Strategy: Document Your Processes

We began documenting our procedures about 10 years ago to help make the training process as self-guided, efficient and painless as possible.

I started by taking a macro view of our lab’s procedures and creating a short checklist or outline for each. I began with our lab’s simplest tasks—like entering incoming cases into our management software and properly sterilizing incoming impressions—and kept each checklist fairly short, usually with fewer than 10 steps. Once the initial checklists were created, my technicians and I gradually added in more detailed steps to create a complete manual for each process in the lab.

I also decided to complement our written training manuals with how-to videos. So far, I’ve recorded about 75 different processes in the lab, from pouring models to crown design. The model pouring video, for instance, shows the process of measuring stone, using the water dispenser and vacuum mixer and then pouring the model.

I use a digital camera to record all the videos and then edit them using Camtasia, a software package I purchased. I’ve found that, in general, creating an entire video takes about three times as long as it does to record it; so if I record for 15 minutes, the editing will take about 45 minutes.