chuck-stack Operation Best Practices

The single best thing you can do to increase operational velocity and efficiency is to implement basic quality practices. Doing so will help both your people and your AI augmentation. If you do not have a quality program/book already, the following bullets written on a single page should be your first version:

We are committed to exceeding business partner expectations by executing the following:

Say what we do

Do what we said we would do

Prove that we did it

Welcome feedback

Focus on continuous improvement

If you said nothing else to summarize your quality program, this would be enough to start an incredible organization!

Quality Program Principles

Before we get into the details of implementing a quality system, let's first introduce some important principles to help you create something you are proud of and to save your heart beats.

It is easy write a novel then put it on a shelf. Don't do that! You will waste yours and everyone else's time.

These bullets will make creating your quality program as easy as possible.

Be kind and concise - Write the absolute minimum number of words possible in your work instructions. Someone will need to maintain every word you write from now to eternity.
Do not repeat yourself - Say something once, and reference it everywhere else. Modern writing tools like Obsidian make connecting complex concepts easier.
AI knows almost everything - Do not repeat what AI already knows in your work instructions. Your purpose in writing work instructions is to shrink AI's world so that it knows what is important to you and how you want it discussed. This simple principle will reduce your work instructions by half if not more!
AI creates training - Rely on AI to build your training aids and quizzes. If you write clear work instructions. AI can handle the rest for you.
Words are best - Words are your best and most maintainable tool to support your organization and AI.
Pictures rot - they rot faster than words and are harder to maintain. If you can say it, then say it! If you need to picture it, make sure you understand its value versus present and future cost.
Videos rot - they rot faster than pictures and are harder to maintain. If you can picture it, then picture it! If you need to video it, make sure you understand its value versus present and future cost.
State the purpose - when you do not know what to write, state your purpose: "The purpose of this page is to...". The rest will flow.
State the big picture - answer the simple question: what's in it for me? The big picture should follow immediately after the word "purpose...". Here is an example of combining the purpose and big picture into a single sentence: "The purpose of this page is to discuss proper medical case filing so that and your team do not go to jail."
C+ is better than F - if you are starting from scratch, just know that something that resembles the above principles is better than nothing. Start with where you are, and make what you create immediately usable. Welcome feedback and enlist everyone to continuously improve it.

External Quality Program Breakdown

You might be in an industry that mandates quality programs like ISO 9001:2015. Or, you might aspire for a nationally recognized program like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

The purpose of this section is to help you manage expectations for most (if not any) quality standard. Here is how you break down a quality standard into something that is easier to understand and manage. You look for the following words:

Shall - every time you see the word 'shall' in a quality standard, there is an action tied to that bullet. If you want to know how many actions, count the number of 'shall' occurrences.
Maintain - every time you see the word 'maintain', there is a documentation or records requirement. This is what and how you prepare for a quality audit.
Retain - every time you see the world 'retain', there is a requirement for proof and potential future record audit. This data must be made available for the specified period of time.