Issues That Jeopardize Process Efficiency

For the past several months, I’ve been developing the analogy of the “three-legged stool.” This illustration features strategy, people, and process, each with its own set of consequences when specific issues and deterrents are not thoroughly and timely addressed. This final blog in the series focuses on the “process” aspect of the three-legged stool, taking a closer look at leadership frustration and team confusion, noting that quality issues, missed deadlines, and poor morale are not isolated incidents but common symptoms of underlying process issues, for instance.

CEOs reach out to me after their leadership teams have alerted them to their frustration. When I collaborate with clients, I meet with team members to gain a deeper understanding of where they identify inefficiencies. From my experience collaborating with whole departments, I have identified six different, common underlying issues that derail the process, and in so doing, compromise corporate strategy, frustrate leaders, and deflate team morale. Below are those underlying issues and their universal symptoms I regularly encounter, to one degree or another, when collaborating with clients:

·       Cumbersome and Inefficient Processes. This is manifested in delays in completing tasks and the need for rush jobs, which can lead to concerns about quality and budget. This issue arises from processes that require too many steps or involve multiple team members unnecessarily. Oftentimes, there is more than one step that makes the process cumbersome. It’s essential to examine each step individually and collectively within the process, and determine how best to fix this issue, factoring in budget and possible lead time, to satisfy client expectations and company goals.

·       Job Overlaps and Redundancy. Another challenge to a seamless process is duplicate responsibility among team members for the same task or tasks. One of the most significant problems with this issue is that time is spent by two employees doing the same thing, “just in case.” Employees often feel they have a better way to do things and work in isolation, or conversely, they feel that no one is taking any action on the specified task. It becomes clear in my interactions with team members that they are uncertain of who does what, and no one wants to make a mistake or step out of line. This informs the following issue.

·       Lack of Clarity in Roles and Responsibilities. One of the surest ways to lower morale is to confuse team members about their specific roles and responsibilities, which may change over time due to employee initiative, team member departure, promotion, strategic changes, or poor leadership communication. Teams express confusion about who has the information and the authority to make decisions, as well as who is responsible for each part of the process. I’ve commented in a past blog addressing the “people” aspect of the three-legged stool, and I tell leadership that they want to help their employees soar with their strengths. Clarity with roles and responsibilities builds a solid foundation on which to accomplish this.

·       Missing Deadlines and Constant Work Revision. This particular issue has its foundation in late, inaccurate, or incomplete information (as well as inability to make and stick to a decision or approval) shared with the team member or the entire team. For any process to run smoothly, leadership must share all pertinent information in a timely manner with each team member, starting with a deadline. Without complete disclosure of the project's details and approvals or decisions, leadership contributes to a deliverable that fails to meet the client's expectations, necessitating the need to spend hours—or longer—redoing the work.

·       Unlinked Tools or Lack of Integrated Flow of Information. Successful leaders understand that employee success is, in part, due to the proper tools provided to them, enabling them to perform their job effectively. Without the right software tools that work together, workflow is stalled, information may be lost or only visible to a select few, or each team member will have their own unique way of managing information. This is an area where process requires system efficiency across multiple levels of an organization.

·       Unclear Meeting Structure. One of the biggest culprits in recognizing an inefficient process is meetings that lack a clear purpose. Is it a work session or a brainstorming exercise? Team members can spend far too much time in meetings, and for what? Are they the right people to attend that meeting? Lack of a clear agenda and required participants puts team members at a disadvantage. They attend meetings, unaware of the expected degree or type of participation required of them. The results are valuable time being wasted and failure to accomplish their tasks.

From this list, it’s clear that process is a crucial part of the three-legged stool. Each of these issues poses a significant obstacle to fulfilling individual and team responsibilities. These issues create the symptoms most commonly seen in teams struggling with their processes: internal turmoil, low morale, high turnover, delays, quality, and budgeting which, in turn, damage the process and impede growth.

To conclude, the purpose of this blog, and the entire three-legged stool series, is to highlight the importance of strategy, people, and process, how all three work together, what the possible issues and challenges associated with each are, and how trans-forme llc can help.

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