There’s many processes advertised as the path to organizational or individual enlightenment. But how can we find out if a process has a chance to fulfill that promise? I propose a simple framework to evaluate a process according to a few simple criteria, and a reality check at the end for good measure. I will then apply that framework to some popular processes.
Complete: a good process contains all elements that are required to deliver its promise, not down to the level of minutiae, but good enough to leave no gaps.
Lightweight: a good process is free of fluff, boiled down to the minimal set of practices that are necessary for creating value and learning about the principles that drive these practices.
Synergistic: the practices in the process reinforce each other, together they create more than the mere sum of their parts
Transformational: applying the process allows us to experience something greater than we had before, something that opens new perspectives and new possibilities for growth. A good process is valuable from the start, but it grows on us as we continue to explore it.
Transcendable: eventually, given enough practice, the transformation triggered by the process is “complete”, and we are ready to transcend the process. We embrace the principles behind the process in a way that allows us to apply them naturally and without the harness of the process.
That last bit is important. No process will fit everyone in every situation, yet a good process will still bring value from the start. As we learn, we will inevitably discover aspects of the process that get in our way. A process that is good at teaching us universal principles1 allows us to apply the principles effectively in a different context or in rapidly changing environments. A great process is designed with transcendence as one of its aims.
Of course the hard part is figuring out when we are ready to transcend the process. As a rule of thumb, if we get consistently bad results from the changes we make, we should probably practice some more with the original process.
The reality check is based on the idea that people haven’t really changed substantially in the last couple of millennia, so a good process should be able to deliver value regardless of location and time period, e.g. in Babylonia, ancient India, the Roman empire, or even a small indigenous community anywhere on the planet. So imagine a persona with sufficient education and experience2 who is willing to listen to you and explain the process to them. Would they understand it, be able to apply it, and get some value out of it?
A few brief examples
I will probably expand on these examples in future posts, for now I just provide a quick evaluation.
Nonviolent Communication: a communication process to develop self-empathy, empathy and honest self-expression.
- complete: yes
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: yes
- reality check: yes
Core Protocols is a process for effective team collaboration.
- complete: yes3
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: yes
- reality check: yes
The noble eightfold path is a process to see things as they are, and live one’s life accordingly.
- complete: yes
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: yes
- reality check: yes
Extreme Programming is a process to develop software that creates value for the customer and is easily adapted to changing requirements while maintaining a high level of quality.
- complete: yes
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: yes
- reality check: no 4
Scrum is a process to incrementally deliver a solution to a complex problem (usually software).
- complete: no5
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: no
- reality check: yes
Sociocracy is a governance process for organizations based on the principles of equivalence, effectiveness and transparency.
- complete: yes
- lightweight: yes
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: yes
- reality check: yes
Holacracy is also a governance process for organizations, based on Sociocracy.
- complete: yes
- lightweight: no
- synergistic: yes
- transformational: yes
- transcendable: no
- reality check: yes
One thing to note is that many of these processes above can coexist in a mutually beneficial relationship, it’s common for organizations to use both Sociocracy and Nonviolent Communication, or both Extreme Programming and the Core Protocols6. I’d like to see those four processes being applied together, I think that would make a great organization.
- e.g. tackling uncertainty through iterations that create a safe space to learn and incrementally reduce uncertainty ↩
- e.g. Hammurabi, Siddhārtha Gautama, Pliny the Elder, or an inuit elder ↩
- I think you need the additional protocols for completeness. ↩
- XP is specifically targeted at software development, although I think it’s possible to take the principles behind XP and create a process that is more universal. ↩
- Scrum is incomplete because it ignores all questions of (software) craftsmanship, and this is exactly what kills those implementations which survived despite corporate culture and hierarchies. ↩
- some members of these organizations will probably even practice the Noble Eightfold Path. ↩