Here are four reasons to avoid ad-hoc business processes:
- Ad-hoc processes are inflexible:
Ad-hoc by definition has few rules and little structure, so it would appear to be quite flexible. Ad-hoc processes often have disjointed or inflexible
IT systems not designed to manage the workflow of the process. E.g. Tracking customer information on emails. It will take reading through all the
emails to review the sales process.
- Complexity:
Ad-hoc processes can be clumsy, slow, and disjointed. Employees are then buried in paperwork, Excel spreadsheets, and email, or trapped in the
business system silo.
- Confusion:
The lack of documentation and structure means that roles and responsibilities are unclear. A lack of process documentation and structure can create
communication gaps, especially when a process crosses departments or business functions, and important tasks can fall through cracks.
- Waste:
Poorly defined processes are nearly impossible to optimize. Redundant tasks, manual data entry and verification, errors, and inefficiencies, create
an additional burden on employees – which minimizes productivity. Improvements to the ad-hoc process are purely guesswork.
