processes

I think most people who work with me would say that I’m organized. I’m actually not wired to be that way, but I’ve learned over the years to be much more methodical and detail-oriented.

You could say it’s been a process, and it remains an ongoing process, too.

Speaking of processes … for a long time, whenever we added a new client I would put together an email to Briana (who handles this part of the business) with instructions about everything she needed to do in order to enroll this person in our coaching program

Then several years ago, I had a bright idea (really, it was quite obvious!). Why don’t we write down and standardize all of those tasks that need to be done when someone joins our coaching program? We got to work on it, and before we knew it, we had a formalized process that includes 27 tasks (large and small) that we must do with every new client. That has worked wonders in making sure we do everything—and do everything right.

We didn’t call it a process, but that’s exactly what it is. I once read somewhere or heard someone say: “You should establish a process for everything you do in your business.” Since then, we’ve developed a process for just about all aspects of our business.

There are multiple benefits to doing this.

First of all, this gives us a roadmap to correctly and quickly do all the things we need to do; it also keeps us consistent.

Secondly, if, say, Briana is off on vacation, someone else could immediately step in and complete many of our processes including adding new clients to the coaching program.

Thirdly (and this is one of the biggest advantages), if something does go wrong, if we make a mistake or if some action is not taken, the process allows us to figure out exactly what happened. We don’t waste time pointing fingers. Instead, we can pinpoint the weakness that led to the problem or oversight and then not only quickly fix it, but also take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Coming up with a process is not fun. In fact, it can be incredibly tedious with lots of details and contingencies to consider. Creating any workable process takes time, concentration and often hours of work, but it’s well worth the extra effort in terms of ultimate time management and consistency!

Edwards Deming, the father of the quality movement, said it best: “If you can’t describe what you are doing in a process, you don’t know what you are doing.”

Enough said.