Process Documentation Vs Process Adherence

Anil K · 2015-12-02T05:57:04+00:00

.demo { border:1px solid #C0C0C0; border-collapse:collapse; padding:5px; } .demo th { border:1px solid #C0C0C0; padding:5px; } .demo td { border:1px solid #C0C0C0; padding:5px; } Danish Khan You join a company where the management seem keen on setting up processes. You start with a bang and the senior management seem to be in line with you. Over a period of time, you start documenting process, drawing flow charts and building on your SOPs. However, you suddenly realize that the middle management has found a way to create deviations in the process by taking special permissions from senior management. There side of the story, "If there are no deviations, we will not be able to do it". The management starts buying it, only to see immediate results and to keep the E-Sats high. Gradually you see that people have stopped following processes and that all your documents are merely an eye wash. What should be done in this situation? How can we pull people towards following processes, after all talks, gyaan and rationales have failed? Raman Bansal I have a different opinion about this culture. I will try to add two cents of wisdom here, however you may still differ in opinion. First, deviation is a not an evil. If the process is working better with the deviations, which means it's very much required to be part of the system. Second, coming to the very purpose of putting processes in place is to establish a standard way of working. Now, stitching above two statements will tell us that deviation is just a scenario which we generally miss to document in the first instance. Which means any process when being followed in normal circumstances shall follow the standard process, however if there is any urgency/fallout, it shall get approval of respective hierarchy in the standard deviation approval system (which again becomes a deviation process). And this deviation count shall get reviewed in monthly management review to discuss how many such deviations were passed and what were the root causes. Let people start working on those root causes and eliminate the need of such deviations in future. A structured system well created can make culture changes gradually, if not immediately. Geetika Moudgil Sharma totally buy above point by Raman. Mohit Sethi In agreement with Raman Bansal point Parthiv Chatterjee Agreed to above reply from Raman..adding to this I would say that deviations are necessary to show us where we can improve and make the SOP more robust.. This is kaizen... Also note that changing trends in Operations or market, always calls for deviations and revision of processes... Navnit Goel Center point to be kept in mind that processes are created to serve the project and not the other way. Agreed upon deviations are necessary for running the project smoothly. However, there needs to be structured and defined way of getting deviations and also a proper review. Processes need to be adhered in letter and spirit. Management should take serious if the processes are not being followed up. First of all management itself should be convinced that processes bring higher productivity, compliance down the hierarchy can be brought with proper guidance, training and counseling. Akshay Kapoor One can have better controls in place with constant monitoring to ensure processes are followed and not just documented but having said that constant review of the flow needs to be checked as changing old methodology is equally important to put a step in future with better results. And as very well said above each deviation to the standard should be measured with proper root cause analysis to eradicate the issue. Maheshwari Subramania This is becoming quite common with many companies, saying we are going agile, but in the name of agile, don't have a proper tracking mechanism (read processes) in place which takes a toll on employees. At the end, we end up in countless rework effort, which is again a vicious cycle. Prateek Kumar Relax, it's a universal phenomenon. Processes are not cast in stone. Before we look outwards lets look inwards.If for a particular process lot of deviations are happening, then probably we have defined the process narrowly in the first place. Secondly, deviations once taken should be taken as inputs to evolve the process or gain consensus to handle such deviations in future.Over a period of time the deviations will go down.Deviations are only an indication that the process maturity process need to be taken to the next level. Shrinivas Gardas Generally, there is a global practice of obtaining approvals for the deviations from the process. Lets have a look at from a output of performing an activity which is deviated from process. Deviations are acceptable till the time it doesn't cross the defined tolerance limit moreover should not affect key perspectives viz. cost, customer, schedule, legitimacy and other financial assertions viz. accuracy, completeness, segregation of duties etc., Having said that, there should be a regular conduct of concurrent monitoring of operating condition deviations and process dyanims which otherwise one will never have any control of the processes with innumerable deviations.... Indresh Saluja What are trying to achieve by process documentation? Are we saying process documentation will supersede the thinking of an individual doing the process? Or is documentation such a robust way that it can cover all deviations and exceptions? I agree to points raised by Raman and Prateek. I have done process re-engineering and documentation with lean across several large companies (service, asset& service, pure asset, manufacturing& pure trading companies). There are not more than 5-6 core business processes( order to cash, financial planning & control, raw to finished, customer request to fulfillment, concept to produce, hiring to exit, customer life cycle management, product life cycle management etc... We present these in one sheet per processes cross-functionally without decision boxes. It's a one shot snapshot which everyone wants as its a good reference point. Highlight boxes where error occurs not where error is seen. Create automation and a metric. Create guidelines for common exceptions as annexure so process is not disturbed. It becomes easy dynamic doc. Check more details in article documented by my team at isixsigma.com. http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/basics/process-documentation-a-modern-approach/ Shrinivas Gardas Thanks Indresh for sharing ur valuable inputs: a traditional and new way of documentation approach is very well distinguished and explained ... Gr8 work by your team Indresh Saluja Thanks Shrinivas. It has helped us immensely in creating quick changes across several organisations !! Femi Obiomah Before process documentation, please get everyone involved in the process on the same page with you. When developing documents like SOPs, it is helpful for others to know that they were involved in its creation even if they have no inputs. Some of their inputs may sound stupid, but when there's a cosensus on why the idea should be rejected, it makes life easier. It could turn to stormy sessions, but from experience, the outcomes have been fantastic.

December 2, 201510 yr

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We had a recent discussion on this topic. All forum members are invited to continue this discussion here.

	Danish Khan You join a company where the management seem keen on setting up processes. You start with a bang and the senior management seem to be in line with you. Over a period of time, you start documenting process, drawing flow charts and building on your SOPs. However, you suddenly realize that the middle management has found a way to create deviations in the process by taking special permissions from senior management. There side of the story, "If there are no deviations, we will not be able to do it". The management starts buying it, only to see immediate results and to keep the E-Sats high. Gradually you see that people have stopped following processes and that all your documents are merely an eye wash. What should be done in this situation? How can we pull people towards following processes, after all talks, gyaan and rationales have failed?
	Raman Bansal I have a different opinion about this culture. I will try to add two cents of wisdom here, however you may still differ in opinion. First, deviation is a not an evil. If the process is working better with the deviations, which means it's very much required to be part of the system. Second, coming to the very purpose of putting processes in place is to establish a standard way of working. Now, stitching above two statements will tell us that deviation is just a scenario which we generally miss to document in the first instance. Which means any process when being followed in normal circumstances shall follow the standard process, however if there is any urgency/fallout, it shall get approval of respective hierarchy in the standard deviation approval system (which again becomes a deviation process). And this deviation count shall get reviewed in monthly management review to discuss how many such deviations were passed and what were the root causes. Let people start working on those root causes and eliminate the need of such deviations in future. A structured system well created can make culture changes gradually, if not immediately.
	Geetika Moudgil Sharma totally buy above point by Raman.
	Mohit Sethi In agreement with Raman Bansal point
	Parthiv Chatterjee Agreed to above reply from Raman..adding to this I would say that deviations are necessary to show us where we can improve and make the SOP more robust.. This is kaizen... Also note that changing trends in Operations or market, always calls for deviations and revision of processes...
	Navnit Goel Center point to be kept in mind that processes are created to serve the project and not the other way. Agreed upon deviations are necessary for running the project smoothly. However, there needs to be structured and defined way of getting deviations and also a proper review. Processes need to be adhered in letter and spirit. Management should take serious if the processes are not being followed up. First of all management itself should be convinced that processes bring higher productivity, compliance down the hierarchy can be brought with proper guidance, training and counseling.
	Akshay Kapoor One can have better controls in place with constant monitoring to ensure processes are followed and not just documented but having said that constant review of the flow needs to be checked as changing old methodology is equally important to put a step in future with better results. And as very well said above each deviation to the standard should be measured with proper root cause analysis to eradicate the issue.
	Maheshwari Subramania This is becoming quite common with many companies, saying we are going agile, but in the name of agile, don't have a proper tracking mechanism (read processes) in place which takes a toll on employees. At the end, we end up in countless rework effort, which is again a vicious cycle.
	Prateek Kumar Relax, it's a universal phenomenon. Processes are not cast in stone. Before we look outwards lets look inwards.If for a particular process lot of deviations are happening, then probably we have defined the process narrowly in the first place. Secondly, deviations once taken should be taken as inputs to evolve the process or gain consensus to handle such deviations in future.Over a period of time the deviations will go down.Deviations are only an indication that the process maturity process need to be taken to the next level.
	Shrinivas Gardas Generally, there is a global practice of obtaining approvals for the deviations from the process. Lets have a look at from a output of performing an activity which is deviated from process. Deviations are acceptable till the time it doesn't cross the defined tolerance limit moreover should not affect key perspectives viz. cost, customer, schedule, legitimacy and other financial assertions viz. accuracy, completeness, segregation of duties etc., Having said that, there should be a regular conduct of concurrent monitoring of operating condition deviations and process dyanims which otherwise one will never have any control of the processes with innumerable deviations....
	Indresh Saluja What are trying to achieve by process documentation? Are we saying process documentation will supersede the thinking of an individual doing the process? Or is documentation such a robust way that it can cover all deviations and exceptions? I agree to points raised by Raman and Prateek. I have done process re-engineering and documentation with lean across several large companies (service, asset& service, pure asset, manufacturing& pure trading companies). There are not more than 5-6 core business processes( order to cash, financial planning & control, raw to finished, customer request to fulfillment, concept to produce, hiring to exit, customer life cycle management, product life cycle management etc... We present these in one sheet per processes cross-functionally without decision boxes. It's a one shot snapshot which everyone wants as its a good reference point. Highlight boxes where error occurs not where error is seen. Create automation and a metric. Create guidelines for common exceptions as annexure so process is not disturbed. It becomes easy dynamic doc. Check more details in article documented by my team at isixsigma.com. http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/basics/process-documentation-a-modern-approach/
	Shrinivas Gardas Thanks Indresh for sharing ur valuable inputs: a traditional and new way of documentation approach is very well distinguished and explained ... Gr8 work by your team
	Indresh Saluja Thanks Shrinivas. It has helped us immensely in creating quick changes across several organisations !!
	Femi Obiomah Before process documentation, please get everyone involved in the process on the same page with you. When developing documents like SOPs, it is helpful for others to know that they were involved in its creation even if they have no inputs. Some of their inputs may sound stupid, but when there's a cosensus on why the idea should be rejected, it makes life easier. It could turn to stormy sessions, but from experience, the outcomes have been fantastic.