Some processes are too complex to be intuitively completed, but using process maps and checklists you can complete most complex tasks.
We live in a world that is intuitive. This isn’t by accident. Computers give us the ability to access and manipulate incredibly complex information, however they can be navigated by an illiterate 4-year old. This isn’t by accident. In order to push for mass acceptance, engineers moved away from the math- and logic-based foundations of computing into a graphic-based user interface (GUI). It was a brilliant move as computers moved from the high-priestly class of engineers out to the masses. But when we assume that everything in life should be intuitive and easy, you’re setting yourself up for frustration.
The good news is that you have organizational tools. The bad new is that you actually have to use them.
When you start to combine the organizational tools, you can start to get exponential returns on efficiency. Take for example the checklist. Since people can only hold about seven ideas or tasks in their mind (generally speaking) adding more tasks then that can result in people forgetting to do things or doing things out of order. But using a checklist, you can theoretically have a near-infinite list of items that you can complete. But you have to ask yourself where does the checklist come from?
Creating your Checklist
This is the rub. It will take you way longer to create the checklist than it will to execute the checklist. Also, you’ll probably have to revise the checklist multiple times. But if you think of the checklist as a time and energy -investment that you expect to pay you returns many times over in the future, then it still makes sense to take the time to create it. Make it once, and use it again and again.
Creating your Process Map
Now when you have a longer process, one that no longer can be captured with a single checklist, you have a process map. Part of the beauty of the process map is that you can now have multiple people working on multiple priorities separately and then have the results combined. But even if your process is just sequential, it ensures that you have completed the tasks needed in the initial stages before moving onto the later stages. Think of the map as a number of stations, each with different players and with different incomes and outputs. Having this process map lets you get a high-elevation perspective on your task before you dig into the weeds using your checklist.
When to use the checklist and process map
Use a checklist when you have a simple task that you’re going to repeat frequently. Submitting a weekly financial report or a quarterly activity report. However, when you have a longer process, like a budget development process, or developing a capital bill where there are going to by many people involved and many moving parts, use the map. At each stage of the map, you will likely use checklists, but the lists may have to be updated based on how things progress along on the process map.
Also, these maps and checklists are best developed either before they are needed, or immediately after they would have been helpful, when the information is still in fresh. But once they’ve been created, it will help you delegate, communicate and execute effectively, freeing you up for more important tasks.