How workflows eliminate wrong questions asked during a crisis
In the event of an unforeseen crisis, are current, accurate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) enough to mitigate business interruption? Is it really necessary to document workflows, as well?
Scenario: You work in a servicing department boarding new client data to a system. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for boarding new clients are mature, meaning they are current, accurate, reviewed regularly, updated regularly, and saved in a shared drive. In a crisis, any employee with the correct role permissions can board client data to the system. Simply launch the system and follow the steps of the appropriate procedure. However, there are no documented workflows as there has never been a need.
As luck would have it, you suddenly find yourself in need of emergency surgery during an uptick in new client boarding. Your immediate backup is on a 10-day cruise in sparkling blue waters, and your manager is locked down during a strategic planning week. The only other person with the correct role permissions works in a different department and was supposed to cross-train, but never did.
With a fair amount of can-do attitude, the untrained person agrees to take on the challenge of boarding new clients in your absence, locates and reviews the appropriate SOPs, but hits an insurmountable obstacle upon learning there is no documentation anywhere regarding how a boarding request enters the servicing department pipeline.
As you lie in your hospital bed, groggy and groaning post-surgery, your phone blows up with texts from the untrained person. Questions ping in, one after the other in a barrage so relentless a nurse peeks in to ask if you’re good. Meanwhile, your frantic co-worker is waiting for answers to questions like:
12:41pm How do the boarding requests come in? Outlook email? If email, what is address? How to access email? How to prioritize requests - first in, first out? Who sends email requests? Do senders get an auto-reply stating the request is being scheduled? How to differentiate between a new request and a follow-up?
12:41 pm Do requests come through a ticketing system? Access to system is gained how?
12:41 pm If new client list is found on a system report, is the report on Sharepoint or in a shared drive? Name of report? Navigation path to locate report? What does it mean if a report hasn’t generated - did the report fail to generate or are there no new clients to board to the system?
12:42pm Is Teams being used? If so, how to access requests being sent to you via Teams?
12:42pm If requests via phone call to servicing line, how to access voicemail? How to forward calls to me?
12:42pm Any follow-up tasks after new client data boarded?
12:42pm What about quality checks?
12:42pm Am I missing anything?
12:43pm HELP!!!
SOPs and workflows support business continuity in different ways. While SOPs answer the question, “What are the steps to perform this task,” workflows act as bookends to each procedure and answer the question, “What happens before and after this procedure?” Questions always arise during a crisis. Not only can documented workflows reduce the number of questions asked but can eliminate a barrage of wrong questions.
AI readiness begins with clarity on workflows, procedures, and training plans.
This blog was written and edited by a human!
© 2025 Lori K. Barbeau