In recent weeks, I’ve encountered both dismal and outstanding examples of customer service. While companies invest heavily in marketing to attract new clients, they often neglect their existing ones. It’s surprising how frequently basic customer service is overlooked, despite its significant benefits.

In a previous blog, we discussed how to write effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). While this is a crucial step, it’s only the beginning. For businesses, people, and processes to thrive, continuous improvement is essential. The challenge lies in making this a consistent practice.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of speaking at one of the premier IT industry events in Orlando, FL at least once a year. One of the sessions I presented was titled “SOPs for your SOPs,” which covered two essential topics: how to write great Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and how to build a solid culture around continual process improvement. While I tend to focus heavily on identifying our flaws and continuously seeking improvement, I sometimes overlook the importance of recognizing what we do well. It was both rewarding and an honor to share with the attendees what we have learned, often from our own mistakes. In this blog, I’m going to focus on the critical elements we have found necessary for writing great SOPs.

In Part 1 of this blog, I discussed the two main development processes used by software developers: waterfall and agile. In this post, I’d like to explore how these processes are relevant to business operations, not just software development.

I have the privilege of working closely with several of our software vendors to help them improve their products, both for our use and for their entire client base. Through this collaboration, I’ve discovered some fascinating correlations between software development processes and business development processes. These similarities have significantly influenced my perspective on development across various areas.