Measuring output is not enough.

Every morning the news outlets report how many COVID tests were completed the previous day, the number has been climbing amidst the recent outbreak and subsequent lockdown in my home city of Melbourne, Australia. At face value, you would assume that this was a well refined process. To complete the sheer number of tests each day and to meet demand it would have to be, right?

Well, not in my experience. This article is not a criticism of the hard-working people on the front line completing the tests, nor is it a political statement. I admire the people who have stepped up to be a part of the process that is designed to keep us safe, and quite frankly I don’t want to get into politics because that is a battle without winners or an end.

I have been battling a head cold recently and I thought “I had better get a COVID-19 test so that I am not unwittingly putting people at risk”. Even though I am already in lockdown it seemed like the right thing to do. So, I looked online for nearby testing sites, when I scrolled through the unsearchable list, I found one that I knew was a little further from residential areas and figured that would be a good choice. I was wrong about that part too.

When I drove up to the testing site (a drive-through arrangement) there was a queue of cars a few hundred meters long. I thought “surely this won’t take long, they’d have this refined by now”. Wrong again, Dan.

I was met at the entrance by someone who politely directed me where to drive, they told me to have my I.D. ready and that I would need to register online for the test. I drove forward and another person gave me a QR code to scan so that I could register. I registered, I received an SMS with a number to track my test. I drove forward a little further and another person told me that I would need to register online and offered me a QR code. I told them I’d done that already. I was then told the same thing and offered the QR code at least 10 – 15 further times, often by the same people.

The site was very busy, there were people in PPE diligently testing and it was a hive of activity. 2 hours later I approached the tent where they were testing. I produced my tracking number and they sighted my identification. They asked me some logical questions about my movements and symptoms. Then they put a card in a zip lock bag and placed it under my windscreen wiper. About 20 minutes later a doctor came over and verified the information. I was now at the front of the line. I sat there for nearly 30 minutes while cars as far as three or four back had already completed their tests, I was now holding them up. I offered to move to the side so they could move through, they said I needed to stay.

A nurse came over and asked for my name, they then went and retrieved another card with my details on it. They came back and completed my test, it was the second test for me so I knew what to expect. The next morning I got a negative result and the all-clear along with 50,000 or so fellow Victorians.

I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d all experienced what I did. In my 3 hour experience, I found at least 10 opportunities to refine that process. In my estimate, it could have shaved at least 50% waiting time off my testing experience.

The point of my article is to remind you that there is little value in purely measuring volume or output in isolation. Not only does it tell you very little, but it also makes the assumption that the process works.

Measuring the number of tests completed is like measuring the number of invoices sent, or tickets closed, or site visitors as a way of measuring process effectiveness.

My passionate plea to you is to do four things immediately:

1. Empower your people to improve your processes and provide feedback.
2. Review your process regularly for efficiency and currency.
3. Keep it simple and accessible.
4. Repeat 1 through 3.

What is your biggest process? When was the last time you reviewed it?

Have fun.