Concept: Method Authoring |  |
Authoring a method is all about taking the time to capture what you do and how you do it so that the same process can be performed in a consistent way by everyone involved.
Main Description
The following are the primary benefits of documenting a method: Streamlines the process, enabling consistency across the organization, both in terms of processes followed and work products produced Reduces the risk and overall cost of process execution, unifying process and governance to promote operational excellence without over simplification Improves the quality of what is produced. The following are some examples of how method authoring can save you time and money: Defining your process is essentially establishing the rules of collaboration, which reduces failures, which cost money. In many cases, projects fail because the team members don't understand the rules of collaboration. When you share a common set of rules, everyone works more efficiently because there is a common understanding of who does what. New team members can join and can be productive almost immediately. There is minimal "ramp up" time. When you document standard processes and then reuse those processes across projects, then you truly standardize your way of working, which can save you time (teams don't have to spend time figuring out what to do next) and money (you can standardize on a set of tools that have been optimized to support the process, and buying and maintaining a standard set of tools is cheaper than buying and maintaining a collection of different tools). A standard set of terminology, artifacts, key activities, and so on makes it easy to consistently plan a method development project. In some cases, having a documented process is a nice-to-have; however, in others, it is a requirement due to regulatory and standards compliance and process certification. In any case, a documented process can go a long way to increasing the efficiency, repeatability and predictability of the process. Formally, a method includes both method content and processes. However, it is quite common to refer to "process" in the general sense, where the process is assembled from method content.
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