Characteristics

• Repeating patterns and events
• Clear cause and effect
• Defined relationships
• Known knowns
• Outcomes and risks are measurable and quantifiable
• Clear stopping points
• General agreement about the problem
• A history of past solutions exists
• The situation is relatively stable
• Stakeholders can control the system
• Few alternatives exist

Standard work

• Use regulation to maintain stability
• Use integration to increase efficiency
• Develop experts
• Know what is known
• Establish economies of scale
• Grow in size to grow returns
• Communicate clearly and directly
• Benchmark competition and evaluate best practices
• Implement clear and concise procedures and processes
• Use planning to regulate work
• Eliminate bottlenecks and constraints
• Define roles and accountability clearly
• Establish quantitative goals, incentives, and metrics
• Set limits for behavior
• Audit work for compliance with standards

Warning signs

• Applying routine context actions in complicated or messy contexts
• Complacency and ignoring new information
• Processes fail or are not followed
• Change processes are cumbersome
• Delays in surfacing or acting on problems and opportunities
• Avoiding blame takes precedence over improvement
• Shifts in the environment or market
• Rule-beating behavior
• A drift towards lower performance
• High deficits and leverage
• Dependence on accurate forecasting
• Risk identification becomes complacent

Proactive work

• Invest in on-the-job training and mentoring
• Create communication channels to challenge convention
• Stay connected without micromanaging
• Engage in continuous improvement
• Create contingency plans
• Conduct scenario planning
• Reduce dependency on accurate forecasting by decreasing reaction time