workflow improvement

Make the work easier

When a process takes too long, depends on workarounds, or makes everyone’s job harder than it should be, I help teams see what’s actually happening, find what’s getting in the way, and test a better way.

Phase 1 - See the work

Understand how the work actually happens

We start with the people doing the work.

Together, we walk through the real process - not just the version written in policy or procedures - so we can see what happens from beginning to end.

In this phase, I:

  • Talk with the people closest to the work
  • Walk through the process step by step
  • Map handoffs, decisions, and information flow
  • Notice workarounds and extra steps
  • Capture where people are already making the process work despite the system

Phase 2 - Find the Friction

Find what's making the work harder than it needs to be.

Once we can see the whole process, we look for places where work slows down, gets repeated, becomes confusing, or requires people to compensate for the system.

In this phase, I help teams find:

  • Bottlenecks and delays
  • Unclear handoffs
  • Duplicate work or data entry
  • Missing information
  • Too many approvals
  • Decisions that keep getting stuck
  • Workarounds people have created just to get the job done

Does this feel familiar?

Everyone knows the process is frustrating.

But no one has had the time to pull it apart and figure out why.

That's where we start.

Phase 3 - Sort what's going on

Figure out what actually needs to change.

Not every frustration has the same solution.

Some things are quick fixes. Some need a decision. Some point to unclear roles, missing resources, or a bigger organizational issue.

We sort through what we found so the team can focus on the changes that will actually make a difference.

In this phase, we:

  • Separate symptoms from root problems
  • Identify what the team can change directly
  • Surface decisions leadership needs to make
  • Flag resource or capacity issues
  • Prioritize where to start

Phase 4 - Test a better way

Try something better. See if it actually helps.

We don’t need to redesign everything at once.

We choose practical changes, try them in the real work, and learn from what happens.

‍In this phase, I help teams:

  • Design small, practical changes.
  • Test them with the people doing the work
  • Decide what would tell us whether the change helped
  • Adjust based on what we learn
  • Document the better way once it works

The goal isn't a prettier process map. It's work that actually feels easier to do.

Have one process that's making everyone's job harder?

You don't need to start with an organization-wide transformation.

Bring me one workflow that takes too long, creates too much frustration, or doesn't work the way it should. We can start there.

Let’s talk →