Every organisation has a set of rules, policies, procedures, and standards that its people must follow. Organisations with multiple locations may implement different procedures at each site.
Implementing standards is challenging, as they must be communicated to the workforce through documentation, managerial involvement, and company culture. By standardising processes across all locations, a foundation for safety is created, and consistency is achieved.
Whether a team member, project manager, or customer, regardless of location, the organisation should enforce the exact compliance and security standards to protect everyone.
Introduction to Process Standardisation
Standardisation is the implementation of a consistent approach to managing activities and procedures. Your employees must comply with a standard operating procedure when handling routine matters like safety measures, auditing, communications, and document reporting.
Every industry has a set of rules that must be followed. As a business owner or manager, you must incorporate safety standards and enforce strict compliance. And every department of a company can benefit from adopting a standardised approach.
Why Process Standardisation?
The goal of every business owner is to boost revenue, and one way to do that is to reduce redundancies and streamline processes. Teams across your company may encounter similar problems; by standardising business processes, you can ensure that all groups within your company follow the same protocols when dealing with similar situations.
This shortens the time required to implement a solution. When a business process is standardised, it becomes possible to follow a set pattern that ensures consistent results. Companies in various sectors rely on Inform People to help them automate and standardise their business processes, such as daily location inspections and new starter health and safety training.
Standardisation of Business Processes
Business process standardisation ensures that all teams and departments follow the same rules and procedures. Creating uniform procedures across your company may appear simple at first glance, as all you have to do is document your current practices, but in reality, this is often easier said than done.
You must follow the steps of the business process lifecycle to have an effective and standard process. This cycle has the following phases:
Phase 1: Make a list of your goals
The first step is to define your goals. What are your goals for your business processes?
Phase 2: Define and Plan Your Processes
In this phase, you must define the processes you will use to achieve your goals. Make a detailed record of each procedure so you can refer back to it later.
Phase 3: Assign Stakeholders and Implement Actions
Once your processes have been defined, it is time to assign stakeholders and take action. Decide who will be responsible for each task and ensure they have the necessary resources.
Phase 4: Ensure that everything is in working order
Run the procedure on a small scale to test it. Keep an eye out for any gaps and make any necessary changes.
Phase 5: Implement the Procedure
Execute the procedure in a real-world scenario. Consider automating processes for ease of implementation and to reduce manual tasks. Maintain open lines of communication and guide all parties.
Phase 6: Pay Attention to the Results
Monitoring the business outcomes is critical now that you’ve implemented the process. Compare the results to your goals and make any necessary changes. Inform People software can help you simplify this process with live reporting.
Phase 7: Repetition of the Procedure
If the process achieves its goals, it can be repeated and applied to other business processes.
Some Concerns About Process Standardisation Addressed
While there are many advantages to standardising processes and procedures, those who aren’t used to it may be alarmed by the prospect of doing things without flexibility. Concerns about standardisation typically centre on the worry that leads to a loss of creativity and boredom.
Standardisation introduces monotony and boredom
Standardisation can bring order and predictability, leading to more productive and efficient operations. While it may seem repetitive and dull to some, the benefits of consistency outweigh the potential for boredom. By establishing clear standards, everyone on the team works towards the same goal, uses the same methods, and can be held accountable for their results.
This eliminates the complexity of different approaches and allows team members to focus on their areas of expertise. Furthermore, uniform processes make explaining and defending operations easier for clients and investors. While it is natural to crave diversity, adhering to standards is crucial to achieving success as a team.
Standardisation destroys creativity
Contrary to popular belief, standardisation does not stifle creativity. It is often assumed that standardising processes leads to a dull and uninspired work environment. However, standardisation can actually foster creativity by freeing up time and resources that would otherwise be spent on inefficient processes and conflicts.
Standardisation eliminates inefficiencies and enables employees to focus on innovative solutions to problems that truly matter. It streamlines operations, making everyone more productive and effective, which can lead to increased innovation and new ideas. The organisation can always adapt and update its standards if a better method is discovered.
Process Standardisation: Benefits
At its core, standardisation means providing workers with a tried-and-true procedure. Standardisation can remove room for error, provide quality assurance, ensure increased productivity, and boost morale among workers when correctly implemented.
Eliminating Guesswork and Confusion
Workflows, productivity, and output should improve after implementing a standardisation solution. You’ll want to carefully outline your implementation to guarantee that everyone in the business is on the same page about the new procedures and that they are being followed.
By using Inform People’s compliance and performance management software, you can ensure that your employees are aware of and comply with your established policies. Re-evaluating your company’s standard operating procedures can help it stay competitive. An improved method may become necessary for developing new ideas and information.
Reduces Operational Costs
Every business is looking to increase its financial gain. The ultimate goal of businesses is to maximise profits, and you can do that by implementing some basic standards. Businesses save a ton of cash on operational expenses when they use Inform People software, which helps organisations improve business standards and procedures around health and safety.
Boosts Productivity
Inform People’s platform not only helps you standardise but also shows straightforward reporting so you can spot your best and worst locations and offer congratulations and support where needed. Your company will no longer have to waste time and money guessing, allowing it to concentrate instead on what matters. The best part about it is that you can complete a lot of tasks in a short amount of time while still producing high-quality work.
Schedules and Automation
Corporations of the modern era are changing practices and adopting automation. Think about implementing the standardisation process that Inform People provides. Safety audits can often take a significant amount of time and resources to complete properly, and if they are not performed in a standardised manner on a regular basis, they can be costly.
Inform People software enables organisations and Health and Safety leaders to conduct regular audits and inspections from any location at any time. Everything you need, from checklists to follow-up documentation to previous reports, is kept in a central database that offers instant access to authorised users.
The Relationship Between Standardisation and Automation
What Is Process Automation?
Process automation is the use of software and technology to streamline routine tasks within an organisation, such as those involved in completing routine inspections, onboarding new employees, or vital personnel health and safety checks.
When procedures are automated, errors caused by human effort are cut down. The process can be simplified, and costs, quality, and speed of delivery can all be optimised. Process automation incorporates technological tools to ensure a smooth and effective workflow.
When Would an Organisation Use Process Automation?
Automation ensures that the business process is executed correctly by involving the right people, in the right order, with the right information, and within a predetermined time frame. A planned and defined business process is the first step in reducing redundant tasks and activities to increase efficiency. Despite the fact that process automation priorities will vary from company to company, the following areas frequently benefit from process automation.
Onboarding and training of employees: From records management to compliance and training, process automation can facilitate the simplification of onboarding tasks. This accelerates the growth of an active and productive employee.
Regulatory and compliance tasks: Numerous business processes must strictly adhere to compliance and regulatory requirements. Process automation solutions log files and leave a visible data trail, facilitating real-time monitoring and review of the activities.
What Is the Difference Between Automation and Standardisation?
Standardisation involves defining and establishing a consistent and standardised way of performing processes, while automation refers to the implementation of these standardised procedures systematically and automatically.
Standardisation sets the foundation for effective automation, ensuring that processes are defined and streamlined, allowing for the efficient deployment of automated solutions. In short, standardisation defines how things should be done, while automation ensures that they are done consistently and automatically over time.
Choosing Which Processes to Standardise
The standardisation process is relatively easy to manage. Inform People’s compliance and performance management software helps businesses and large organisations standardise their processes. When choosing which processes to standardise, it is important to consider several factors.
Here are some of them:
- Business impact: Identify the processes that significantly impact the business operations and prioritise them for standardisation.
- Repetition: Processes that are frequently repeated and have a high degree of consistency are good candidates for standardisation.
- Complexity: Complex processes with multiple steps and a high degree of variability are also good candidates for standardisation as they can help reduce errors and improve efficiency.
- Cost savings: Processes that have a high potential for cost savings through standardisation should also be considered.
- Employee involvement: Engage employees in the standardisation process to identify processes that they feel can benefit from standardisation.
It is important to approach standardisation as a continuous process, regularly reviewing and updating standardised processes to ensure they remain relevant and effective.
How to Achieve a Smooth Process Standardisation
Make a Process Map
Process mapping is a simple tool used to create and describe your organisation’s workflow. It helps your employees comprehend the processes that lead to completing various company operations. Mapping is the initial step in the implementation of standard processes. It identifies the limitations and challenges underlying each process.
Engage Everyone
To foster an inclusive and productive workforce, leaders should prioritise creating a supportive work environment and clear communication. Leaders can build trust and engagement by being transparent and open with their employees, making the standardisation process more effective.
Additionally, clearly defining the company’s goals and linking them to the tasks and assignments of each team can help motivate and align employees towards a common purpose. Leaders can create a dynamic and collaborative work environment by investing in new strategies that bring staff together and allow them to fully utilise their skills and abilities.
Document Processes
Documenting processes is an essential step in standardising operations and improving efficiency. By continuously recording and documenting all stages of a task or business operation, it becomes possible to identify limitations, correct errors, and eliminate unnecessary costs.
The complexity of operations and the need for documentation may increase over time, but having clear and concise records can help make operations smoother and more efficient. Documentation is a critical aspect of process standardisation, providing a roadmap for workers to follow and ensuring consistent results. These records can be stored on a cloud platform for easy access and retrieval from any location.
Train Employees
Training employees is important in ensuring they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to effectively carry out standardised processes. When difficulties are encountered, or new employees are brought on board, it may be necessary to provide additional training to ensure that everyone is up-to-date on the latest procedures and methods.
This training should be ongoing and should take into account the changing needs of the business and its employees. Providing clear procedures for each process can help maximise resources and ensure the delivery of high-quality outputs in a timely manner.
Perform Constant Analyses and Monitoring
Every new process that is implemented must be monitored to determine its effectiveness for you and your business. Implementing a process that does not result in increased productivity is pointless simply because proper monitoring was not conducted.
If you leave your workforce to chance, they may not implement or comply with your new process standards. It is your responsibility to create systems that hold employees accountable for these standard processes.
Use Software
Among the reasons why process standardisation makes your operations more cost-effective are the elimination of limitations, the reduction of wasted resources and time, and the credibility of information. You need to consider software to keep this process running and fully functional.
Software is used to manage performance, conduct analyses, and reduce costs. Inform People’s software is an effective tool you can use to keep your standard processes running with repeatable checklists for audits and the same learning content for people who needs training and multiple options for communicating changes in the process.
How Does Inform People Help You Standardise Compliance?
While standardising procedures within an organisation may offer numerous benefits, the process can be complicated. This is especially true when introducing new standards into the organisation.
This is why businesses can use tools like Inform People software to help them apply the concepts. Inform People’s compliance and performance software makes it easier for organisations to standardise processes and keep everyone on the same page. Some of the features you can use to accomplish this include:
- Use communication tools with Knowledge Share to facilitate workplace communication and ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Create checklists that employees can use to deploy work instructions and perform standardised checks on existing systems and equipment.
- Embrace automatic high-level reporting for data-driven insights into actions taken on the platform and inform wider business changes.
- Assign tasks to employees and provide them with clear and consistent instructions.
- Using our software, you can brief employees and train them in standardised processes.
- Build standard workflows for employees to follow work processes more streamlined manner, especially when a new starter or changing roles.
Businesses can automate data management, communication, and workflow management tasks using Inform People software, freeing up time and resources for more strategic initiatives. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction, improved decision-making, and business growth.
Contact Inform People if you want to standardise your operations, increase productivity, and maintain compliance.
