How To Breed An Innovative Business Idea — #15 of 31 Proven Skills [Research]

Removing a Step in the Process –Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

Skill #15: Eliminate Process Resources to Deliver a Better Result

Managing any process as a series of dependent steps or events is the key to this skill. As the contribution of each process step is dependent upon the contribution of the previous step, the greater the number of steps, the greater the chance that the quality and quantity of output will be adversely affected. It is therefore certain that the value generated by a process will significantly increase if the discrete steps required to produce that output are reduced in number

Skill #15 Eliminate Process Resources to Deliver a Better Result is the first of four skills that modify an Initiating Resource in its entirety rather than modifying its attributes, which was the basis of the previous three skills. Central to this latest skill is appreciating that everything we do in our work lives — and our personal lives as well — involves operating a process until we achieve the goal we want. Virtually nothing occurs as a single event; it is nearly always the result of a series of dependent events or steps that make up a process that has been designed to deliver the desired result. This means that every step of a process is unavoidably affected by the steps that precede it.

With this knowledge, we can innovate.

Because every step of a process is dependent on what precedes it, as a general principle we can conclude that the greater the number of steps, the more difficult it is to manage how well any process performs. This is where Skill #15 Eliminate Process Resources to Deliver a Better Result comes in. It is based on the insight that an innovative way to improve any process is to reduce the number of discrete steps it contains. Done innovatively, this does not impair the output of the process but, rather, both the quantity and quality of output will improve.

As this may sound too good to be true, let us look at an illustration that demonstrates the principle.

One of the final steps a manufacturer of reconstituted timber cladding faces is that of applying a coat of paint to the raw board before it is dispatched. This step is an operation of some substance and clearly affects both the rate and quality of the final timber output. It is not an activity that can be easily skipped. However, by considering the painting step (but not its effect) as an Initiating Resource and how it might be eliminated, the manufacturer comes up with a way to shorten the process. This is done by introducing color into the mix at the early step when the product is being formulated. This results in a final timber product that is ‘pre-painted’ and lots more of it, because the former operational step that delivered that task has been eliminated.

Other Examples of Eliminating a Process Resource to Deliver a Better Result*

While there are thousands of examples in the business world of Skill #15 at work i.e., where a step has been removed from a productive process significantly improving it, some are especially prominent such as the adoption of Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing in Japan in the early 1970s. It was first developed and perfected within the Toyota Motor Corporation manufacturing plants by Taiichi Ohno as a means of meeting consumer demands with minimum delays. Persistent problems with parts inventories such as shortages, overstocking, and wrong items were resoundingly overcome by treating inventory as an Initiating Resource and eliminating it altogether. Collaboration with suppliers resulted in the establishment of a JIT system whereby all needed items and components were delivered daily as required. The holding of inventory disappeared as a step in the manufacturing process.

To gain a slightly different perspective, let us look at the application of Skill #15 on a personal level.

Missed telephone calls and resulting telephone tag are frustrating and time-wasting. It’s a simple process of course. Place a call, request a call-back. Repeat until consummation.

There is a simple solution to this via our voicemail message. Instead of the usual “unavailable/leave your name etc” type message, we leave a recorded response along these lines: “Please leave a detailed message and I will get back to you if you need me to”. Callers are encouraged to state their business as fully as possible and are guided towards pre-empting the need for any call-back. Treating the usual call-back as an Initiating Resource and eliminating the need for it removes an irritation and automatically boosts our personal productivity.

And finally, to demonstrate the extensive versatility of Skill #15, let’s consider an illustration involving animals. A key step in the farming process employed by a rabbit framer is routinely relocating the rabbit enclosures so that the rabbits have access to fresh grass. By treating the relocation activity as an Initiating Resource that could be eliminated, the farmer mounts the enclosures on wheels so that the rabbits instinctively push against the sides of their cages, moving them to fresh, adjacent grass themselves. The need for human intervention is minimized when the relocation operation is no longer a frequent necessity.

Recognizing that the performance of any process is dependent upon the number of events or steps that must be executed for the process goal to be reached brings to light an important insight: reducing the number of events or steps by eliminating one or more of them is a guaranteed way to improve both the quality and output of that process.

This skill is one of 31 innovative skills uncovered by the research of thousands of successful business ideas.

Takeaway

*More than 1 million categorized, innovative business ideas can be searched at Sebir.com