Timing a task before deciding it is worth changing
Some tasks are not worth changing. Measure first.
Before changing a task, it is worth knowing how long it really takes and how often, because some are not worth changing at all.
Not every business has this problem, and some should leave it alone.
Most of these can be handled better. Whether it's worth doing is a separate question. What follows is one common form of the problem, described in general terms, because your version will differ. These are possible challenges, not a description of your business, and some should be left exactly as they are. If it sounds like your week, that's worth a conversation.
Watch: How to Look Before Changing Anything
Sound familiar?
- A task feels like it takes forever, but nobody has timed it.
- A change was made that saved less than expected.
- Estimates of how long something takes vary by who you ask.
- Nobody has asked whether a task is worth changing at all.
What it looks like
A task feels heavy. Everyone agrees it takes too long. But nobody knows how long, how often it happens, or what else it costs: the interruptions, the errors, the waiting it causes.
Without that, there is no way to tell whether changing it is worth doing. Some tasks that feel heavy turn out to be small. Some that feel small turn out to be where the week goes.
What it costs
A feeling is not a measurement. A task can feel longer or shorter than it is. Timing it is how to find out.
Effort can go to the wrong task. Without numbers, the problem that gets fixed may not be the one costing most.
Results cannot be shown. Without a before, there is no way to tell whether a change helped.
Where it goes wrong
- Nobody measures. The estimate is a guess, repeated until it sounds like a fact.
- One instance is timed. A good day or a bad day, taken as typical.
- The hidden costs are left out. Errors, rework, and waiting are not counted.
- The option to leave it alone is forgotten. Some tasks should stay exactly as they are.
What a better version looks like
Time the task honestly over a few ordinary weeks: how long each time, how often, and what goes wrong. Count the rework. Then ask plainly whether it is costing enough to be worth changing. Sometimes the answer is no, and that is a good answer.
What still needs a person
The people who do the task time it, because they know what counts as part of it. The owner decides whether the cost is worth acting on.
Questions worth asking about your own operation
- Which task in your business feels heaviest?
- How long does it actually take, and how often?
- What goes wrong with it, and what does fixing that cost?
- If you changed it, how would you know it helped?
If this sounds familiar
Bring me the version you actually have. I'll learn how the process really works before I suggest anything. If it isn't worth changing, or isn't a fit for me, I'll say so. Talk through a problem