“I’m sorry. I can’t do that. It’s not part of our process.”
“I’m sorry we billed you three times for the same thing. Our process had some hiccups.”
“Sorry, but our process requires [insert absurdly long time frame] to make the changes you’ve requested.”
I worked at a place once the had TPS Reports. For real.
Sound familiar? When we’re making the process, we’re doing it to make life easier. And it sure does work. It makes our life so much simpler. Don’t have to rethink every project. Don’t have to brainstorm an answer to every question. But then it becomes a real boy, and we focus on the process, rather than the people we built the process to serve.
Or, it could become a sacred cow. Maybe it’s time to make a steak out of that cow.