High performing teams maintain clear, shared processes for their routine work — and they review and update those processes regularly. This exercise helps teams map their current workflows and identify small but meaningful improvements to their standard operating procedures.
It is grounded in research showing that:
- Process improvement must be both cultural and structural.
- Team-based process development outperforms top-down fixes.
- Small, incremental improvements build momentum, trust, and long-term change.
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Preparing for This Activity
- Anticipated Duration: 60+ minutes and ongoing
- Preparation Level: Low to Mid
- Suitable for: In person and remote meetings
- Materials:
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- Sticky notes
- Flipchart
- Markers
- Shared document (e.g., Google, Padlet)
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Roadmap
Use this framing to begin:
“Today we are creating space to honestly examine how we work together so we can make our processes healthier, clearer, and more supportive. This work requires openness, collaboration, and ideation and is ongoing, collective work. Our goal is to identify opportunities and make improvements at a sustainable pace to ensure the processes meet multiple needs and support our shared work.”
Instructions
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1. Establish a list of processes that could use review or revision (10 minutes)
Why:
Surfacing out of date, unclear processes creates a collective view of what is impacting energy, capacity, and effectiveness.
Steps:
- Ask participants to list all existing processes that feel confusing, inefficient, or problematic.
- Post them on a flipchart or board.
- Stack duplicates or mark with +1 tallies.
Convener tips:
- Encourage people to think broadly about processes (i.e., communication, onboarding, approvals, meetings, finances, technology, etc.).
- Ask yourself: What processes are clear to me? Why? And what processes do I often have questions about? Why?
2. Prioritize which processes to address (10 minutes)
Why:
Teams cannot address everything at once. Prioritizing helps identify the immediate process to focus on and backlog processes for future review.
Steps:
- Invite each person to vote for one to two processes they view as most critical to improve in the next six months.
- Select the top items (up to five).
- Start with one.
- Capture remaining processes in a Parking Lot document for future reference.
3. Map the current process (30–60 minutes)
Why:
Teams must understand what currently happens before deciding what should happen. This step prevents assumptions and creates clarity.
Steps:
- On a whiteboard or flipchart, draw or map out the entire process start-to-finish.
- Consider breaking into small groups to map out the process. This may give you insight into current processes from varying perspectives.
- Emphasize mapping as it truly exists, not as people wish it worked.
- Use plain language and short steps.
- Invite all who participate in the process to contribute.
Convener Prompts:
- What happens first?
- Who touches this next?
- Where do barriers tend to occur?
- What step is often unclear or skipped?
4. Identify one small change (15 minutes)
Why:
Small, team-led changes create sustainable improvement and genuine buy-in, especially when driven by those closest to the work.
Steps:
- Ask the group: “What is one small improvement or shift we could make to this process?”
- Capture additional ideas in a Parking Lot document for future improvement.
- Center the voices of those who are most affected by the process.
Prompt Questions for Deepening Insight:
- Has a top-down solution ever missed the real issue? How did that feel?
- What would make this step easier tomorrow than it is today?
5. Test and iterate (1-4 weeks)
Why:
Iteration builds adaptability and ongoing improvement. Failure is to be expected and embraced.
Steps:
- Try the new change for five iterations.
- Encourage quick adjustments as the team notices what is or is not working.
- Normalize experimentation.
Convener Prompts:
- We’re collecting information and experience, not perfection.
- What surprised you during the test period?
- What adjustments naturally emerged?
6. Reflect, adjust, and appreciate (10–15 minutes)
Why:
Reflection cements learning. Appreciation reinforces emotional labor, highlights the value of shared processes, and builds morale.
Steps:
- Guide a brief reflection:
- What did we learn in this process?
- What improved in our process?
- What still needs tweaking?
- Once the group feels ready, mark the process as operationalized.
7. Choose the next process and repeat (ongoing)
Why:
Process improvement is a cultural shift and ongoing work — not a one-time project.
Steps:
- Revisit the Parking Lot.
- Select the next process to map and improve.
- Keep artifacts — photos, maps, sticky notes — visible to remind the team of their progress and commitments.
Closing Thoughts
- Stay engaged. Find a flow and process for your team to continue revisiting and revising processes as needed. It ensures co-creation, buy-in, and identification of gaps.
- New processes. Identify needs for new shared processes. Map out the process that best meets the user experience.
- Work group. Consider creating a small work group within the team to manage team process and procedures development. The work group would be responsible for capturing ongoing process questions and idea. The work group would also ensure that quarterly or bi-annual review is completed.
Attribution
Kimball, A. H., & Norton, D. (2019). Leading Change: Driving Institutional Process Improvement Against the Odds.