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Don't (just) accept the status quo

When you are embarking on process improvement activities don't just accept the same old way of working that you always have. If you fail to challenge the things that don't work correctly, you will find that you are unable to make the level of progress you are surely capable of making.

Tasks in the business that are there to help work around problems in the system need to be challenged head-on. This may require some root cause analysis work and a dash of creativity when you are undertaking this work. Ensuring that people who operate various parts of your business processes understand the idea of closed loop feedback is essential. We can fix our problems if we don't bury our heads in the sand.

Many people in business will accept the way things are rather than get uncomfortable and challenge the way that things are happening. This is especially apparent when people operate computer software systems such as MRP/ERP. Quite often the designers of the software understand your problems and will have a solution to help you implement the system properly. Our failure to ask the right questions however leads us to create workaround solutions that don't yield the true benefits.

So, don't accept the status quo - challenge it with new ways of working. If you do find that you are struggling to come up with a new solution then put a date in your diary to go back and review the issue. Over time new insights, and ideas, will appear to solve problems you have had for a number of years. Don't miss the opportunity of going back and solving them when the time is right.



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