Look Between the Boxes

I like this post on Frank's Focused Performance Weblog called, Between the Boxes. Picture a process doagram, or a project pr process doagram. Boxes and arrows. Most people focus on the boxes, missing a hige opportunity to improve how the work flows and passes from one stage to the next. I have often said during talks about management that is it between the boxes that great management can shine. Here is a choice bit from Frank's post:

"There's usually a lot more performers in an effort than there are project or process managers, so the boxes, tasks, and subprocesses that are identified usually get a lot of attention. More attention often needs to be aimed at the arrows, handoffs, and deliverables. Most of my project plans have quite verbose task descriptions, often necessary to help clarify and define the outputs of the task in order to fully define completion for the performer of the work. I wish I could put information on the arrows, defining the actual deliverables, in PM software like can be done in software designed to map processes."

Comments

[Adrian Savage]

This is a wise post. Most people concentrate on the boxes -- the tasks to be completed -- and don't pay much attention to how things need to get done and how they need to be communicated (the arrows between the boxes).

In reality, the arrows are very often the most important elements in achieving success. There may be only one or two ways of completing the task. There are myriads of ways of linking (or failing to link) things together.

Some of the problem comes from our ease with quantitative measures rather than qualitative ones. The boxes can be counted and measured -- they hold only so much -- but the arrows represent qualitative actions such as co-ordination, support, innovation and leadership; all the things that make the difference between pulling the levers and creating something outstanding.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Adiran - thanks for your addition to the conversation, here and on your blog. The arrows are qualitative, often, making them easier to ignore and underserve. The core of management is this kind of stuff.