In the fast-paced world of business, it can be tempting to skip steps in the process to quickly implement new ideas. This is not only important towards external innovation projects that will generate revenue but also internal projects, in order to increase efficiency, develop better work environment and overall make better internal processes.

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However, failing to validate internal ideas can have serious consequences for a company. Limited adoption, angry employees, less productivity, and failed projects are just a few of the issues that can arise from not testing internal processes before implementation.

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1. Limited adoption occurs when employees are resistant to change, and may not understand the purpose of a new process. Without validation, new ideas may not align with company culture or values, resulting in poor adoption rates.

2. Irritated employees are another result of untested internal ideas. When new processes are not well-received by employees, they can become frustrated and unproductive. This can cause tensions between employees and management, leading to a negative work environment.

3. Less productivity is another potential issue with untested internal processes. If new processes are not efficient or effective, employees may become bogged down with extra work and frustrated with the lack of progress. This can lead to decreased productivity and lower morale.

4. Failed projects are the most obvious result of not testing internal ideas. If a new process is flawed or inefficient, it can lead to wasted time and resources. Failed projects can be costly, and can damage a company's reputation.

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Many studies have been made and according to a study by McKinsey, only about 25% of organizational change initiatives succeed over the long term. This is often due to a lack of testing and validation before implementation. Another survey by BambooHR found that 31% of employees have quit a job within the first six months due to a poor onboarding experience. This highlights the importance of testing and validating the employee onboarding process to ensure it is effective. Furthermore, The cost of a failed project can be significant. According to a report by the Project Management Institute, organizations waste an average of $97 million for every $1 billion invested in projects and programs. Testing and validation can help prevent such waste by identifying potential issues before full implementation.

To illustrate the importance of internal testing, let's consider an example in the HR department. A company decides to implement a new hiring process without testing it internally. The process involves a new applicant tracking system and several rounds of interviews. However, employees find the new system confusing and difficult to use. Candidates become frustrated with the lengthy interview process and eventually stop applying for positions. The company is left with a hiring process that is both ineffective and unpopular with both employees and candidates.This is where PipeGrade comes in. PipeGrade can help companies validate internal ideas by creating MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) of internal projects and testing them internally. This includes creating smoke tests and sounding boards to get quantitative and qualitative feedback before rolling out the entire project.

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With PipeGrade, companies can ensure that their internal processes are efficient, effective, and well-received by employees.We have in 2022 helped different corporates testing new ideas internally within the following areas:

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Human Ressources:

• Employee onboarding process: Test the onboarding process to ensure it is easy to follow and helps new employees quickly integrate into the company culture and understand their job responsibilities.
• Benefits enrollment process: Test the benefits enrollment process to ensure it is easy to understand and use, and provides employees with the information they need to make informed decisions
• HR helpdesk system: Test the HR helpdesk system to ensure it is easy to use and provides employees with the support they need.
• Diversity and inclusion training program: Test the diversity and inclusion training program to ensure it is effective in promoting a more inclusive workplace culture.
• Talent acquisition process: Test the talent acquisition process to ensure it is efficient and helps the company attract top talent.

Finance & IT

• Performance management system: Test a performance management system to ensure it is easy to use and provides valuable feedback to employees on their performance.
• Time tracking software: Test a time tracking software to ensure it accurately records employees' time and is easy to use for both employees and managers.
• Intranet redesign: Test a new intranet design to ensure it is user-friendly and provides easy access to important company resources.
• Knowledge management system: Test a knowledge management system to ensure it is easy to use and provides employees with access to the information they need todo their jobs effectively.
• Communication tool implementation: Test a new communication tool to ensure it is easy to use and promotes effective communication between employees.

Sales & Marketing

• Sales process optimization: Test a new sales process to ensure it is easy to follow and helps sales teams close more deals
• Social media policy: Test a new social media policy to ensure it provides clear guidelines for employees on using social media in a professional manner.
• Internal Sales Material: Test different ways of getting the entire organisation to understand and sell your products.

Corporate Sustainability:

• Corporate sustainability initiatives: Test a new corporate sustainability initiatives to ensure they are effective in reducing the company's environmental footprint and promoting sustainable business practices.
• Sustainable supply chain management: Test different concepts on how your supplier chain could become more sustainable
• Carbon footprint measurement and reduction plan: Develop an internal plan and concept that you can have people test in different groups and get real data on how your employees will interact with the concept
• Green building certification program implementation:  Test and developed a green building certification program and identified which concepts to role-out first
• Employee sustainability education program: Develop different internal educational programs and see which one will have the highest likelihood of success based on data and input