Have you ever wondered why your carefully designed processes seem to fall apart once they hit the shop floor? You are not alone. I’m Milind Bibikar and as a business coach who works specifically with engineering project companies like yours, I have seen this challenge time and again. Today I want to help you understand why your team might be bypassing these processes you have worked so hard to create and more importantly what you can do to fix it. Firstly, we’ll talk about the problem we are facing. Then we’ll discover the
possible reasons why it is happening. And then lastly, I’ll share what all worked for me and my clients. So, let’s start with the problem. So, the problem you have probably experienced this scenario. You spend days creating clear step-by-step instructions. You explain everything to your team. Maybe you even train them. But a few weeks later, you will notice that people are doing things their own way. Again, this is not because your team is lazy or trying to break rules. There are real reasons why this happens and
understanding them is the first step to fixing the problem. So let us see the first reason why this generally happens. So reason number one is the gap. The first big reason processes fail is the gap between who makes the process and who has to use it. As a business owner, you see the whole picture. Fewer mistakes, saving time, meeting requirements, but your team is mainly focused on getting today’s work done quickly. When your processes seem to slow them down without any clear benefit, they will naturally find
shortcuts. I mean, wouldn’t you do the same thing? If you get this, let’s move on to the next reason, which I think is the most common one. Reason number two, too complicated. The second reason is simple. Your processes are too complicated. Our work already is complex enough. And more than that, we should understand their abilities to handle these complexities as well. When we add too many steps, checkpoints and approvals, it is like giving someone a 100page manual just to make a check. They will skip
pages. If it can be kept simple, keep it that way. When things get too complicated, people simplify by skipping steps they think are not important. Now, let’s move on to the last one. The one that most business owners ignore but makes all the difference in the world. Here comes reason number three. No way to speak up. So team members have no way to suggest improvements. If they run into problems with the process but can’t tell anyone about it, they will either create their own shortcuts, get frustrated or
stop following the process. Yes. And this is ignored by most of us. I know that you want them to speak up if they have any issues, but they don’t know how they can do this. If you really want to turn this around, then look at the solutions. These simple fixes that work for businesses like yours. So, let’s start with the most basic ones. Solution number one, include your team. Get your team involved in creating processes. This means watch how your team works before making a new process. Ask for inputs from people who actually
use the process. Test your processes with few team members before rolling them out to everyone. When your team helps create the process, there are they are much more likely to follow it. It sounds fairly easy, but it’s not that easy. Solution number two, keep it simple. Every extra step you add makes it less likely people will follow the process. For each process, ask what problem are we trying to solve? What’s the simplest way to solve it? Can we cut out any unnecessary steps? Focus on making the technical
work clear, not adding extra paperwork. That being said, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add anything new or evolve. It’s just that you have to do it keeping everyone in mind. The next one is the solution for the most obvious mistakes we make. Solution number three, ask for feedback. Have regular meetings where your team can talk about the problems with current processes. Suggest better ways to do things. Share when following a process actually help them. Make it clear that you want the
honest feedback, not just what you want to hear. The teams that follow processes best are often the ones who help them improve them. Solution number four, show why it matters. Show your team the real benefits of following processes. How they make fewer mistakes. How they are redoing less work. How customers are happier. How actually save them time in the long run. People are more likely to follow processes when they can see that processes actually help. Conclusion. Getting your team to follow processes is not about forcing rules on
them. It’s about creating steps that actually make sense and help everyone do better work in project business where getting things right is so important. Good processes are not optional. They are necessary. But those processes need to work for the people using them, not just look good on paper. I would love to hear what has worked for you. What processes do your team actually follow? Which ones do they ignore?
