number the steps in the order they happen.

Compare:

• "Orders should be checked prior to being dispatched in accordance with the relevant criteria."
• "1. Open the order. 2. Check that the address is complete. 3. Check that the item and size match the order. 4. Pack and add the delivery note."

Add the details that stop errors: where to find something, what a correct result looks like, what to do if it does not. Use screenshots or photos where they save words.

Include for each process:

1. Purpose and scope. What it is for, when it applies.
2. Who is responsible.
3. What you need. Tools, access, documents.
4. The steps.
5. What to do when things go wrong, and who to ask.
6. Records. What is saved, where and for how long.

Keep it to one or two pages. If it needs more, split it.

A checklist beats a paragraph

For routine work, a checklist is better than prose. Pilots and surgeons use them because they work: they stop a tired, rushed or distracted person from skipping a step. A good checklist is short, has clear yes or no items and sits where the work happens.

Do not turn a thinking task into a tick list. Use checklists for things that must always be done, and leave judgment to people.

Test it with someone new

Give the draft to someone who does not know the process and ask them to follow it while you watch. Where they hesitate or ask a question, the document is missing something. Fix and test again. This is the only way to find out whether it works.

Get it approved, then released

Ask the people who do the work and the owner of the area to read the final version. Give it a name, a version number, a date and an owner. Put it in the one place where everyone looks, and retire older copies. Tell the team about it in person, not only by email, and explain what changed and why.

Keep it alive

Procedures decay. People change how they work, tools change, rules change. Set a review date, at least once a year, and give the owner the job of checking it. Encourage anyone who finds a problem to say so, and make it easy to suggest a change. A procedure that is wrong should be fixed within days.

An internal audit is a good way to see whether procedures match reality. Our post on your first internal audit shows how.

Measure whether it helps

Look for the signs: fewer errors, faster training, less time asking "how do we do this?", fewer complaints. If nothing improves, the procedure is probably too long, too vague or not used.

Where nerix helps

Keep your procedures in the library. People can search them by meaning and ask nerix in the chat questions such as "How do we handle a return?" and get an answer with the page it came from, so the person can check the original. You can also ask nerix to turn your rough notes into numbered steps or a checklist, which you then test with the people who do the job.

Use Work to turn a recurring process into tasks with owners and dates, and Checks (early access) to check regularly whether the work follows the procedure. nerix does not see how your work really happens, so watch the real thing first.

The short version

Pick a process where mistakes are costly or many people do it. Watch it as it really happens, agree the best way with the people involved, write short numbered steps, test with a newcomer and give it an owner and a review date.