Workflow issues are rapidly increasing in today’s workplace. Business process defects happen when workflow design is ignored, or they simply emerge because work today is a complex system. A complex system consists of many interactive parts that collectively produce behavior that is difficult to predict from the individual parts. Complexity and change should bring good leaders closer to where the work occurs, helping their teams identify and resolve workflow issues, especially when issues affect multiple teams. If leaders remain at the top of the organizational hierarchy and lead from there, these defects can overwhelm the entire system and bring value delivery to a screeching halt. Tolerating defects, depending on workarounds, and neglecting workflow design can be disastrous for a business.
A workflow defect is an issue that occurs during the execution of a workflow. They cause disruptions, delays, rework, quality problems, and they consume work capacity. There are many types of defects and causes, including: not being able to find information, synchronization issues, data quality problems, inability to perform intended tasks, lack of training, unavailability when needed, corrupted spreadsheets, simple mistakes, problems caused by introducing a new tool, people leaving the organization with valuable information, headcount reductions leading to overburden, coupling, coherence issues, undocumented best practices, complexity, and change. The most common workflow defects happen when workflows cross team, functional, or division boundaries.
Organizational structure can cause workflow issues by creating handoffs between teams. We have all seen this in our daily work. I have unintentionally created workflow issues. When adapting a circuit design from an existing product for a new product using the next-generation silicon process, and adding or changing functions, I forgot to inform my downstream partners. I didn't tell the product engineers that my circuit had changed, so they needed to update their test code for when we receive silicon from the fab for testing. This workflow issue between two teams caused rework and delays. In product development, many functions are involved, such as strategic planning, marketing, finance, technology development, architecture, design, testing, manufacturing, and quality. Workflows that cross team boundaries are at high risk of defects and disruptions to the flow of value. Workflows also exist at different levels: system, subsystem, and device. Plus, there are workflows within teams, functions, and divisions that connect to the main product workflows. Product development teams often manage multiple products at various stages of their lifecycle simultaneously, creating more parallel workflows. Ultimately, all these pieces must come together to deliver valuable products to customers before the competition does. One key to good workflow design is to make handoffs between teams and products resemble a baton pass like a world class 4 x 100 relay team.
Workflow defects can have either low or high impact. Some only need a quick conversation to keep work flowing, but others can be devastating. Product recalls are an example of a significant defect. For instance, in the 1970s, the Ford Pinto's gas tank could explode if hit from behind. Their design and testing workflows had significant issues. We often blame individuals when problems occur, thinking it was the manager or the person who made a mistake. However, from what I have observed, it was usually a poorly designed workflow system that let them down. For most business challenges, I believe a well-designed workflow can prevent many of the problems organizations face. During design, we must plan for things to go wrong because they will eventually. In complex work systems, unforeseen issues may arise that couldn’t have been predicted or prevented, but we should design our workflows to allow us to detect them when they occur.
Workflow design is a powerful tool for leaders to enhance value delivery. To many leaders' surprise, complex workflows typically have a 33-50% defect density, meaning something goes wrong every 2-3 steps. It often seems that people accept this as just part of how work is done today, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By designing, managing, and leading workflow improvements, leaders can observe the impact of complexity and change in real time. Eliminating workflow defects increases capacity and enables an exponential boost in work velocity. Additionally, effective workflow design establishes a solid foundation for scaling a business. Leaders who lead from the top often struggle to understand how work is performed because they lack visibility; information about problems takes too long to reach them, and sometimes the severity of issues isn’t clear because team members hesitate to raise concerns. Furthermore, many leaders believe that workflows can be managed by lower level or functional managers. While this idea has merit, functional managers often have competing priorities, creating inherent conflicts of interest. They require guidance from higher leadership to resolve disagreements about workflow issues. Removing workflow defects enables teams to deliver more value. The increasing complexity of workflows is a critical challenge that leaders must address to ensure their business's future success.
If you are a leader, start by talking with people and understanding the challenges they face in their work, and lead from there. Most often, leaders are surprised by how difficult and complicated work is for people. Become a better leader and deliver more value to your customers with less effort from your teams by incorporating workflow design into your daily work.
Do something today to improve your work-life balance. You won’t regret it. Have a great day and good luck with your work-life journey.
