Sin #1: Process improvement is not tied to the Strategic issues the business faces.

Sin #2: The process improvement effort does not involve the right people, especially top management.

Sin #3: Process improvement teams are not given a clear & appropriate charter, and are not held accountable for fulfilling that charter.

Sin #4: The top management team thinks if it’s not “nuking” the existing organization (Reengineering),
it’s not making significant improvements.

Sin #5: Process designers don’t sufficiently consider how the changes will affect the people who have to work in the new process.

Sin #6: The organization focuses more on redesign and implementation.

Sin #7: Teams fail to leave behind a measurement system, and other parts of the infrastructure, necessary for continuous process improvement.

Originally published in the HPM Weekly Update, #15, April 12, 2010