2. Dates and Deliverables Create Urgency
Documentation for the Greater Good
No one wants to do documentation for documentation’s sake. A process documentation
exercise spanning an entire business unit must have clear and compelling benefits such as:
identifying and prioritizing process improvement projects; enabling organizational consolidation,
standardization, and load balancing; meeting regulatory and compliance requirements (such as
Sarbanes-Oxley). These objectives will also determine the level of detail sought and any
specific requirements of the exercise.
Dates and Deliverables Create Urgency
Setting dates and deliverables for your initiative is critical to ensuring you receive the support
needed to be successful. Create a plan incorporating all of these checklist items (deliverables
are explained in each checklist item). Work backwards from any hard dates to gauge the
degrees of freedom you have to work with – the size of your team, the length of time to
complete, and the level of detail and analysis required. The project plan will be a living
document while you clarify the number of processes involved, the team you can mobilize, and
any logistical considerations (such as availability of key staff or no-go times like financial yearend).
Ensure that key stakeholders are supportive of your planning. Their feedback at this
stage may further calibrate the objectives, duration, and team size for the initiative.
Have a Passion for Communication
Plan the frequency, objective, medium, message, and style for audiences including senior
management, process owners, your team, subject matter experts, and rank-and-file staff. It is
recommended you have the following sets of communication, meetings, and reviews: |
