Distinguishing symptoms from causes in business processes

Describe the same event first

Which start and end points define a delay? Are unfinished cases included? Did the product mix, customer mix or process definition change during the period? When teams report different results, definitions and coverage are the first questions to resolve.

A review record should state the decision question, period, cases covered, measurement definition and known data gaps. Measuring only completed work can hide cases still waiting. An average duration can also conceal delays across different types of work. We therefore examine distributions and process stages as well.

Keep alternative explanations in writing

Suppose deliveries are becoming late. Insufficient capacity is the first explanation. Waiting for approval, incomplete order information or stock exceptions could also produce the same outcome. These are separate hypotheses to examine, not established causes.

• For capacity, examine how workload and available capacity change over time.
• For approvals, check where a case waits and under which conditions.
• For missing information, compare returns and rework records.
• For recording differences, verify that timestamps describe the same event.

Reports repeating the same record do not constitute independent evidence. The system and workflow that produced the record matter. Interviews help explain how work happens; one person’s interpretation does not establish how the entire process operates.

Choose the check that could change the decision

Rather than collecting every field, select the check that distinguishes the available actions. If approval queues dominate, more staff may not resolve the problem. If capacity is genuinely limiting, revising a form may not be enough. Write down which decision the check could change before starting.

Limited digital records do not prevent a review. Bounded file sampling, interviews with process owners and short observation periods can establish a starting point. State the limits of inference clearly; a small sample is not a definitive picture of the whole organisation.

Record the decision separately from the outcome

The decision note should contain the supported explanation, unresolved uncertainty, selected action and owner. At follow-up, ask whether the expected mechanism changed, not just whether the outcome improved. Lower demand or a different mix of work might also explain the result.

The output is not a list of people to blame. It clarifies which change the organisation should make, the reasoning behind it and how its effect will be assessed.

Next step

Explore our business process approach. Tell Lode about the decision and current situation; there is no need to send sensitive records or files in your first message.