Why You Should Mistake-Proof Your Business
Why You Should Mistake-Proof Your Business
Imagine walking into your company and finding that it has never
run so smoothly, there have never been fewer problems, and that
all of the procedures that make it function are being carried
out mistake-free. Not only that, but since every employee has
played an active part in making this happen, each one is eager
to do their part in making their company successful.
Sound too good to be true? Well, it's not. Mistake-free
operations mean money in your pocket.
Most businesses operate by using a series of step-by-step
procedures. Whether you are manufacturing a product, providing a
service, working in an office, or doing anything else in your
business, a series of procedures is normally required to
complete any particular task. And, in any series of procedures,
mistakes can occur. Some mistakes can be made because of poor
design, some because of poor equipment, and many are caused by
the people doing the job.
Think about it. How much efficiency and productivity does your
business lose every time a mistake is made? How sure your
customers affected when a mistake has occurred that affects them
personally? How much money is your business losing because
mistakes and errors are occurring?
Mistakes? They're all around us. They occur every day. Don't
believe it? Just look in any Sunday paper at the corrections
listed by various retail stores. Products have not arrived on
time, or maybe not at all. The prices advertised were wrong.
Then there are the recalls--cars, children's toys--you name it,
most likely caused by some kind of mistake, error, or other
problem somewhere in the manufacture, distribution, or marketing
of the products.
As an example of a manufacturing mistake, I recently ordered a
new car from the factory, and when it arrived, several features
that I had specified were not installed. I am not pleased; in
fact, I am downright mad. I could blame it on Murphy's Law, or I
simply could accept the mistake as one of nature's little
glitches. Whatever the outcome of my problem, the chances of my
buying a new car from the same manufacturer have been reduced
significantly.
Customers hate mistakes and recalls! It's also bad business. It
costs big dollars and, worst of all, it costs good will. When
was the last time YOU got mad at a business for not delivering
what they promised? Did you tell your friends? Did you go back
to that business?
You get the point. Mistakes in the workplace can ruin a
business. Regaining lost trust is a lot harder than gaining it
in the first place.
Can mistakes really be prevented? Yes, they can.
The problem is that most businesses do not understand how to
prevent mistakes from occurring. It's really pretty simple, but
if you don't know how to do it, mistakes will continue to cause
problems.
Mistake proofing is not an art, but is a science. It's kind of a
"no-brainer" science, but a science nonetheless. There exists a
step-by-step process involved that's easy to follow and
prioritizes the importance of mistakes and any other problems in
the workplace. This prioritizing step is extremely important,
because it allows everyone to agree on what problems should be
addressed first. The lack of prioritization is often the
stumbling block in problem solving, because people have trouble
agreeing on which problems are the most critical and require
immediate attention, and which ones can wait until later.
The consequences of failing to mistake proof your business can
be devastating. You may not think much about it, but whenever a
major error occurs, after you deal with it, do you have a real,
formalized method to make sure it never happens again? Do you
have a system in place to deal with all of the other potential
errors that do occur or might occur in your workplace? What are
these mistakes and errors costing your business--hundreds or
thousands of dollars, not to mention the stress, grief, and
morale problems?
The whole idea is to mistake proof your business procedures so
that any errors that are occurring in them or might occur in the
future are designed out of the procedures so that they simply
CANNOT happen.
Just think of the gain in productivity, efficiency, quality,
morale, and cost savings your company would see if every
procedure ran smoothly virtually all the time.
The impact on your company would be enormous!
Unfortunately, not many companies are even aware that there are
formal mistake proofing techniques readily available to help
them.
So, just how does a company being to mistake proof their
operations? Well, first of all, there are a few things to keep
in mind.
* Mistake proofing can be used by individuals, but works best in
teams, since the team members know the most about their own
jobs. Virtually all of the input in a mistake proofing session
is from the team members; the procedures, the problems, and the
solutions.
* Mistake proofing works on procedures and systems that are 1)
currently in place, that is 2) being changed or improved, or
that are 3) in the development stage. In other words, mistake
proofing works just about anywhere in business!
* Mistake proofing is not only very easy and effective, but it's
FUN, as well. And after a procedure has been mistake proofed,
everyone has a feeling of great satisfaction. And who wouldn't
want that?
Bottom line: Mistake-proofing your business will provide so many
benefits that you will wonder how you ever got along without it.
About the author:
Steve Royal is the owner and founder of Royal Associates, a
consulting firm that concentrates on team problem solving. Steve
and his associates specialize in mistake-proofing the procedures
used in the workplace and offer a narrated training course on a
CD-ROM.
Steve can be contacted at sroyal1@rochester.rr.com
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