A Case Study…

I had a call earlier today with an agency and met with their production team.

Problem

On the call, I learned that every time someone on their team started a new task, it would take 30 to 90 minutes to figure out how the task should be completed.

The issue was exacerbated because there was no way for the team members to reference how things should be working or where to find the information they needed quickly.

Without these resources, this team turns to asking questions to someone else on the team 99% of the time.

Solution

To fix this issue, they need standardization and quick reference materials. These are simple solutions to help their team members get answers fast.

Results

With standardization and quick reference materials, this team will save as much as 292 wasted hours every month.

Organizing Quick Reference Materials

Folder systems are terrible solutions for organizing quick reference materials, and your team will constantly struggle to find where the materials are located.

Instead, you need a centrally managed and searchable repository for quick reference materials. I’d suggest using the same system where you create your process docs and SOPs.

This way, your team must only learn about one place to get the necessary information.

For bonus points, link or embed the quick reference materials where the job is being performed.

Summary

1. Create standard ways of how to run your process and document it.
2. Create quick reference materials, such as project briefs, simplified process docs, and video walkthroughs that answer the specific questions your teams run into while executing their responsibilities.
3. Make quick reference materials super easy to locate.

Remember that you only have to build the documentation once, but you get the benefit every time an employee uses it. The cost of not having quick reference docs is also multiplied by the number of employees you have on your team and the hours they may be wasting.