Digital Transformation in Operations: Introducing Operational Checklists

Sarah Greesonbach | 4 min read

The typical employee onboarding experience in a franchise or enterprise company can be overwhelming to even the most eager new hires: new faces to memorize, a job to learn, and what feels like a hundred different things that need to be done every day. 

But it’s not all that much easier for the seasoned managing supervisor, either. Every task completed by a team member needs to be verified, documented, and tracked every day. Over time, this can lead to a lot of fact-checking, reporting, and data storage—and it has to be done onsite.

Fortunately, all that’s changing. Digital transformation is seeping into the operations space, and new tools and technologies are popping up that can digitize, streamline, and simplify many of these processes. And one of the most promising is the Daily Checklists Tool, a new product feature on the Wisetail platform.

Yes, running a business is complex. But there are many parts of the day-to-day operations experience that can now be standardized and automated. With daily operational checklists, organizations gain a previously unattainable visibility into day-to-day tasks. The immediate result is peace of mind—but the long-term results offer much, much more.

What is a digital daily checklist tool?

Digital checklists allow employees to use desktop or mobile devices to document and track tasks completed throughout the workday. The end result is aggregated, at-a-glance documentation of key operational and compliance activities available at the touch of a button. Administrators and leaders are empowered to create, deploy, and track daily checklists, and employees receive clear, timely, and up-to-date information about on-the-job expectations, both “required” and optional.

Operational checklists are completely customizable. And because checklists often build on safety and compliance standards within an industry, organizations can often build on industry-specific checklists. For example, in the quick service food and restaurant industry, the following checklists might make a great starting point for streamlining and digitizing important daily procedures and processes:

  • Opening and closing rituals
  • Daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning checks
  • Food temperature checks
  • Inventory checks
  • Facility checks
  • Health and safety standards for personnel

Temporarily, organizations also might benefit from COVID-19-related checklists for operations procedures and processes such as the following: 

  • Staff temperature checks
  • Equipment and facilities sanitization checks
  • Deep clean reminders

Step-by-step checklists in Wisetail

Administrator ViewEmployee View

 

What goes on the checklist does not matter so much as the end result of the checklist—that your team members, managers, and leadership all have one central, accessible, and digital source of information about what to do next in the course of a day’s work. The old model of operations—stacks of binders, pen-and-ink instructions—simply cannot accommodate the new way of doing business.

5 Key Benefits of Using a Digital Operations Tool

Consolidation of Tools – A daily digital checklist tool allows companies to apply consistent, company-wide processes and procedures to employee to-do lists across locations. The result is a much-needed level of consistency in employee expectations and performance.

Accountability – In many companies, tracking tasks completed and tying it back to the accountability of individual teams or employees is a recurring challenge. Digitizing your checklists allows you to quickly and accurately assess performance across employees, teams, locations, and your organization as a whole.

Sustainability – For both sustainability and sanitization reasons, the practice of keeping paper records within stores and restaurants is quickly becoming outdated. Moving operational data into the cloud in the form of daily checklists is an important step in achieving overall digital transformation.

Streamlining Processes – Human error, high turnover, and reorganizations can all require a company to waste time re-discovering and re-documenting processes and procedures. Digital checklists allow your organization to capture that information once and maintain a digital record of what works for your business and employees.

Consistency – One of the most important things an employee can take away from the onboarding and training process is a clear understanding of what’s expected of them. Digital checklists provide this valuable information, clearly communicating, recording, and tracking daily expectations.

Streamline Operations Today to Grow Them Tomorrow

When you’re stuck managing the day-to-day operations of your entry level employees, you can’t run a profitable business, let alone grow it. Operational checklists give you a powerful way to streamline operations with technology—and it’s as simple as clicking a box to get started.

Click here to connect with a specialist and learn more about operational checklists on the Wisetail LMS platform.

Chat with the Wisetail team today.

BY SARAH GREESONBACH

Sarah is a writer for Wisetail. By analyzing and condensing cutting-edge research and data, she helps L&D professionals develop their instincts and arrive at actionable insights for employee engagement and training. She loves to consider the possibilities of humanizing, organizing, and minimalizing all things HR.