Go see the business process

- Okay, there's a problem, and you need to get to the root cause. What do you do? Well, I'll tell you. Get up and go. Step away from your desk, get your team, and go to the action is. Go to where the problem is happening. Why? Because in so many cases, I've seen where the root causes are determined by someone at their desk or in a meeting room, only to later find out that the problem didn't really go away because the real root cause was not corrected. In addition to any data you may have, direct observation keeps you from relying on assumptions and jumping to conclusions. By following the process, step by step, and engaging with the people that actually do the work, you'll be able to directly see the breakdowns that are causing the problem. And direct observation will help you map the process and identify any other factors that may be contributing to the problem. Let's take, for example, a financial institution dedicated to home loans. They've been losing potential clients because online customer reviews have rated them as too slow in response times to loan applications. Here's how one of their business analysts approached the problem. She established a small team, including people from IT, customer service and two loan processors. The team prepared a plan by asking, what problem are we trying to solve? What are we looking for? Next, they went to speak with the people that handled the actual loan applications, and focused on the steps where decisions were being made before handing off to the next step. And as they visited each step, the team built a map of the process. For example, in one step, documents provided by the client were not complete, and sat waiting for more information for five days before passing on to the next step. In another step, the application was ready to be submitted to the underwriter or the title company, but sat waiting for over three days. Then, the team proceeded to ask the key stakeholders for help determining the causes of excess waiting. They found there was unclear signaling between departments for handoffs, and there were no metrics to quantify waiting times. Understanding these two causes, the team recommended improving communication between departments, and establishing a way to measure and report the time between handoffs, so it could be better managed. Once those changes were implemented, the team reviewed the loan application process map again, and pinpointed other areas they would visit next to look for other causes of delays. Next time you have a problem to solve, avoid jumping to conclusions, and instead, try walking the process with your team and talking to the people that actually do the work. I'm sure you'll be able to see where the breakdowns are, and then identify root causes to help you solve the problem in a sustainable way.