Step 1 · one process
Capacity and Cost Review
One process, about four weeks to the readout. Its four numbers, its pattern and fix, and a costed list of improvements with an owner for each.
See the reviewTurn your phone sideways to play the animated version.
Volume grows. So does the workload.
Most growth plans start with another hire.
What if the capacity is already there?
Before you hire, measure how much of the team's week goes into waiting, chasing and fixing.
Designed one way. Run another.
On paper the process is a straight line. The system log shows changes, re-approvals and cancels.
The system only sees part of the work.
Add the email, spreadsheet and phone work, and the process is 40% digital, not close to 100%.
Most of the time, work is waiting.
Cycle Time Efficiency shows how much of the elapsed time is real work.
And some of it is done twice.
First Time Right shows how much of the work is done once.
So each transaction costs more than you think.
Cost to Serve: about A$140 per purchase order, of which A$9–13 is time in the system.
Four numbers. One process.
Digital Work Ratio, Cycle Time Efficiency, First Time Right and Cost to Serve.
Now do the same for every process.
The same four numbers, measured the same way, so processes compare like for like.
Every process on one map.
How much of the work is in the system, against what it costs.
Each process lands on one of eight fixes.
Three tests, eight patterns, one fix for each.
Capacity released.
Cost per transaction down.
Rework removed.Then AI, where the process is ready for it.
Figures: Impira reference data set, modelled on client engagements. Not the result of a single client.