I like to share with you this article from Donald Cooper's Newsletter. Donald speaks internationally on management, marketing and innovations and is the champion of straight talking. Here is his take on the importance of process. If you want to know more about how Donald works you may like to visit www.donaldcooper.com
"Creativity and innovation are ‘hot topics’ right now.
They’re all the rage, and
I applaud that. But, in the end, it’s boring, unsexy
‘process’ that actually gets
things done. Even ‘creativity’ is most often a
process. Sometimes it’s just
dumb luck…but mostly not.
In fact, most successful companies have developed a
disciplined ‘creative
process’ that delivers innovative products, more
efficient operations,
consistent quality, employee safety and an amazing,
perhaps even tailored,
customer experience.
'Process' is what keeps airplanes from falling out of
the sky. It’s what makes
a Big Mac exactly the same in Montreal as it is in
Moscow. Process is what
gets cars designed and made and gets a spacecraft
launched and safely back
home. Process is what allows a hotel chain to know
that you want a nonsmoking
room on a low floor, near the elevator, with a king
size bed, foam
pillows and a USA Today at the door. Process is what
gets priority luggage
onto the airport baggage carousel before all the other
luggage. Okay, so
clearly that’s not the best example.
In fact, everything that happens between ‘intent’ and
’delivery’ is process. As
a business, you can have the greatest intentions in
the world for your
customers and staff, for the environment and for your
bottom line. But
without clear, effective and well-communicated
processes, these wonderful
intentions will be just that…’intentions’.
To quote the late W. E. Deming, the internationally
renowned authority on
quality and efficiency, "If you can't describe
what you’re doing as a process,
you don't know what you’re doing."
So, exactly what is a process, anyway? Simply put, a
process is…
1. An effectively communicated sequence of activities,
2. Supported by the necessary resources,
3. Designed to deliver a consistent, efficient and
effective result,
4. To a specific standard.
OK, so it's not so simple. But that's what a process
is...and there are no
shortcuts. Re-read the definition above and, while
you're at it, rate your
business’ performance, on a scale of 1 to 10, on each
of the four elements.
Then, using that info, determine what needs to be done
to improve your
processes.
