Hey, the days are growing longer, and the weather is warming up! It’s time to start thinking about spring cleaning our homes—a fresh start and a declutter!

What if we applied this to our work, too?  We love to update processes and add better instructions and a little more detail….but guess what? Just like our homes, our procedures can become cluttered and outdated over time. It’s important to take a step back and evaluate what processes are no longer serving us well. Are any outdated processes slowing you down or causing unnecessary headaches? Are there any procedures that no longer serve a purpose or are redundant?

Maybe get RID of some things (GASP!)

One of the fundamental principles of quality management is continuous improvement. This means constantly looking for areas where we can streamline processes, eliminate waste, and enhance the overall quality of our products or services. One way to achieve this is by taking things out of our procedures that are no longer necessary or effective. During yearly goal setting, I would ask my team to consider eliminating ONE thing we do.  Let’s be honest: where are all the people coming from to execute all the processes and procedures we are adding….

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Examine each step in the process: Take a close look at each step in your procedures and ask yourself, “Is this step absolutely necessary?” If the answer is no, consider eliminating it.
• Consult with employees: Your front-line employees are often the best source of information when identifying procedure inefficiencies. Get their input and feedback on what steps could be removed or updated.
• Keep the end goal in mind: Remember that the ultimate goal of spring cleaning your procedures is to improve efficiency and quality. Keep this in mind as you evaluate each step in the process.

In addition, when was the last time you reviewed your metrics? We tend to add more and more but don’t do a good job of deleting metrics with years of historical stability. There are several reasons why you might want to stop tracking a specific metric in your business:

• Irrelevance: Over time, some metrics may become irrelevant or outdated. If a particular metric no longer provides valuable insights or helps you make informed decisions, it may be time to stop tracking it. Focus on metrics directly tied to your current business goals and objectives.
• Misleading data: Sometimes, a metric provides misleading or inaccurate data that does not accurately reflect your business’s performance. If you find that a metric consistently provides misleading information, it may be best to stop tracking it to avoid making misguided decisions based on faulty data.
• Resource constraints: Tracking metrics requires time, effort, and resources. If you spend significant resources on tracking a metric that does not provide much value in return, reallocate those resources to track more meaningful metrics that directly impact your business performance.
• Overload of information: Tracking too many metrics can lead to information overload and make drawing meaningful insights from the data difficult. If you are overwhelmed by the volume of metrics you are tracking, consider streamlining your metrics to focus on the ones that have the most significant impact on your business.

Ultimately, the decision to stop tracking a specific metric should be based on whether that metric is adding value to your business and helping you make informed decisions. Regularly reviewing and evaluating the metrics you track ensures you focus on the most relevant and insightful information to drive your business forward.

By spring-cleaning our quality processes, procedures, and metrics, we demonstrate to the business that we are adding value, operating at the highest level of efficiency, and delivering results. Just like decluttering your home can bring peace and order, decluttering and updating at work can increase efficiency, productivity, and overall success.

So this spring, grab your metaphorical broom and dustpan and take a fresh look at your processes. Remove what’s no longer serving you and update what needs improvement. Your business will thank you for it.

If you need help with your spring refresh, contact QLeaR Advisors at contact@QLeaRAdvisors.com or call us at 1-833-QLARITY.