When an operational breakdown surfaces during IDS, our leadership team defaults to creating a new process or standard operating procedure, even when the real issue is an accountability failure. How do we identify whether a problem stems from process, people, or structure before we jump to solutions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Building a new standard operating procedure to patch a personnel or structure issue is the most common operational waste in growing businesses. When a ball drops, leadership teams instinctively write a checklist because confronting process is emotionally easier than confronting people.

To diagnose the true issue behind the issue during IDS, run the problem through a strict three-tier filter before discussing any solutions:

First, check the structure. Look at the Accountability Chart. Is there a clear, single seat accountable for this outcome with five defined roles? If multiple people share accountability, or if no seat owns it, you have a structural defect. Fix the Accountability Chart first.

Second, check the person. If the seat is clear, look at the individual in that seat using the People Analyzer. Do they match your Core Values? Do they GWC the seat: do they Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it? If they lack the skill, desire, or conative wiring, writing a sixty-page SOP will not make them perform. You have a people issue.

Third, check the process. If you have the right person in the right seat and the structure is sound, only then do you evaluate whether the process is documented, simplified, and Followed by All.

Never solve a people or structure problem with process. The Integrator must halt the discussion the moment someone suggests a new procedure and ask: Is our current process actually broken, or is the accountable seat simply not executing?