Guide · in an afternoon
This is the first thing we do with a new client. You can do it yourselves with a wall, some cards and the people who do the work. It takes an afternoon, and most owners are surprised by what they see.
Guide · in an afternoon
1 · Pick one process
From the moment a customer asks to the moment you are paid.
One process, not the whole business. Quote to cash, booking to visit, order to delivery. If you are unsure, pick the one that most often ends up in your inbox.
2 · Gather the people who touch it
The people who do the work, not their managers.
Ninety minutes, everyone who handles the process at any point, a wall or a whiteboard and a stack of cards. Tell them the point is to see the process, not to judge anyone.
3 · Walk one real case
Last Tuesday’s order, not the typical one.
Take a real, recent case and follow it. Every time it changes hands, write a card: who, which tool, and how long it waited before the next step. Put the cards in a line.
4 · Count
Handoffs, re-typing, waiting.
Count the cards. Count how many times the same information was typed into a second place. Add up the waiting. The number that surprises you is the one that matters.
5 · Mark what must not change
The judgement calls, the relationships, what the customer values.
Put a mark on every step where a person’s judgement or a relationship is the point. These are not friction. Any redesign that removes them is wrong.
6 · Choose one change
The biggest wait or the most re-typing.
Pick a single change small enough to try within a month. Write down what it would remove and who would notice. Then try it, and count again.
If you would like us to look at the drawing, send a photograph of the wall with the form on the Start page. We will tell you what we see, free.