Interactive guide
Use Reporting to Improve the System
The reports exist now. Somebody looks at them. Nothing changes. That is the normal end state, and it is not a failure of will. It is a failure of design.
There is no rhythm, so review happens when somebody remembers. There is no list of what to inspect, so review means looking at the same summary chart again. Nobody compares what the system predicted against what actually happened, so nothing is ever proved wrong. Definitions drift, quietly, because nothing checks them. And when a change is finally made it goes out to everyone at once, with no way to tell whether it helped and no way back. You will build an Operating Review and Improvement Plan. The lab saves your progress in your browser.
Start with a broken answer
Establish a Review Rhythm
Chapter 1 of 9 · 12 min
The learning path
Two halves, and most teams have only ever built the first. Looking at the system is a rhythm, a list of what to inspect, and an honest comparison against what you expected. Changing it is a different discipline, with a gate in front of it and a way back.
Looking at it
- 01Establish a Review RhythmA fixed cadence, named attendees, and a standing agenda that reaches the quiet problems.12 min · exercise
- 02Inspect Errors, Exceptions, and OverridesAn inspection list where every finding type routes to a decision with a named owner.14 min · exercise
- 03Compare Expected and Actual OutcomesFind out whether the system was right, not just whether it ran.14 min · exercise
- 04Measure Adoption, Cost, Speed, and QualityMeasure the real cost driver before optimizing, and publish what is not metered.14 min · exercise
The change loop
- 05Find Drift and Stale DefinitionsScheduled checks that catch the failures where nothing fails.12 min · exercise
- 06Test Changes Before Broad ReleaseA change that is checkable before it reaches anyone, against criteria written first.14 min · exercise
- 07Roll Out and Roll Back DeliberatelyStages that outlast the lag, and a way back decided before you need it.12 min · exercise
- 08Update Owners, Documentation, and TrainingThe change reaches the people and documents that have to move with it.12 min · exercise
- 09Capstone: Run the Quarterly Operating ReviewWork a real review pack, validate the plan, approve version 1.0, and close the curriculum.16 min · exercise