Spaghetti processes
Complex process design is like trying to eat spaghetti – many different intertwined, seemingly endless strands?
Or like powering down a busy highway where you are acutely focused on the road, the people, and events around you to reach your ultimate destination? What do you think? We agree, the goal is important. However, it is worth remembering that every journey comes to an end at some point. And then what? Maybe it's worth eating. How are these two cases applicable to IT you may be asking yourself?
We know all about the high pace of work, the single-minded focus on our client's business case and all the other project complexities. Our long years spent in software development have taught us that moments of reflection and more reflection are very important when traveling and pursuing the next stage in a journey. Just like in a busy kitchen, creating a culinary masterpiece. Moments matter, they really matter – not just a metaphor, taking advantage of the moment really pays off.
Working with complex processes is just like eating spaghetti, then?
here are many theories and practices for eating spaghetti. You can use a spoon and fork, apparently best for children. You can only eat with a fork. There are people who use chopsticks. Let's not forget about those who have never heard of spaghetti or who simply have never eaten it. How is spaghetti eaten in its original homeland? How will spaghetti eat native Italian? Only fork. We know because we asked Matteo Maifrini.
It is similar with processes. How to work with them? This is where our favorite “it depends” comes in, because there really isn't one single answer. Processes can be convoluted, complicated, but always have a beginning and an end. They can be optimized, automated or built from scratch. They also have their natural business origins. It does not matter if we are looking at a bank, logistics company, energy supplier or e-commerce company. It comes down to one thing: an endless amount of difficult and time-consuming things to look at and consume. How to deal with them? As you will no doubt agree, complex processes require a lot of organizational agility. If we do not incorporate such agile efficiency, we will start to face the risk that our organization will not be able to implement innovative ideas. It may happen that the technological debt grows to such an extent that the development of our business significantly slows down or even stops. If you are already on the podium of success, you certainly do not want to fall from it, and if you have just started the race to the top, you certainly have ambitious goals to catch up with competitors who are just starting.
In expert articles on business processes, we often find statements such as:
- "the business world is based on processes"
- "the business world is created by processes"
- "processes are an inherent element of the business world"
- "process optimization is a panacea for rising costs"
Meanwhile, in the culinary world:
- "you are what you eat"
- "product quality is the key to success"
- "Experienced cooks are worth their weight in gold"
In the IT sector, we are a solution provider. We work with processes and try to simplify all the complexities and intricacies. We do it so that our clients can achieve further successes.
The analogy to spaghetti shows us how important the quality and origin of the products are, the skill of the cook and, finally, how to eat without staining your shirt, especially if it’s white.
Our passion for food and experience in traveling around the IT world inspired us to invite you to talk to us about the following:
- Do you think that your company's processes are like spaghetti? Long and convoluted?
- Have you thought about automation?
- What is the obstacle to automating or optimizing the processes you work with?
- How do you deal with situations where you have more ideas for business development than technical possibilities?
- Which processes in your organization are most susceptible to change?
- What methodologies of working with processes work best for you?
While discussing processes, which are extremely important to us, we will also talk about spaghetti. It’s harder to forget about the quality, the role of the chef, and how important the ingredients are.
We invite you to the table. Let us know what you think about it. Because we’ll be back soon, and we definitely have more items on our menu.