Processes in the time of COVID-19

We live in a time where many businesses have been thrust into upheaval. There’s uncertainty, misinformation, fear and what is turning into a prolonged period of stress. Both the human and  wider economic cost of COVID-19 have been devastating, and individuals and businesses alike are still grappling with its full effects.

That said, there are also stories of hope. Present circumstances have forced almost all businesses to be more flexible, to really consider what they do and how they do it, and more honestly assess value. It could be argued that from the ashes of COVID-19 shall rise much more resilient, robust businesses – because those are the ones that are going to survive.

The common theme across these businesses will be well articulated, detailed and accessible standard operating procedures (SOPs). With so many staff now working remotely, it is more important than ever to ensure that you as a business have clearly communicated to your workforce how things are to be done and when. Processes can no longer be glossy flow charts on walls. They need be ingrained in daily operations at an individual level. So, what are the key features of effective processes in a mobile working world?

Co-ordinated across the organisation

SOPs should be mapped out across the organisation. This process is a great opportunity to analyse operations and identify areas of latency, redundancy and competitive advantage. Starting small and then building outwards is a way to make this seem less daunting. Once complete you will have a unique and wholistic view of the organisation. Centralising some functions may create efficiencies you never thought of from a department or unit view.

Documented and real

SOPs must be documented, detailed and realistic – not aspirational. As tempting as it is to describe the we wish things were, SOPs must describe the way things are. Whilst we might like to say that an invoice can only be paid when XYZ are in place, if there are times when you have to push things through for operational reasons, you need to incorporate  that flexibility. .

Engaging

SOPs only have value if your workforce engages with and understands them. Accordingly, SOPs are no longer stale documents in a manual. They may include multimedia, they may include humour, they are in bite-size chunks and adhere to learning design principles.

Relevant to the individual

Documenting your workplace’s  SOPs is only half the challenge. The make or break of the project is the communication to the workforce. Giving every employee a detailed induction for every SOP in the company will only result in information overload. If you give them the pieces of information which are relevant to them, the information will be relatable and easy to digest. You may communicate the same SOP to different workgroups in different ways. The focus should be  on utility of information.

Accessible

People are likely to want to revisit parts of the company’s SOPs at different times. To this end, they  should be housed digitally, be searchable and  remotely accessible on a variety of devices. This interface should be modern and easy to use. People are unlikely to engage with even the best SOPs if they are housed on a platform that is hard to use or access.

Businesses who use this time during the pandemic to refine their SOPs and engage with their workforce about how they do things – and how they could improve things – will emerge from this time stronger, more resilient and ultimately more profitable.