Just Follow the Procedure

And leave your brain at the door

The focus for management and support staff when diagnosing problems with customers is squarely on the front line. Many times the failure is diagnosed with the phrase, “If they would just follow the procedure, none of these problems would ever have happened.” If only resolving customer issues were this easy.

Our functionally separated organizations, complete with out-of-touch management, look for someone to blame. It’s the easy way out, so management can go back to making big plans, and support groups can get back to the dictates and objectives of their function.

When studying an organization as a system, closer examination reveals that written procedures become an obstacle. The service industry looks to standardize processes and develop written procedures so that quality inspectors can monitor workers for following the process. This is waste. And it’s commonplace.

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Please refer "Cro'nica de una Muerte anunciada", 1981, Gabriel Garci'a Ma'rquez. Thank you.

Interesting - Chronicle of a Death Foretold

I don't want to assume that I understand your reference. However, I believe you have pointed out this story because of the theme of fulfilling expectations for good or evil. Is this your point? Tx

Good Article

A key difference between American and Israeli security regarding who gets aboard an aircraft: Israeli agents are trained to use their eyes, ears, brain, etc. TSA folks are forbidden to use any discretion. And those who do usually do so in the form of an abusive excess.

Yes, we rely on technology too much these days

The worker has been removed for legal reasons and technology. Our barrier to terrorism is being compromised with such thinking.

Standardization

Standardization in a Lean/TPS context does not mean "check your brain at the door." That's the mindset of old school Taylorism and Fordism.

The JAMA journal recently published an article with data showing how increased standardization of care (this does NOT mean completely identical, by the way) resulted in lower cardiac care morality.

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1669108

The article specifically cited "manufacturing" management techniques, Lean, and the Toyota Production System.

Conclusions and Relevance The use of management practices adopted from manufacturing sectors is associated with higher process-of-care measures and lower 30-day AMI mortality. Given the wide differences in management practices across hospitals, dissemination of these practices may be beneficial in achieving high-quality outcomes.

People aren't Widgets

Question - Does service have the same problems as manufacturing? Over the years I have struggled with this question and the answer is overall . . . NO! As with any approach the question is, "what problem are you trying to solve?" If you have the same problem as manufacturing than the thinking and/or tools may apply. However, service usually has different problems to solve. Some believe healthcare has the same problems as manufacturing . . . makes you wonder what healthcare could be with different thinking.

Different problems, same Lean Thinking

Of course healthcare has different problems - namely that too many patients are being harmed by our health care system.

Lean thinking (yes, it's different thinking) allows people to develop new approaches that meet their customer (patient) needs... namely less harm. More standardization means a more consistent process that's less prone to error. It's certainly not a "check your brain at the door" approach.

Really?

You seem to equate consistent with better. Russell Ackoff would reference as "doing the wrong thing, righter." It looks and sounds better . . . however, there is danger in this approach when we lead with standardization. It ignores other possibilities and solutions. Patients bring variety that standardization cannot absorb.