All principles

Principle 5

Fix the process before blaming the person

Fix the process before blaming the person.

People make mistakes.

Some mistakes are personal. Some are caused by broken processes.

A mature team learns the difference.

When a problem happens, ask:

• Was the request clear?
• Was the deadline clear?
• Was the owner clear?
• Was there a working process?
• Did the tools work?
• Was the team overloaded?
• Was there a handoff problem?
• Was a decision missing?

If the same problem happens more than once, treat it as a system signal.

Example: a delayed order

Old way:

Who messed this up?

Better way:

Where did the order get stuck? Was the status visible? Who owned the next step? Did anyone know it was blocked? What change would make this easier to catch next time?

This approach still allows accountability.

If someone lies, hides risk, ignores clear steps, or repeats the same issue without change, that must be addressed.

But we should understand the facts first.