Processes are like a Bud Light commercial. If they are “too light” they are ineffective and don’t produce reliable, quality results. If they are “too heavy”, they grind your organization to a halt.
Effective processes are very desirable: they can be designed and tuned over time to maximize efficiency, optimize results and improve quality. They remove the uncertainty of relying on heroes and superstars for results, and enable an organization to consistently deliver value and quality.
Here are some simple tips to help make your processes “just right”.
On a regular basis, review your processes with your stakeholders – these could be your internal or external customers, your own organization, your program team and sponsors. As you review your processes, assign one of the following ratings:
- GREEN: Just right
- AMBER: Needs work
- RED: Ineffective
Just make it a simple “gut check”; don’t apply too much science to the rating. Here are some sample questions to use:
- What can we do to make this more effective?
- What can we do to improve the quality and reduce the defects?
- What would happen if we didn’t do this?
- In what ways could we reduce the cost?
- How could we do this faster?
- What are other ways of producing the same or better product?
- How does this relate to other activities we are doing?
Whether you are managing a program, developing complex software, or leading a large organization, apply this simple, common sense approach to ensure that your processes are “just right”.
Contributed by Bob McAuliffe. Bob works with technology and business leaders to forge a strong partnership and increase the value they contribute to the bottom line. He can be contacted via email at bob@xcution.com
Reid Henry
Jane Henry
