Is there a 12-Step Program for Workflow?

Is there a 12-Step Program for Workflow?

Over on the InfoBlog, I was finally able to come back to the next step in the Workflow Quiz, which this time talked about when it is time for a workflow intervention. It is an interesting concept because many of the workflows I see are born of a history of solving problems. Each problem that is solved generates a solution, and over time there are a lot of islands of solutions. While writing that blog I began to wonder, is there a recovery program for workflow. Is there a Workflow Anonymous where workflow managers can stand up and come clean about the point solutions they have installed?

I came to the conclusion that there is not such a program. Workflow managers would be too busy to attend meetings and how would they know what to discuss? Every point solution brought in to solve a mission-critical problem made something better. Every island of automation brought at lead some measure of automation to manual processes. They were heroes when they made jobs move through production even just a few minutes faster.

With all of that being true, why are we spending so much time on the Workflow Quiz? The simple answer is that there are still shops that function, but don't fly. All of the heroes that get a few processes automated and get work moving through just a bit more efficiently have accomplished a great feat, but until their workflow is super efficient the job is not done. And the Workflow Quiz is a good way to start moving toward that next heroic feat.

The point of the current workflow blog is to identify the points in the process where there are still sticky notes on monitors or machines and begin the process of managing without them. Walk your workflow, look for sticky notes and checklists, and you will be able to tell if your shop needs a workflow intervention. If you do, we can help.


Douglas Hanna

ServiceNow Developer and Advisor at Aetna

7 年

Pat, A major sticking point is simply cost. The point solution is in place and (more or less) works. There is a cost to replacing it with something else. In development, testing, and cut over. As well as in any tools that may need to be procured. Trying to calculate the ROI, as well as assigning appropriate risk, is generally not what management wants to hear about an existing system. It doesn't "buy" them any social capital. Hence teams are still doing things with Word, Excel, Access, etc. that should have been migrated to higher end / server side tools years ago. Secondly, point solutions achieve immediate wins in the ROI management game with little risk. Cost of development tends to be low. It's paid for using existing tools and immediate time saved. If you can throw some metric reporting / usage statistics then all the better. The question becomes, how do you migrate from a point -solutions mindset to an integrated solution mindset ... without adding a mountain of red-tape and bureaucratic nightmare?

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