I have been thinking about processes for content management and how even small changes can make a difference. However, sometimes even the suggestion of a small change in the “way we do business” is met with resistance. I have heard more times than I can remember “this is the way we do it and there is no need to change” and “if it is not broken why fix it”.
The problem with this is, that in some cases, processes are broken or inefficient it is just that no one has taken the time to map out the processes. This does not necessarily mean you need to run out and buy some type of workflow mapping software. Sometimes you can just start with a basic graphical representation of a process.
Pen and paper are powerful problem solving tools.
That means taking pen to paper and drawing it out. I did this once with the process of responding to a proposal for an IT solution. After about 20 minutes my little map of what I thought was a fairly simple process looked like a street map of DC. The main point is that what I thought was a simple process was in fact filled with inefficiencies and duplication and I would have never thought about it until I sat down and just mapped it out.
Miller Montague August 18, 2010
