Process Problem Checklist

Many organizations have processes that “just grew” – they found a way it worked the first time they had to do it, and kept doing it that way.  And sometimes, that’s fine – if it works, go with it.

But how do you know if it works?  Or if it could work better?  Or what your organization might gain if it did?

So here’s a little definition and a few examples to consider (more about these next post!) before we get to the generic diagnostic questions

A process is some sequence of actions that an organization takes to turn some input into some output. Consider the table below for the variety and complexity of processes that an organization may have to do, and the difference that doing it well (smoothly, reliably, quickly) might make.

Input	Process(es)	Output
Customer inquiry	Response	Satisfied customer
Request for Bid	Response	No-Bid, Bid
Claim	Evaluate Pay	Check, Letter
Production emergency	Troubleshoot Fix, test	Production restored, minimized loss
Installation request	Coordinate resources Do installation	Satisfied customer
Employee quits	Exit interview Recruit replacement Train replacement	Productive new employee on board
Fire	Follow safety process Do disaster recovery Interim operations	Organization function restored

Processes might be unknown, unexamined, undefined, broken, redundant, wasteful, erratic, or a host of other conditions that can be really expensive and wasteful of time, reputation, and other resources.  The difference is often pretty big -- imagine the consequences if processes in the table above went badly wrong.

So here’s a quick process checklist to see if any particular process might need attention.

1)  Have you done it before?
2)  Who is responsible?  Who else is involved?
3)  Does everyone affected by this know who’s responsible for what?
4)  Did any of these happen the last time(s) the process was used?

• Confusion
• Delays
• Surprises
• Mistakes
• Rework
• Wasted time, materials, resources

5) Is the process documented?
6) Does everyone affected by this know how it’s supposed to work?
7) Is it clear how this process affects other processes?
 

So that’s the basic checklist.  If I’ve missed anything in this quick diagnostic, or if you’d like to suggest adding anything, please feel free to comment.

And next time, we’ll dig into the consequences of some process run amok from the table above, to explore just how costly it can be.

Top 5 symptoms of a process problem

Sometimes, businesses have symptoms they mis-diagnose, or don’t diagnose at all – they just try to make the symptoms go away. Some symptoms are pretty bad, so any business would like to make them just disappear or get magically fixed.

But treatment without diagnosis is malpractice -- even when you do it to yourself.

And you can often tell if you’re treating symptoms – because they linger, come back, or get worse.  

So, what are some symptoms that might tell you to look for a business process that’s causing problems?  Here are the top 5 I've seen in consulting on process this year.

Crises and emergencies happen - routinely.  If more than a few times a year, the business has to resort to “heroic efforts” to make a customer satisfied, meet a delivery date, fill a large order, handle a very complex job – you might have a process problem.

“Do-Overs” and waste.  If it sometimes takes two or more tries to get something done right – with the resulting disasters in cost and customer relations – you might have a process problem.

Burn-out.  If you lose valued associates because they just get fed up fighting the system, "re-inventing the wheel," having to do it all themselves, dealing with chaos – you might have a process problem.

“Only Marie can to that.”  When only one person knows how some critical part of your business works, and that knowledge stays between her / his ears, the business depends on that person’s availability.  So if they get the flu, you’ve at high risk for an emergency – and you might have a process problem. 

MSU as SOP.  MSU (Make Stuff Up) is the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) when organizations are first created, usually.  But if your organization has been in business for over a year and has 3 or more employees, and you’re STILL in MSU mode – you DO have a process problem (no “might” about it!).

These are just a few of the symptoms.  There are many others - like persistent low profits, inability to handle increasing workload, long "on-boarding" of new associates, fulfillment and scheduling bottlenecks, inconsistent service delivery, unreliable forecasts & sales, customer attrition, and so on...

If you might have a process problem, there are some questions that will let you know, for sure, and steer you toward doing something about them.  That’s in the next process blog.

In the meantime, ask yourself about the symptoms above – Have you seen these?  Have you lived with them?  How did they get a durable fix - if they did?  

If you’d like to respond with an example you've seen, or a question or a comment, please do.