Ask three people how a job gets done. You'll get three answers.
It's the cheapest diagnostic in business. It takes about fifteen minutes, and almost nobody runs it.
How to run it
- Pick a job you do all the time, not an unusual one.
- Ask three people who touch it, one at a time. Don't let them compare notes first.
- Ask each of them to walk you through every step from the first enquiry to the money landing: who does what, where it's recorded, and what triggers the next step.
- Write down each version as they say it, without correcting anyone.
Then put the three versions side by side.
Why the answers differ
Not because anyone is doing their job badly. It's usually one of four things.
The process built up. Nobody designed it.
Each step was added to solve a problem at the time. Years later, nobody can explain the whole thing end to end, because nobody ever saw it end to end.
Personal workarounds
Each person has quietly found their own way around the bits that don't work. Those fixes work for them, but the rest of the team can't see them.
Handovers nobody defined
It isn't clear when a job moves from one person to the next, or what "done" means at each stage. So things wait, or get done twice.
More exceptions than rules
When most jobs are "a bit different", the real process runs on memory and judgement. That holds right up until the person with the memory is on holiday.
What to look for
Mark every place the answers don't match. In particular, look for:
- A step only one person mentions
- Two people who each think someone else owns a step
- Any "I chase it" with nothing that actually triggers the chase
- Information kept in different places by different people
Put a number on it
For the biggest gaps, do quick maths: how often it happens each week, times how many minutes it costs each time. A vague annoyance becomes a cost, and fixing it becomes a straightforward business decision instead of a nice-to-have.
Fifteen minutes of questions, three honest answers, and you'll know exactly where to start.