The 3 Pillars of Process
How a proven framework, the right tech, and strong leadership converge to solve your process problems
The best process is the one that gets done.
Not the one with the fanciest process map
Not the most eloquently stated
Not the oldest, or the newest
Just like the best exercise regimen is the one you’ll actually stick to…the best process is the one that gets done.
Too often, as entrepreneurial leaders, we think there’s a problem with the process itself when the root of the issue is actually not process related at all.
Customer is unhappy…we have a process problem!
Cash is flowing the wrong way…we have a process problem!
Team is not executing consistently…we have a process problem!
When something goes wrong, you may indeed have a process problem. But on the other hand, you may not. And if you find a great solution to the wrong problem…well.
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I’ve been a business owner since 2012. During the first few years, I was solving process problems in my own company in the hospitality space. Since 2018, I’ve consulted with 100+ SMBs on process and training.
This is what I’ve found to be true. There are 3 pillars that support the execution and continuous improvement of any company’s unique processes:
Relying on a proven framework for using and improving your processes (i.e. a methodology, a proven, systematic approach)
Utilizing the right technology to find efficiencies in storing and sharing company knowledge
Reinforcing it all with strong leadership that gets the right people on the bus (and keeps the wrong ones off)
A Proven Framework
If process is the what, and training is the how, then the framework provides clarity on the who, the when, and the where. Here’s what I mean.
As a young business, you start with 0 processes. As you experiment, test, and refine, you add one and then another. Then you strip some away as you find better ways. Your business is built on a foundation of tried and true processes unique to your business, but that foundation evolves over time.
Your process framework gives clarity to questions like:
Who is responsible for codifying our processes? (If everyone is, then no one is)
Who documents it?
When?
How does it get documented?
Where does it live?
How does it get updated as things change?
You could call it an operating system, you could call it a methodology, or you could call it the process for your processes. I call it a framework.
Before long, your framework has turned into the flywheel that at first takes effort, but after gaining momentum, spins almost effortlessly.
Using your framework, you grow and change, then standardize, grow and change, then standardize, grow and change, then standardize…forever and ever amen.
The Right Technology
What does “right” mean?
Storing your documented processes in one place is non-negotiable. Not too long ago, that one magical place was something like a binder at the front desk, maybe even a copy at everyone’s desk. That worked because it was the option available at the time.
But now, that beautiful binder is neither the only option nor the best one. Now, of course, we have digital places that make it easy to store and share knowledge whether we’re working from a single location or from across the globe.
But if you have some in Google, others in Slack, others on hard drives…I’m sorry, but it just won’t work. Sorting through folder after folder to search for a process that may or may not be in there is a waste of time, people know that, and they just won’t do it.
When your processes are scattered, the framework falls apart because no one can find the information they need when they need it. And there’s no leadership quick fix for that. Now more than ever, we have to have the information we need when we need it. The world simply moves too fast to operate any other way.
Using technology to document and share knowledge isn’t even a competitive advantage anymore; it’s table stakes. Our go-to software is PlaybookBuilder, an easy to use platform that simplifies the way you store, share, and drive adoption of your core processes and best practices.
Strong Leadership
But technology is never a silver bullet. Technology alone doesn’t solve a process problem anymore than a defibrillator alone solves a heart problem.
Here is the conundrum of growing a business from the ground up: How do we organize other people to get the work done?
That in itself, always and forever, is the question. If you’re building a team greater than 1, how do you…
Choose the right person for the job?
Prioritize, and reprioritize as things shift?
Make sure everyone gets consistent results, even as things change?
You can land on a great process, define it, document it, share it…But the question leadership must answer is: “What happens when that process is not followed?” That is the final box that, left unchecked, makes everything else unravel.
Is there an uncomfortable conversation about performance?
Do you let someone go? Change their responsibilities?
Or is the problem actually about the process?
It's the leadership's responsibility to identify the problem’s root, and fix it—whether that means having a tough performance conversation, making a hard decision about personnel, or figuring out what the barrier to executing the process is.
If you have a process problem, what if the process isn’t actually your problem? What if it’s lack of a proven framework, not using the right tech, or a leadership gap that could be easily filled?
In September I’m teaming up with PlaybookBuilder to offer a 6-week sprint for entrepreneurial leaders who want to finally get a grip on process.
It’s called The PlaybookBuilder Process Cohort, and we have 8 spots left. Join us by reserving your spot at the linked page, or sending me an email at elizabeth at untangleyourbiz dot com.
