Why things take so long to get done?
Whether it be large corporate projects, specific work assignments or even tasks around the house, the biggest delays occur at decision points.
The clearer the criteria, the faster time to decide. If there are delays, the decision point usually more closely resembles a big ball of string that needs to be untangled, rather than a well thought out process that can be applied to similar situations again and again.
Why is it then that when process is discussed, people run and hide, claiming that if they are made to follow a process it will slow things down?
If your processes resemble red tape instead of accelerators of change then your have a poor process or a poor understanding of that process.
If it is taking too long to get something done, examine the process, look specifically at the decision points, and pre-decide. If you can’t pre-decide, then at least categorize and make general decisions about how those categories should be handled in a more streamlined way.
Process improvement is something that you CAN make up as you go. Over time your process will get better and better, and the time it takes will be less and less.
© Wayne McKinnon 2012. All rights reserved.
