The Record - Issue 18: Autumn 2020

84 www. t e c h n o l o g y r e c o r d . c om N early three-quarters of companies plan to make remote work a permanent real- ity, for at least some of their staff who were previously on-site, according to a Gartner Covid-19 Bulletin from April 2020. It’s a radical shift. While there are significant benefits reported for teams working from home rather than offices, there are also very real chal- lenges, and many of them come down to the need for good processes. In most offices, finding information is as easy as asking a co-worker. But with large numbers of workers now remote, organic process touch- points – like conversations around the coffee pot – are suddenly gone. In addition, those already-dusty procedure manuals and complex flowcharts lying in the office are even less likely to be deciphered, leav- ing vast numbers of employees adrift with little support in the everyday tasks they’re expected to execute in this new context. This vacuum can introduce significant anxiety. As any new employee will attest, not knowing where to look for something, from documen- tation to software access credentials, can be stressful. It’s also unproductive, and employees searching for information on what to do next, or who to hand tasks off to, can lose time and momentum. Communication technology may feel overwhelming, resulting in staff who come up with their own solutions. The inevitable outcome is process variation. As staff develop new methodologies to solve the problems they face in isolation, process execu- tion becomes individualised. That introduces significant instability, as steps are short-cut and compliance takes a back seat to convenience. That kind of unmanaged process evolution results in breakdowns and delays that cost the organisation time, money, and customer goodwill. The simple solution is to make the process information available in a way people can – and will – utilise, from wherever they’re work- ing. They need a cloud-based process tool that invites engagement. An online process platform provides a central source of truth for everyone. It makes processes clear, with information that is easy to find and simple to use. Linking process documentation to information management systems and doc- ument libraries ensures that no matter where they’re working, teams have everything at their fingertips, from forms and policies to instruc- tional videos and linked sites. While providing process information for a widely scattered workforce is crucial to smooth operations, there’s another benefit to creating a cloud-based location that everyone can turn to when they’re thinking about their processes: it provides a portal for innovative thinking. Enhancing innovation with a process platform With more people working from home, an online process management platform can be a central source of truth THOMA S KOH L ENBACH : N I NT E X V I EWPO I NT “Businesses need to provide easy and effective ways for their staff to find the information they need”