Insight
When Workarounds
Become The Process
Workarounds may solve today's problem while simultaneously creating tomorrow's.
The Workaround Becomes The Process
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A planner creates a spreadsheet because the system data cannot be trusted.
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An operator keeps handwritten notes because information is difficult to access.
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A manager develops a manual tracker because the existing process doesn't provide the visibility they need.
What begins as a temporary solution often becomes a permanent way of working.
Over time, different people develop different methods, different records and different interpretations of the process.
The documented process and the real process are not always the same thing.
Many organisations try to improve documented processes without first understanding how work is actually being completed.
The difficulty is that people may no longer be following the documented process.
A poor process being followed consistently can often be improved.
A collection of workarounds being followed differently by different people is far harder to understand, measure and improve.
Without consistency, there is no reliable baseline and without a reliable baseline, meaningful improvement becomes much more difficult.
Why This Matters
Rather than asking:
"Why aren't people following the process?"
It may be more useful to ask:
"What problem is the workaround trying to solve?"
The answer often reveals the real improvement opportunity.
Workarounds Are Often Signals
If you removed a workaround tomorrow, would the documented process still allow people to complete their work effectively?