How many times have you and your co-workers discussed a process in your organization and thought, “It would be better if we could change … (insert clunky or inefficient process here).” These conversations tend to happen at after-work happy hours and often involve cocktail napkins. Sound familiar?
It’s easier to have great ideas when we can step away. We can’t work on the work if we’re always doing the work. A little space and distance helps us zoom out and see problems more clearly.
I recently spent the day with a team whose job it is to support other businesses and help others be successful. With their time spent helping others thrive, this team of 15 found themselves caught in a whirlwind of event planning, deadlines and unclear priorities. Yet, amid the chaos, they realized that a time-out was needed so they could focus on improving efficiency and working better together with more role clarity and less stress.
This team set aside a full day to collaborate and brainstorm ways they could refine their work. Here are some of the exercises I guided them through:
1. Identify pain points and ground rules
First, the team members were asked to identify the processes and workflows where they saw the biggest room for improvement. Each team member had the chance to write down pain points, but with a focus on the processes involved, not the people. Every pain point had to be paired with a suggested solution.
2. Discuss start-stop-continue
One of the most effective and low-effort ways to reflect on team performance is the start-stop-continue exercise. In a 30-minute conversation, team members can identify:
•What the team should start doing to improve outcomes
•What they should stop doing because it’s ineffective or outdated
•What they should continue doing because it works well
This format encourages open dialogue, surfaces hidden opportunities and highlights best practices. It’s especially useful after completing a major project or at the end of a quarter.
3. Visualize
Sometimes inefficiencies persist simply because no one has taken the time to visualize the workflow. Using a whiteboard or digital tool like Miro or Lucidchart, teams can map out a current process step by step. This makes bottlenecks, redundancies and unclear handoffs easier to spot.
Once the process is mapped, ask: Where do delays happen? Who’s waiting on whom? What steps could be automated or eliminated? Even modest tweaks can lead to smoother operations.
4. Introduce process pulse check
Consider a 10-minute weekly check-in focused solely on process. This could be incorporated as a standing agenda item in a staff meeting or standup. Questions might include:
•What slowed us down this week?
•Did any tools or systems get in the way?
•What helped us move faster?
•This lightweight ritual keeps process improvement top of mind and allows for real-time adjustments.
5. Experiment with one small change
Rather than trying to fix everything at once, pick one small change to test for a week or two. For example:
•Switching from email to a shared-task board or calendar for tracking progress
•Reducing meeting length from 60 to 45 minutes
•Agreeing on a power hour where no meetings are held, chat is turned off and team members can focus without interruption
Treat it like an experiment: define what you’re testing, try it and then evaluate the results together. If it works, keep it. If not, try something else.
6. Celebrate wins
Process improvement isn’t always glamorous, but it deserves recognition. When a team member suggests a change that saves time or reduces confusion, celebrate it. A quick shoutout in a team meeting or a note in a shared chat can go a long way in reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement.
Final thought
Improving team processes doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. This team came away with three major improvements just by taking the space and distance needed to get out of the work so they could work on the work. It started with curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to try something new, and resulted in better quality outcomes and much less stress for everyone on the team. By creating space for reflection, experimentation and shared ownership, any team can build better ways of working – one step at a time.
This article appears in SBJ August 2025.