David McCoy

I spent last night repairing dry rot above my garage door. I had to chip out a lot of bad wood and rebuild the structure with new wood, screws and wood-filler.  Sadly, I am quite adept at using wood-filler.  The repair job reminded me of how we deal with bad processes:

1. Not planning for decay - The caulk that was supposed to protect my wood had eroded.  Moisture seeped into the end-grain of the wood and the wood-eating fungi started their buffet.  Remember that your processes are likewise subject to decay.  Nothing lasts forever.  Processes and wood need maintenance.
2. Ignoring the early-warning signs – My “termite man” noticed a bit of fungal growth on the wood a few years ago.  I annotated it in my “things to do” list and promptly ignored it. My dry rot worsened while I waited to act.  Some of you have ignored early-warning signs about your processes, to your detriment.
3. Getting overwhelmed with all the changes needed – My “things to do” list grew so massive that I felt overwhelmed about which item to tackle next. Thank goodness I bought that book on applying Kaizen to your life.  Start small and think big. Forget the gutters, drywall and plumbing – just start somewhere. Last night, I killed a big item on my list and feel better about starting my next project.  Do the same with your processes. Mend them in a continuous improvement fashion.  One step is all it takes to get started.
4. Not calling in the experts – I did most of the repair work myself.  I did rely on my Dad for his stellar wood-working expertise (and his cool Norm Abram-like toys).  Together, we taught each other a few new tricks.  However, if I had called in an expert to do the whole thing, I could have avoided a lot of stress, but at a high cost: capital outlay and limited expertise-building. I am now passable at dry rot repair and – living in the South – that is a great skill to possess.  Are you using all the right experts for your processes?  Consider a blended approach -don’t think you have to do it all yourself – and make sure you learn something new on each repair job.

I could go on, but you get the idea.  Dry rot, bad processes: is there really a difference?  Wait, there is one difference:  repairing bad processes won’t break your favorite chisel.  Goodbye old friend. You served me well.

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Category: Business Process Management (BPM) Rabble-Rousing and General Hoopla     Tags: Business Process Management (BPM), David McCoy, Gartner

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