I confess… I’m a geek.

“Confess?” you say, “You’re an accountant.  We already knew you were a geek.”

Now, I like to think I hide it most of the time, but I have a passion for math problems, puzzles, and technology.  So it’s good to know that there is now a TV show dedicated to people like me.

“Big Bang Theory” is about a group of friends who are physicists at Cal Tech, but they resonate with this accountant’s nerdy side.  But, as a business consultant, I laughed my head off during a recent episode that featured process mapping as an instructional method for making friends.

Here’s the setup. Sheldon, the most anal-retentive of the bunch, decides that he needs to make friends with the guy who schedules access to a certain lab.  He proceeds to research the art of making friends and ends up using a children’s book to create a flowchart (or process map) to follow during his phone call to the scheduler.  While his friends are watching, he calls and follows the process step by step, smugly nodding as the discussion flows right along with his chart.  As he reaches the final stage of setting up a common activity to share, the would-be friend declines several offers. Panic sets in for Sheldon until one of the friends in the room recognizes that he’s stuck in an infinite loop, changes the chart, and allows Sheldon to operate outside his predetermined plan.

Needless to say, in business things often don’t go as we planned.  We set up a wonderful strategic plan, come up with the tactics to use, and, yes, when we’re firing on all cylinders, we even create a map detailing the process. 

What happens, though, when either the situation changes or the “standard process” just isn’t all that great? 

• Do people stick to the process or do they work around it?
• Do they tell anyone that they’ve gone around the process?
• Are they allowed to go around the standard process?
• Are they free to suggest changes or improvements?
• Does anyone listen to the suggestions?
• Ultimately, are improvements made to the process as needed?

Process mapping is a wonderful way to capture the current reality of how things are done and identify wastes, but it’s extremely important to have the honest input of those performing the tasks.  Only when you know your current process can you create improvements that reduce waste, eliminate redundancies, and allow people the flexibility to provide maximum value to your customers.

Ask your people, let them be honest, and figure out how to improve what they do. Your customers (and closet geeks) will thank you for it.