measure for success

How long does it take to complete the most important task in your work??

If you are currently looking at the ceiling in the hope that a respectable number comes into your head then you might have a problem that needs resolved.

I have talked recently about the importance of having Process Maps in the workplace and how this can benefit the likes of Problem Identification, Consistency, Continuous Improvement etc.

One of the key aspects of Process Mapping is understanding who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and who needs to be kept Informed (RACI) for each step and it is also vital to measure each task i.e. how long does it take to complete.

The timing measure is such an important aspect of the Process Map. A lot of businesses today will have systems in place that will support the time measurement of tasks, however it doesn’t mean that they will use this information to good effect.

If you don’t have a system in place, then you may have to use other methods to capture this information e.g., staff time sheets, calculating how many widgets are made in a given time to understand cycle times or sitting side by side with your team to observe and record the time taken to complete a task.

Why should I bother going to all that effort I hear you ask?

The benefits to any business knowing how long a task takes are:

·         More accurate resourcing of teams – you may have either too many or too little employees to manage your demands. Too many, and expensive wastes start to creep in. Too little and your team are being asked to work overtime or may be over worked and feeling stressed resulting in lengthy absenteeism.

·         Easier to identify problems e.g., when a task is taking longer than expected – find out WHY and get to work on resolving the root cause of the problem

·         Setting improved customer expectations – ensure your customers are aware of how long they must wait to receive the product/service they are paying you for. If you are consistently missing the mark then again, find out WHY and get to work on resolving the root cause of the problem

·         Supporting the reduction of variability in roles and identifying training needs – if everyone in your team is doing the same job but at different speeds, then your customers may not be getting a consistent service. Sometimes it just needs some training to resolve this however, this is not always the case so yes you guessed it… find out WHY and get to work on resolving the root cause of the problem

So before you go to the expense of recruiting new staff to grow your business, or become frustrated that your current team are not producing what you expect then perhaps you should:

STOP – MEASURE – UNDERSTAND

Then you will be in a better position to identify what the best solution is for your business.