A fundamental component for fluid operations is an organization’s ability to solve problems and make decisions. Any change or transformation cannot move faster than it’s ability to make decisions and communicate these. This is key if we realize that living with changes is the future status quo of operations.
Many years ago when I was still at University I got to meat a leader at production facility at Volvo, he asked us,
“How long time does it take from when the management team has made a decision and a worker on the shop floor grasps what this means?”
“Three years”.
Without a doubt, this is way to slow for product development and software. But it puts a finger on the starting point for a normal, traditional company, before any lean or agile transformation begins. So, in order to succeed with a transformation that will challenge existing (often plan based structures) we need a better decision & communication process.