My iPhone alarm goes off in the morning and my day begins. I prepare to walk my dog, next I feed then play with him. Subsequently, I eat breakfast then prepare for my workday.
In grad school, thanks to Professor David Schuff, I find myself consciously thinking more purposely about these processes as my day evolves. Do I create Swim Lane or Affinity diagrams as I map out my day or, perhaps, some business modeling is in order? For the most part, nothing elaborate is necessary. However, by bringing higher awareness to my daily processes, I find that I am discovering ways to be efficient whether I am running simple errands or implementing a project and analyzing data for a client. Originally, I had been skeptical when examining the relevance of process in my daily life. However, I now find myself consciously thinking about ways I might take advantage of my new found awareness. In fact, today I thought through processes where I applied learned practices enabling me to effectively address delivering on three ambitious timelines while juggling a myriad of demands.
This level of thinking has also made me a better problem solver when thinking through processes professionally for clients and customers. Have you ever thought more consciously about processes we often take for granted in our daily activities? Or, how you might make these elements work better together by bringing greater process recognition to everyday routines? I think you’ll be surprised by the outcome.