M11DiagnoseDiagnosis· Module 6
Diagnosing a Process
Work slows, errors repeat and nobody can say where. The process has never been looked at end to end.
- Fix
- Stabilise
- Grow
- Operations
- ~5 min · Worksheet
The business problem
Processes grow informally. Each person does their step their own way; handovers happen by message or memory; exceptions are handled case by case. Delays and errors accumulate at the joins, but because no one sees the whole process, each department blames the next one.
Why it matters
Most operating cost and customer frustration sits in a handful of processes: order to cash, procure to pay, hire to productive. Diagnosing one of them properly usually releases capacity and cash without new investment.
What you will learn
- Select the process that matters most to customers and cash
- Trace real transactions end to end
- Measure elapsed time against working time
- Identify handovers, rework loops, waiting and unclear decisions
Core questions
- How long does the process take from start to finish, and how much of that is actual work?
- Where does work wait, and why?
- Where is work redone?
- Where does no one own the next step?
Work through the module
CaseWhat is happening?
Manufacturer, 80 people · Illustrative teaching case
A manufacturer's customers wait three weeks for a quote on custom orders. Tracing ten quotes shows that each needs roughly two hours of work, but waits days for drawings, costing and approval, each held by a different person who sees it as low priority. No one owns the quote from request to response.
Full teaching case: Growth Broke the Business
DecisionWhat does the leader need to decide?
Hire another estimator, or redesign how quotes move and who owns them?
FrameworkHow should they think about the problem?
Process walk and value analysis
Walk a real transaction through every step. For each step, record who does it, how long it takes, how long it waits and whether it adds value the customer would pay for. Waiting, rework and approvals without clear rules are usually the largest losses.
ToolWhat can they use?
Process diagnostic sheetWorksheet
- Pick 5–10 recent transactions
- Record each step: who, work time, wait time, rework
- Mark handovers and approval points
- Calculate elapsed time versus working time
ApplicationHow does it apply to their business?
Apply it to your own business:
- Choose one process customers notice
- Trace five recent examples through it
- Name the three biggest sources of delay or error
ImplementationWhat changes?
What should change in the business:
- Assign one end-to-end owner for the process
- Remove or simplify the largest wait or approval
- Map and document the improved process
ReviewDid it work?
How to tell whether the change worked:
- Has elapsed time fallen?
- Has rework or error rate fallen?
- Do customers notice the difference in response or delivery?
After this module you should be able to decide
Hire another estimator, or redesign how quotes move and who owns them?
And leave with: A diagnosed process with its three biggest failure points.
Sequence · Diagnosis