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Want to learn more? Take a deep dive…

Evison, A. (n.d.). The planning cycle: A planning process for medium-sized projects. Mind Tools.
Power, B. (2012, September 27). Understanding fear of process improvement. Harvard Business
Review Blog Network.

Satell, G. (2013, December 3). Yes, big data can solve real world problems. Forbes.
Tobak, S. (2010, September 22). Entrepreneurs: Learn to improve processes without adding
bureaucracy. CBS News.

10. Overcomplicating matters? Learn to streamline. Enjoy designing processes? Like describing how
to get from point A to point B through XYZ and back? Your skills are useful. But your processes may
be complex and cumbersome. Unnecessarily redundant. Overengineering hurts efficiency. Look at
the drawings of Rube Goldberg—a cartoonist who drew complex devices that performed simple tasks
in convoluted ways. His drawings are humorous—but there’s nothing funny about slowing down
productivity or creating systems that people won’t use. Look for ways to streamline. Find the place
where five steps could become two. Cut pieces of old processes that no longer serve a purpose.
Eliminate redundancies unless they are needed for security and risk reduction. Check for things like
reporting requirements that can be simplified. Ask others how processes can be changed for greater
ease and productivity.

11. Avoiding new technologies? Ask for help. Technology continuously evolves. DVDs are replaced
by video streaming. New websites revolutionize communications. System upgrades appear overnight.
Last year’s hot smartphone is this year’s recycling. Work process optimizers have a talent for
evaluating new technologies. They understand intuitively how the technologies work and how they
streamline communication, move information, and save time. But for some, the pace of technological
change is dizzying. How many new tools and processes do you need to master, and when will it
stop? Your challenge is to adapt, not resist. Start by being open. Be curious about the latest. Engage
an internal geek who can show you shortcuts and features. Browse the Internet for clues as to what’s
coming. Ask your colleagues what they’re using. If you resist—you risk being labeled a dinosaur.
Have fun exploring. Learn to use helpful or necessary new technologies.

12. Like things the way they are? Open yourself to change. You like your job. The work gets done
and customers seem satisfied. And then something happens to change all of that. There’s a new
emphasis on data. Measurements. Reporting requirements. Methodologies. It’s hard to accept the
new reality. But change is essential to growth. Ask questions. Be curious not only about what is
happening, but why. Look for ways to influence—not block—changes. Learn all you can. Step up as a
learner and leader. Volunteer to join the change team. Form or lead a process group for your area.
Help develop and teach user training. Accept that change is unsettling. But it’s the new constant—at
least for a while.

13. Afraid of breaking a process you’re trying to improve? Create an environment for
experimentation and learning. One principle of these techniques is to drive for continuous
improvement. Never be satisfied. Always drive to improve all work. Don’t expect to get it right the first
time. This leads to safe and stale solutions. If you have trouble going back the second or third time to
get something done, then switch approaches. Sometimes people get stuck in a repeating groove
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