Series · One part every Saturday
Process teardown: one common business process, step by step
Each week I take one common business process apart on the table: the new inquiry, the quote, the handoff, the delivery, the invoice. I map the steps, find where the work waits or leaks, and show the smallest fix that holds.
How it will work
- One process per part, mapped from "X" to "Y" in plain steps, with the waits and handoffs made visible.
- Every part names the three or four numbers to watch and the order in which to fix things: remove, simplify, standardize, then automate.
- Leads and sales are treated as what they are in my view: parts of operations, with queues you can manage.
The case
The first part is the new inquiry, from "contact us" to a first answer. The related guides below cover the method behind every teardown.
The outline
6 parts, one every week.
1 of 6 parts published. Next part: Sat Nov 14. Titles may change as I write. Each part links here as soon as it is published, and the Calendar keeps the full schedule.
- 01The new inquiry: from "contact us" to a first answerRead
- 02The quote: from request to signed yesComing
- 03The handoff: from signed yes to kickoffComing
- 04The delivery: keeping the work and the customer movingComing
- 05The invoice: from "done" to money in the bankComing
- 06The monthly review: what the processes just taught youComing
Monthly newsletter
Follow this series by email.
On the 1st of every month I send one email that lists every part published that month, plus the news, website updates and project results. No spam. You can also suggest what the series should cover.
The examples in this series are illustrative, with invented numbers, and never come from a named client.
Read meanwhile
Guides that already cover parts of this.
Process Improvement: Map, Measure, Fix
A simple three-move method to improve any process: map it, measure waiting time and rework, then fix the one step that hurts, with a 30-day plan.
Interactive tool: How much of the journey is waiting?
17
Kaizen for Project Managers: Small Weekly Fixes, the Five Whys and a One-Page Card
What kaizen really means, how it fits inside a project, the eight wastes in plain words and a six-step weekly cycle with a card builder.
Interactive tool: The kaizen card builder
24
Theory of Constraints for Project Managers: Find the One Step That Limits Everything
The five focusing steps, where constraints hide in projects, critical chain ideas and a tool that finds the bottleneck in your own process.
Interactive tool: Find your bottleneck
13
Business Process Automation: Twelve Examples That Pay Back, and How to Choose Your First
Twelve everyday processes worth automating, four tests for a good candidate, the payback arithmetic and a tool that ranks your own processes.
Interactive tool: Which process should you automate first?
63
Capacity Planning: Find the Bottleneck Before It Finds You
Every team has one constraint that sets its speed. See it, protect it and plan around it instead of asking everyone to run faster.
Interactive tool: Capacity health check
More in the guides library and the free templates. Also coming: One project, step by step, through the PMBOK lens, Project Focus for business success, Construction project management, from a civil engineer's desk, AI for small business, step by step, Utah business, run like a project.
Next step
Let's find the project that moves your business.
Tell me where things are stuck. I will tell you which project I would start with.