Business Base Camp

The dark side of procedures

Note: This is an electronically generated translation. It may not be 100% perfect.Read more.

Procedures are often set up to monitor the processes within our organization run smoothly.

They have the intention to streamline these processes, clear, measurable and verifiable. In itself, a good initiative that can support the quality of your operation.

However, Procedures have a dark side. When they set up exclusively from measurability, accountability and standardization, they shoot often the ultimate aim of the Organization over, namely ensuring that your organization is a real added value for the customer. Because ultimately that is the goal of all our quality efforts, building an image as desirable partner for your (potential) customers.

Where runs are wrong

Where it goes wrong, take the upper hand where control and measurability on services to customers or a negative impact on the processes that one wants to streamline.

Poorly designed procedures cost organizations money hands full. They are usually focused on the acts unilaterally to perform, without taking account of circumstances or edge effects.

Hence, they are distracting for one or multiple parts of an organization. You can think of ordering procedures for standard equipment (such as Office materials), where the procedure is more expensive than any abuse, or concerns for delays in the overall operation. Or you can think of reporting procedures, which take a long time and rarely or never be used for meaningful analysis or feedback. There are plenty of examples, also in your immediate surroundings, to find procedures that are a burden than previously given a supportive.

How to prevent mistakes

Indien u bij het opzetten van eender welke procedure enkele basis regels in acht neemt, dan zal u merken dat u met een minimaal aan zinvolle procedures de werking van uw organisatie of afdeling snel kan optimaliseren, zonder last te hebben van ongewenste neveneffecten.

Each procedure that you want to enter key to the ultimate goal of both your organization and your Department. When even a small negative impact, start again.

Suppose you predetermine the question what impact have these procedures on all concerned. In other words, the introduction of a procedure is a change. What change is this (positive and negative) for all involved in the broadest sense of the word.

How are your customers better here? The end users (so your customers) would be better of all your efforts. You do not change by (which is always stressful for someone) without a good reason. How will this procedure itself – at the end of the line – translate into a profit point for your customers?

What are the negative side effects at the end of the line? To justify this by, or are they are offset by the positive effects that will bring them.

With these four considerations to add to all the other concerns that you create before a procedure to deploy, you will already have a step further. Meaningful procedures help you to maximize the results of your organization. Senseless procedures will just your customers and employees antagonise against you and you direct and indirect cost a lot of money.

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