Use Job Aids to Increase Productivity

The success of your business depends on your frontline employees. These employees interact directly with your customers, your suppliers and government regulators. If they don’t get it right, your business suffers. It’s in your interest to make their jobs as easy for them as possible. Sure, you need to offer them challenges along the way. Otherwise they may lose interest and go find another employer. But you don’t want them messing up when your customers, suppliers and regulators are depending on a flawless transaction.

One underutilized tool for helping your employees get it right is the job aid. This type of device sits external to your employees and is designed to give them assistance in completing a task. Effective job aids can reduce the amount of time that your employees need to spend undergoing training as they will no longer need to remember vast amounts of information. That’s the role of the job aid. Do not think that job aids can replace training entirely. However, they can be a highly effective supplement to training. In fact, some training aids used by your trainers can be successfully imported into the workspace. Discuss with your trainers which training aids may be of benefit in people’s day to day jobs.

So, under what circumstances can job aids be used productively by your employees? Consider implementing job aids in these situations:

The task is required to be done infrequently, with employees prone to forgetting the process steps. (Such as a monthly inspection.)

The task is complex, with employees finding it difficult to comprehend all of the factors involved. (Such as diagnosing complex equipment faults.)

The task carries high risk consequences if done incorrectly. (Such as injury to life or limb or damage to a very expensive component.)

The knowledge base required for completing the task is either large or is constantly changing. (Such as advising on hundreds of product variations.)

On the other hand, do not implement an on-the-job aid if the employee is required to perform the task automatically, without conscious deliberation or assistance. For example, some emergency services staff may be required to act spontaneously. Here, taking the time to refer to a job aid may rob the situation of precious seconds, putting the injured person’s welfare at further risk.

Here are ten types of job aid that I encourage you to consider, with some examples of application.

Checklists

Description:
A checklist is a form comprising of a list of items that are checked off one at a time. Its purpose is to ensure that all items on the list are accounted for, usually as a prelude to some other activity.

Examples:
items to be completed before an application form is accepted
parts to be collected before items are sent to the assembly line
qualities to be inspected before product is dispatched to the customer

Reminder Cards

Description:
As with checklists, reminder cards are used primarily as a memory prompt. They are usually pocket-sized for easy transportability and often laminated to give durability. Unlike checklists, they cannot be modified by the user.

Examples:
summarizing steps in conducting a performance appraisal
listing keyboard shortcuts for a software program
illustrating steps in administering a vaccination

Procedures and Process Maps

Description:
Procedures and process maps are documents that an organization uses to convey to people why actions are performed, who is responsible for performing them and how they are to be performed. Procedures are predominantly in text format, whereas process maps rely primarily on diagrams to graphically represent the flow of activities.

Examples:
creating a purchase order
inducting a new employee
adding an inventory item

Mnemonics

Description:
A mnemonic is any kind of visual, verbal or literary device used to help people remember. They can be images, rhymes or acronyms and are commonly used in helping people learn. You can build mnemonics into the other job aids mentioned, such as procedures, reminder cards and diagrams.

Examples:
knuckles representing number of days in each month
rhyme indicating to pilots in which direction they should correct their instruments
first letter of each word in a sentence representing the order of musical notes

Templates

Description:
A template is a preset format that limits how something new will be created. It can be in the form of a pattern, layout or stencil and can be used for the creation of documents as well as physical objects. Their primary purpose is to save time in recreating the same style, shape or structure and to ensure standardization.

Examples:
web page design template
dress manufacturing template
document templates for reports, letters, resumes, etc

Forms

Description:
Forms can be considered a special kind of document template. Forms contain empty data fields and are designed to collect data according to a preset structure and from a number of sources. Within an organization, they are especially useful for ensuring that all of the required information is collected prior to handing a process over to the next department.

Examples:
applications (job, training, admission)
finance (purchase order, receipt, invoice)
questionnaires (customer, supplier, user)

Calculators and Ready Reckoner

Description:
A "ready reckoner" is any device that helps people perform calculations. It can be in the form of software or in hard copy. Using such devices in the workplace reduces the amount of training required, as it saves employees from performing lengthy calculations. Another lasting benefit is that it helps to reduce the chance of error.

Examples:
redundancy payments calculator (software)
lookup tables for calculating timber roof rafter dimensions (hardcopy)

Diagrams

Description:
A diagram is a graphical representation designed to explain how something works or how something is constructed. It is used to illustrate concepts, ideas or relations and can be in the form of a drawing, sketch, plan or chart. Diagrams used during training are excellent candidates for migrating to the workplace.

Examples:
color code chart for resistor values (an electronic component)
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) technique diagram
floor plans showing emergency exit points

Online Help

Description:
Online help for users of software is now an expected inclusion with all major software programs. Done well, it can reduce error rates and improve user productivity. For users of organizational systems who deal with complexity, yet are expected to respond quickly, providing such online help is of similar benefit. Before you think about rolling out an "information heavy" training program, consider placing the information where and when it is needed.

Examples:
accessing and entering medical records
retrieving case law examples
managing customer contact data

Mistake Proofing (Poka Yoke)

Description:
Mistake proofing (or poka yoke) is a concept originally championed by Japanese manufacturers. It involves modifying materials, tools or equipment with the objective of reducing or eliminating entirely the chances of error.

Examples:
keyed battery charger connectors that prevent reversed connection
manufacturing jigs that prevent the insertion of wrong parts
color coded equipment leads that prevent the insertion of incorrect leads

Designing and implementing one or more of the above types of job aids can have a significant impact on productivity, efficiency and accuracy. As an added benefit, employees that do a better job are more satisfied employees. And that leads to less absenteeism and turnover and a more harmonious workplace. Get together with your employees, learning and quality management professionals to discuss how job aids can improve your business performance. Set up project teams to design and install your new workplace helpers. Then sit back and watch your employees soar.

From Training to Enhanced Workplace Performance
The above is a condensed adaptation from Leslie Allan’s book: From Training to Enhanced Workplace Performance