4 Rules of Process: Rule #4

It must be measured to understand its results

Measuring the results of a process is important for a number of reasons. Here are a few:

• It allows you to understand if the process is effective: By tracking and measuring the results of a process, you can determine whether or not it is achieving the desired outcomes. This can help you understand if the process is working as intended and if any adjustments need to be made.
• It helps you identify areas for improvement: By regularly reviewing the results of a process, you can identify areas where the process may be falling short or where there is room for improvement. This can help you make changes to the process that will result in better outcomes.
• It helps you optimize the process: By tracking and measuring the results of a process over time, you can identify trends and patterns that can help you optimize the process. For example, you may discover that a certain step in the process is taking longer than necessary, or that a certain type of input is consistently producing better results. By making adjustments based on this data, you can improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

Breaking Rule #4

If a process is not measured with reliable data, it can be difficult to accurately assess its effectiveness or identify areas for improvement. This is because the data being used to evaluate the process may be incomplete, inaccurate, or biased, which can lead to incorrect conclusions being drawn.

For example, if you are trying to assess the effectiveness of a new process but you are only measuring a few key performance indicators (KPIs), you may be missing important information about how the process is performing in other areas. This could lead you to make changes to the process that are not actually necessary, or to miss opportunities for improvement that could have a significant impact.

On the other hand, if you are measuring a wide range of KPIs and collecting data from multiple sources, you are more likely to get a more complete and accurate picture of how the process is performing. This can help you make informed decisions about how to optimize the process and achieve better results.

Overall, it’s important to carefully consider how you will measure the results of a process to ensure that you are using reliable data to guide your decision-making.

Summary:

There are a few different ways you can measure the results of a process. One is to set performance targets and track progress against them. For example, if your goal is to reduce the time required to complete a certain task, you might set a target for how much time you want to save and track your progress over time. Another is to collect feedback from those who are carrying out the work. This can help you understand their perspective and identify any issues or challenges they are facing. Finally, you can analyze data related to the process, such as the volume of work being completed or the number of errors being made. This can help you understand the overall performance of the process and identify trends or patterns that can be addressed.