Being able to create clear work instructions will save you time, money, and prevent frustration. Whether the instructions cover an internal process or a customer journey, it’s important people know what they need to do and the path they need to take.
There is an art to giving instructions. Remember asking for directions from a stranger, before we had GPS? Often, people would give too much or too little information, meaning you were no closer to finding your destination.
Instructions at work are important because they can:
- Ensure a process is done correctly;
- Save you time because you’re not fixing errors or giving reminders;
- Shorten the sales cycle for a potential customer.
Sometimes clear work instructions are not documented anywhere. They’re only passed on to new employees through word of mouth.
This can become a problem because some people may outline the process differently. Also, the instructions may be presented after someone has already done something (like a monthly expense report), meaning it now has to be redone.
If your instructions are important, then they should be easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to implement. These tips can help you create better work instructions:
Test to Create Clear Work Instructions
When you’re heavily involved in a process, all of its steps may seem obvious. Test the instructions with several people.
Don’t just have them be those who are one seat away from you or in your department. Find some people on the outside and see if the instructions are clear.
When I worked in TV news, I would sometimes discuss a complicated story with the front desk receptionist. If she understood it, then I’d feel confident the viewers would too. If the receptionist was confused, then I had to rework the story.
Is it Repeatable and Follow a Pattern?
While you don’t need to create a jingle, can you find a way to make the process stick in people’s minds and make it easy to explain to others. Maybe you can create an abbreviation, use a catchy phrase, or create a visual reminder, like an infographic.
Things are easier to repeat if they also follow a logical order. If you’re ordering a sub sandwich you typically talk about bread, proteins, vegetables, and condiments in that order. The order is based on how the sandwich is assembled.
If you’re ordering coffee with cream and sugar, you’ll get a confused look if you say, “I’d like sugar, cream, and coffee.”
Revisit Your Instructions
Let people use your instructions for six months and then revisit them. If people aren’t following the guidelines or are asking a lot of questions about the process, then you need to revise them.
It’s possible a step needs to be explained in greater detail.
Sometimes people will create shortcuts in your instructions. Discover if the shortcut works or if it undermines the process.
If there’s a step that’s really important for people to do, make sure they understand why its important. Mysterious reasons do a poor job of getting people to buy into your instructions.
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