Process Evolution Group
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PEG can help you learn to avoid these top 10 common pitfalls of process improvement
efforts:
1. Failing to plan for planning
Having no planning phase in the project schedule, and not providing templates for the
planning of process execution
2. Not committing sufficient resources
Not allowing sufficient work time for employees to learn and follow processes, or assigning
as the project leader someone who already has a full-time job and who isn’t
knowledgeable about process improvement
3. Displacing process ownership
Giving responsibility for the definition and ongoing development of processes to someone
who is coming in from outside the organization, instead of to process practitioners
4. Forcing a canned process model
Not creating processes to fit the business, instead forcing the business to follow a process
that is perceived to be “dictated” by a quality standard or model
5. Lack of communication
Not engaging in a complete communications/training program about the new processes
and the benefits to the process practitioners
6. Unreasonable scheduling
Assigning an arbitrary date for achieving compliance to a quality model or standard without
performing due diligence to determine when it could reasonably be implemented in the
organization
7. Not distributing the effort across the organization
Expecting the project leader, or any one person – especially an outsider – to effectively
implement organizational change
8. Not analyzing de facto processes
Diving in and changing processes without first conducting a gap analysis to see where
changes need to be made and where the process is working
9. Not tailoring the process to each project
Taking a “one size fits all” approach to meeting quality standard requirements, resulting in
heavy, labor-intensive processes with too much emphasis on excessive documentation
10. Allowing the effort to stall
Not maintaining momentum through communication and regular progress measurement
of the process improvement effort
efforts:
1. Failing to plan for planning
Having no planning phase in the project schedule, and not providing templates for the
planning of process execution
2. Not committing sufficient resources
Not allowing sufficient work time for employees to learn and follow processes, or assigning
as the project leader someone who already has a full-time job and who isn’t
knowledgeable about process improvement
3. Displacing process ownership
Giving responsibility for the definition and ongoing development of processes to someone
who is coming in from outside the organization, instead of to process practitioners
4. Forcing a canned process model
Not creating processes to fit the business, instead forcing the business to follow a process
that is perceived to be “dictated” by a quality standard or model
5. Lack of communication
Not engaging in a complete communications/training program about the new processes
and the benefits to the process practitioners
6. Unreasonable scheduling
Assigning an arbitrary date for achieving compliance to a quality model or standard without
performing due diligence to determine when it could reasonably be implemented in the
organization
7. Not distributing the effort across the organization
Expecting the project leader, or any one person – especially an outsider – to effectively
implement organizational change
8. Not analyzing de facto processes
Diving in and changing processes without first conducting a gap analysis to see where
changes need to be made and where the process is working
9. Not tailoring the process to each project
Taking a “one size fits all” approach to meeting quality standard requirements, resulting in
heavy, labor-intensive processes with too much emphasis on excessive documentation
10. Allowing the effort to stall
Not maintaining momentum through communication and regular progress measurement
of the process improvement effort
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