Have you evaluated your business processes lately? Too often when I ask this question at a client, the answer I get is “no.” You need to regularly evaluate your business processes to ensure they are still effective. Changes in the organization – growth, reduction in labor force, new products and services, changing expectations of clients, etc. – all require a look at your processes to see if they are still effective and enabling for employees to meet the needs of the business.
This doesn’t have to be an onerous process and you certainly don’t have to change every single business process at the same time (nor should you). As a best practice, on an annual basis evaluate your business processes and determine if they are still meeting the needs of the business. Get involved those employees who are working with the process day in and day out – they likely already know how to make changes to the process (and may have already made changes on their own in how they work).
Through surveys to clients and vendors/suppliers, check in on how things are working. Are they getting what they need from your business? What is effective and what is not? Through strong relationships with clients and vendors, I learn regularly how things are going and am able to make adjustments to keep things moving in the right direction.
Through a regular review and updating (when necessary) of your business processes, you’ll find that you can better meet the needs of your clients and work more effectively and efficiently with vendors/suppliers. Better to stay ahead then fall behind!
