15: Grease is the word…
I hope the system design features presented in recent emails have had at least a fraction of the impact they had on me. Because after seeing them in action, my entire outlook on how we improve performance changed.
But we’re not done yet. And today I want to talk about how these features solve another insidious problem that wreaks havoc inside organisations: degradation.
In the last email, I shared the concept of cyclical workflows. Workflows that appear on a recurring basis. Helpful for things we don’t do often, like my quarterly tax return.
But cyclical workflows are also powerful for maintaining high standards.
Let me give you an example.
My friend was recently complaining because he missed an email from the head of his division.
Turns out he wasn’t on the distribution list.
Not his fault, but he did feel embarrassed when a discussion arose about topics of which he wasn’t aware.
So, let's consider the root cause. The email distribution list is not connected to the HR platform. Which means new starters are not automatically added to the list when they’re hired.
Without maintenance, the list degrades.
Solution? Fix the tech.
Problem? It’s unlikely we’ll have the time or mandate to do that.
So, what else could work?
Well, imagine a task that surfaced once a month via the leader’s task dashboard, reminding them to cross-check the list of team members against the distribution list. And not only does it prompt them, it also provides guidance and links to whatever needs updating.
It’s right there in the flow of work.
See it, do it, wave goodbye til autumn…
This is the perfect example of a self-maintaining system. Without this mechanism, the leader is reliant on heroic effort. They need to remember. They need a reminder. They need their own to-do list.
Of course, things like this will fall through the cracks. We remember the important stuff, the small stuff gets deprioritised.
This wasn’t a priority for a busy leader. But it was a big deal for my embarrassed friend.
Now, this task is pretty simple - and one could argue that a separate task is overkill. And I would tend to agree - imagine if we had a task for every single thing we had to remember? It would become unmanageable. The overhead would outweigh the benefit.
So, instead of a workflow for each item, how about grouping these ‘maintenance’ tasks by the frequency with which they’re needed? And let’s also consider the different cadences with which they might be grouped. Should they be daily? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? Annually?
The answer will differ depending on the task in question. Updating the email distribution list daily would be overkill. But if I have five new starters per month, annually won’t be enough.
And I’m going to use this word again - but the impact of this approach is profound.
I’ve never been disorganised. But after using recurring workflows for several weeks, I realised things had stopped slipping through the cracks. Things I would once do only either when I remembered, or when they caught fire, were now done ahead of schedule - I was in control.
It’s the digital equivalent of changing the oil on your car, rather than waiting till it breaks down.
I should also mention ‘maintenance’ is a poor choice of word here. Because that implies we’re just housekeeping. But when used intentionally, the benefits are far greater than sending tax returns and updating email lists.
Let’s think about the implications of what this means from a strategic perspective. What conversations should we be having - either with our colleagues - or even reflectively by ourselves - on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis?
How about things like:
“Am I on course to achieving my life goals?”
“What important tasks am I putting off because they’re not urgent?
“Am I fulfilling the expectations of my manager?”
“What did I start doing 12 months ago that I should stop doing?”
“What would fall apart if I left the company tomorrow?”
These are not conversations we should be having weekly. But they’re probably things we should be thinking about at least once a quarter.
And what about if we go the other way and think about our daily habits? What reminders would be helpful before we start work?
Here are a few items from my daily startup workflow (the first thing I do before work and it takes me 10 minutes):
Drink glass of water
Move/cancel any non-essential meetings
Process email inbox
Check calendar for today’s meetings
And here are some from my daily shut down workflow (takes 5 minutes before I log off):
Review today’s biggest challenge and reflect on response
Organise tomorrow's task list
Block off time for focus work
Add phone alerts for important events
The point I'm making is not to how anally retentive I am - if it was ever in doubt, it’s now clear for all to see. The point I’m making is how powerful a system built on workflows can be when it comes to driving performance.
And if we can take just a smidgeon of this thinking back into the workplace, we’ll be able to significantly impact performance.
More soon,
- Ant
