Reports are waste and a reason for poor decision-making
Myron Tribus said:"Managing a company by means of a monthly report is like trying to drive a car by watching the yellow line in the rearview mirror."Periodic progress reports are a symptom of hierarchical thinking. They make everybody 'look up' at managers rather than 'out' to users.
Progress reports don't tell you what's going on. They tell you what people want to tell you. And decisions based on such incomplete information are risky and likely to be poor. Producing reports is waste; it’s not adding value.
As John Seddon
says "reports are substitutions for action". To really know what's going on you must go see the real thing for yourself. And do it regularly. Talk face-to-face with the people doing the work and observe the actual process at the actual place to obtain actual data. Learn from each visit and make your decisions on the facts you have gathered yourself.Labels: gemba gembutsu, hierarchical thinking, john seddon, reports, waste
Posted by Simon Baker @ permalink
