In sports, an unforced error is a mistake or blunder that is entirely self-inflicted and occurs on an easy shot or in a non-pressure situation. Examples include dropping the ball on an easy toss to first base and letting the opposing team score, or tumbling and falling two feet from the end zone—with no defenders within 20 yards. Everyone falls prey to a rookie mistake now and then, but champion players and businesses do everything they can to identify and stop self-inflicted errors.

One of the most common, avoidable, and overlooked of the unforced errors in quality efforts comes from confusing policies and procedures. I don’t just mean creating policies and procedures that are poor or make no sense for the business. I mean, literally, confusing policies with procedures and producing employee manuals, operations guides, and SOPs that simply frustrate and baffle employees. Akin to a head coach’s game plan, the strategy for your business might be outstanding—genius-level, even—but unless the “players” on the field understand what it is and how to implement it, nothing good can come of it.

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