When things aren't always getting done without intervention, then we need to focus on improving the reliability of the process

Improving Process Reliability

When something is unreliable, our first questions are: “Is there a process?” and if so, "Is it documented and universally understood?"  We call the act of validating and addressing gaps for those two questions "Process Definition."  

Examples of people doing time-consuming, unfulfilling, unnecessarily unpleasant, non-value-added, and even counter-productive work are all around us.  In fact, MOST of our time at work is wasted!   Identifying and resolving issues like these is what we call "Process Analysis." 

Last but not least, "Process Control" is the act of maintaining the gains you make when you fix a process.  Good Process Control also includes a formal step for brainstorming other processes that could benefit from the same improvement you're making. 

If you give a man a fish, he is fed for a day.  If you teach him to fish, you feed him for life.  If you improve and document the fishing process and teach the rest of the organization to fish at the same time, you feed everyone forever.   Read more of our thoughts on reliability below.

Process Mapping has maintained its popularity for decades for one reason: It works

Our twist on this “tried and true” approach is to build trust between the people doing the work and their leaders by having the working-level stakeholders present the final process document.  We coach and facilitate but let the people doing the work everyday be the stars of the show.


Sprint Deliverables:

  • Process Map Document
  • Closeout Presentation

Targeted Sprint

It takes conscious effort to reveal the gaps in processes that cause incredible amounts of waste in our lives

We analyze existing data if available, create and institute data capture plans if necessary, and team with client subject matter experts in creative sessions to surface the hidden gaps in the process that are degrading the reliability of the process


Sprint Deliverables:

  • Process Gap Analysis
  • "Quick Win" Implementation and Documentation
  • Prioritized list of improvements

Targeted Sprint

If you're not going to ensure that a new process can and will be followed, don't kid yourself into thinking you've actually changed anything

We develop control plans and metrics and then automate monitoring so that the process becomes a part of the culture that re-enforces itself without extra focus or effort


Sprint Deliverable:

  • Process Control Plan

Targeted Sprint
Additional Thoughts on Process Reliability

The most fundamental requirement for a good process is reliability. Trying to make something good if you aren't even confident that it actually happens reliably is like rearranging deck chairs on the titanic, building a skyscraper on quicksand, or whatever other adage for "bad idea" you can think of. Unfortunately, many processes that we deal with stay mired in this stage- with managers being unable to depend on the work even getting done at all without their intervention. It does NOT have to be that way.

Unlike manufacturing processes that are designed, business processes generally evolve over time and do not benefit from a holistic, or systematic design process that asks the question: "Do all the pieces of the process make sense when viewed together?" 

As an example, I dug into a process and found that someone was downloading a data file, then taking a full day every month to break that file into 100 different worksheets in an Excel workbook. When I went and talked to the customer for that workbook, I found out that they didn't need those worksheets and their job was actually easier if they simply had the original download file. A few minutes of my time and some conscious critical thinking saved her one workday every month, forever. 

The most effective controls are not "controls" at all. For example, one of our favorite controls is to ensure that the new process is the easiest and fastest way to do it for everyone. If you've got to enforce and monitor compliance long term, then you probably didn't develop a good process to begin with.