Take a Business Selfie
Selfies are the rage! Selfies are the easy fast way to take a snapshot of yourself wherever you are whatever you are doing and whoever is with you. The advantage is that selfies give an instant picture, adjustments can be made, and more selfies taken.
Businesses can use selfies too and get a read on how they are doing in chunks. Departments can perform selfies individually or simultaneously when they have processes in common and rely on each other. How does a business selfie work?
LOOK. Be on the outside. Get a fresh perspective by standing outside of your company and forget everything that goes on inside. One way to do this is to adopt the persona of a customer and go through the process of doing business with your organization analogous to a personal shopper. This is a snapshot so be specific about what you are looking at and take measurements to compare against a later selfie. Keep it small, manageable and measurable. Look at processes that feed into larger processes and see if they can be optimized. For example:
- How many minutes does it take for a new family to sign-up with a health plan online?
- How long does it take a patient to receive a referral appointment to another doctor?
- Do the hospitals in my system use the same best practices and measurements for quality of care?
- How do I change my doctor in the hospital if I am unhappy with her bedside manner?
- How long does it take a patient who needs meds to be discharged?
REVIEW. Check the results of actual measurements and compare results against expected measurements. Pinpoint the areas that need improvement and separate into quick and those which require a longer time. Be sure to identify those issues that feed into larger processes where the effect can be magnified.
EXECUTE. Create a plan for addressing the issues and assigning priorities. Make the plan 60 days or less. This gives immediate results based on the selfie. Get feedback and set a date for the follow-up assessment of changes.
REPEAT. Use this technique throughout the organization either in stand-alone business areas or where departments are complex or have processes that involve other departments. Selfies of multiple departments that are taken simultaneously allow the departments to look at the interfaces and see how they can better fit—similar to finding jigsaw puzzle pieces that fit.
The advantage of using the selfie is that it is a planned review with planned action in a short period of time. They are valuable in areas where there have been changes in process, workflow or procedures. It can also be used in areas where goals have changed in response to strategy.
Too often, businesses wait until they have time to do a lengthy review. And that allows small issues to grow and spread. Stay ahead—take individual and family pictures now—don’t wait for the 20-year family reunion.