But We’ve Always Done it This Way
“But we’ve always done it this way,” he told me as I asked why we needed to continue to track metrics I didn’t think anyone was using. So I asked him, “How are these metrics being used and by whom?” He answered, “Well, I like to track all of these in case someone wants to start using them.”
I then went to several directors to ask them how much time it was taking them to collect these monthly metrics. One said it took time but was no big deal. Another one told me with a smile, “I don’t send them in anymore. I stopped two months ago. No one noticed.” I laughed.
Then I figured out how much time people were wasting on something that wasn’t even being used by anyone for anything. Why? I hate waste. I hate collecting metrics just to collect them. I dislike process just for process sake especially if it takes time that can better be spent elsewhere.
It’s always a good idea to review current processes to understand if they are still effective and supporting the business as expected. However, if you discover people are spending time on information gathering or processes that are ineffective or not being used, then either streamline them or eliminate them.
Some will argue that the process has been in place for so long because it really did solve a problem at one point so it shouldn’t change. These are the people who will find change uncomfortable. A guest blogger, Tarang, wrote about change management. You might be interested in his observations.
People find comfort in processes that have been in place for a long time because they are familiar. Safe. However just consider how much better that time could be spent if those processes are no longer used. Eliminating time wasting processes creates space for new opportunities and new ways of doing things.
After we evaluated and identified which metrics would help us make business decisions, we were able to streamline information in the report. This saved time for those that were collecting the data leaving them more time to focus on releasing the product. They also didn’t feel they were gathering metrics that no one would use.
It’s a good practice to review metrics and processes and fine tune to make sure they are still relevant, meaningful, and helpful.