Free field guide
The 15-Minute Workflow Friction Check
Choose one recent inquiry, job, customer request, or repeated administrative task. Follow what actually happened from arrival to completion. Do not map the entire business.
Write a few words for each prompt. A blank or uncertain answer is useful evidence: it often shows where ownership or visibility is weak.
What started the work?
Where did it arrive, and what information was available at the beginning?
Who owned the next step?
Was ownership explicit, assumed, shared, or dependent on someone noticing?
Where did the information go?
List the inboxes, forms, messages, spreadsheets, software, paper, and conversations involved.
Where did it wait or get repeated?
Mark every delay, duplicate entry, status check, correction, and handoff.
What depended on memory?
What would be missed if the owner, manager, or one experienced employee were unavailable?
What did the friction cost?
Estimate time, response delay, rework, confusion, missed opportunity, or customer frustration.
What would a useful 30-day win look like?
Describe one observable change, not a giant transformation.
Your first-win candidate
Circle the point where clearer ownership, better information, or one small system change would remove the most friction.
That point is not automatically the answer. It is the best place to investigate next.
Want a second set of eyes?
Bring this example to a free Mission Check. We will ask the follow-up questions, test the assumptions, and help you decide whether the workflow is worth improving.