Why?

This is perhaps one of the most annoying questions ever, yet in recent years it has become one of my favorites and what I consider to be a most important question when looking at process. I say it is annoying because to me it brings back memories of a time when my children were growing up and when asked to do something, they would always answer with, “why?” I would then say because…. And they would say, “Why?” It always felt like I was being challenged, that my authority or what I believed was authority was being questioned by a 3 year old. Who are they to ask why, they should just do. I am the parent they are the children and they need to do. Yet their curious little minds wanting to absorb and understand kept their mouths in motion asking, “Why?” What does this have to do with process?

When I It is now my favorite role when I am mapping a process, to become toddler like and continue to ask the most annoying question ever, “why?” We need to know where information comes from in a process and where the process begins. We need to know how the process flows through an organization and where it ends. We need to know what activities take place in the process and who performs them but we also need to know why. Why does it happen the way it does? Why do these individuals get this information and why do they do what they do with it? Why did the organization choose this process flow? Was it by design or out of need? Why don’t we do it differently?

In my view, for every question asked and activity uncovered in a process, we should become toddler like and ask the question, “why?” We should not take for granted that this is the way it needs to be and the only way things can get done. In order to improve we must understand the detail of what we do and why we do it the way we do. Are there regulatory reasons for the way process flows and the activities we take on to get the job done or is there a better way to do this more efficiently? Why are there 16 steps to a process when a more natural order might be only 6 steps? Did exception become a rule? Why are we following a serial flow when a parallel process would help streamline the process and shave days or even weeks of processing times?

Unless you understand what the current realities are and the reasons for them, it will be difficult to implement change. So I encourage you to take the time and map your processes, document the activities and actors involved in the process and ask the toughest and most annoying question in history, “Why?” 

 

What say you? How are you mapping processed? Do you ask why? Do you have a story to tell? I want to hear from you and learn what you and your organization are doing.

 

Looking to increase your level of knowledge? Join us for the ECM Certificate course in:

• Kirkland 09/29/09 - 10/02/09
• New York 10/13/09 - 10/16/09
• Toronto 10/27/09 - 10/30/09
• San Francisco 11/10/09 - 11/13/09
• Houston 11/17/09 - 11/20/09
• San Diego 12/01/09 - 12/04/09

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

I will also be in Chicago delivering an ECMp workshop at the Document Strategy Forum on Monday October 6th and 7th. Will you be there?

 

Bob Larrivee – AIIM

blarrivee@aiim.org

Follow me on twitter – BobLarrivee and remember to visit www.aiim.org/training and www.informationzen.org, AIIM’s free social network created just for you.

Comments

[Mark Ridgwell]

My goodness, we're on the same wavelength. I totally agree - WHY is the most powerful learning question, asked far too infrequently. Our whole company is based around they three fundamental learning questions - WHAT, HOW, WHY. In other words, when you understand something in terms of WHAT needs to be achieved, HOW this is done and WHY it's important, you have the knowledge because there's nothing more to know.

I strongly invite you to look at what we're doing and I'd welcome your participation if you like?

Kind regards,
Mark

[Andy Blunden]

Spot on. In fact if you take this to the process design and /or re engineering workspace you can integrate it into the design of procedures and learning materials. The fundamental most important aspect of instructional and/or procedural knowledge is to know why. It assists with overcoming the knowledge stickyness (Szulanski) which is any tendency for an employee to not do it the way the organisation wants it done. It also serves as a cross check and continuous validation of the process, i.e. if the answer to 'why' is no longer valid, then the process needs to be re written. All my procedures and articulated knowledge contain a section which explains the fundamental reason for the process. Many of these reasons include: Safety i.e. so you dont kill yourself, environment - so we don't contaminate, Efficiency - so we save time etc.. Andy Blunden

[Harold Rozario]

Great topic on WHY Bob. Most of us involved in process evaluation do a lot of process mapping with data gathering and analysis. The WHY of the process existence and methodology are seldom questioned. Especially in ECM or implementing any technical solution, seldom is reasoned the WHY for that process existence and methodology. Process Improvement (PI) starts from the very beginning which is the WHY for a particular process existence and PI should be a constant. Analyzing process and its workflow and the sum of related parts is crucial to process reengineering and subsequent success. Today, I see too many jump onboard the ECM train without detailing and ensuring processes are fine tuned and efficient. Once implementation has been completed there are usually many issues faced not on the failures of the solutions efficacy but on the processes themselves which entered the automation. Here is where a large portion of cost overruns get generated. ECM and other applications and platforms do not mean duplication of processes just for automation. It also means efficiency of processes.