Understanding Operational Friction
Operational friction is unnecessary resistance that makes work slower, harder, more expensive or less reliable than it should be.
Learn screen by screen
The complete lesson is now presented as a guided learning sequence. Move forward when you are ready, listen to each screen, and pause for practice or reflection.
Resources for this lesson
A process-level tool for measuring waiting, work and unnecessary resistance.
Operational Friction Mapping Pack
Flow & Friction Map — Separate active work time from elapsed time and classify each friction point.
The Nine-Day Process
CASE CONTEXT
A routine request takes nine calendar days but only two hours of actual work.
DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE
Four approval queues, two handoffs and repeated requests for information create the remaining delay.
Process friction table
WORKING CONTENT
Step
CONTINUED
owner
CONTINUED
active work time
CONTINUED
waiting time
CONTINUED
handoff
CONTINUED
rework
CONTINUED
information gap
CONTINUED
control purpose
CONTINUED
customer impact
CONTINUED
risk
CONTINUED
improvement idea.
Flow metrics
DOCUMENT OVERVIEW
Track elapsed time, active work time, queue time, number of handoffs, rework rate and exception rate.
KEY POINT
The purpose is to see where flow is being lost.
Apply this lesson in the workplace
Map one process from request to completion and calculate the gap between elapsed time and actual work time.
Leadership challenge
Show the executive which delay is structural, which is necessary control and which is avoidable friction.
What good work looks like
Do not label every control as waste; explain its purpose and compare its value with the delay it creates.