How do you handle exceptions and changes in your workflows?

1 Identify common exceptions

Exceptions are situations that deviate from the normal or expected workflow, such as errors, delays, emergencies, or special requests. They can disrupt your plans, cause confusion, and waste resources if not handled properly. To prevent or minimize exceptions, you need to identify the most common ones that occur in your workflows and analyze their causes, impacts, and solutions. You can use tools like flowcharts, Pareto charts, or fishbone diagrams to visualize and categorize exceptions and find the root causes.

2 Establish contingency plans

Contingency plans are alternative courses of action that you can take when an exception occurs. They help you respond quickly and effectively to unexpected situations and mitigate the negative consequences. To create contingency plans, you need to consider the possible scenarios, risks, and options that you may face and define the roles, responsibilities, and resources that you need to execute them. You can use tools like decision trees, scenario analysis, or SWOT analysis to evaluate and compare different contingency plans and choose the best one.

3 Communicate clearly and promptly

Communication is key to handling exceptions and changes in your workflows. You need to inform your team members, stakeholders, and customers about the situation, the actions you are taking, and the expected outcomes. You also need to listen to their feedback, concerns, and suggestions and address them accordingly. Communication helps you avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and dissatisfaction and maintain trust, collaboration, and satisfaction. You can use tools like email, chat, phone, or video conferencing to communicate clearly and promptly depending on the urgency, complexity, and sensitivity of the situation.

4 Monitor and evaluate the results

Monitoring and evaluating the results of your actions is essential to ensure that you have resolved the exception or implemented the change successfully and that you have met your objectives and standards. You need to measure and compare the performance, quality, and customer satisfaction indicators before and after the exception or change and identify the gaps, issues, or opportunities for improvement. You can use tools like dashboards, reports, surveys, or feedback forms to monitor and evaluate the results and learn from your experience.

5 Update and improve your workflows

Updating and improving your workflows is the final step to handle exceptions and changes in your workflows. You need to document the changes you have made, the lessons you have learned, and the best practices you have discovered and incorporate them into your workflows. You also need to review your workflows regularly and look for ways to optimize, simplify, or automate them. Updating and improving your workflows helps you increase efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability and prevent or reduce future exceptions and changes.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?