Source: Afterburner
Put simply, Flawless Execution is about getting things done! The important and life-changing things. The things you dream about regularly, that seem impossible to deliver. The idea of flawless execution was born into the world of fighter pilots, where the consequences of losing are severe and the operational speed is incredibly fast.
So, let’s define Flawless Execution one word at a time!
Flawless: In a word, flawless means perfect. Arguably, there is no such thing. However, flawless execution is not about perfection! Instead, it is about the endless pursuit of the achievement of our goals! It is an obsession with failure, as both something to be avoided AND something to treasure for the learning that it provides. In a world full of complex systems, there can never be any guarantee of success. Yet, our failures can teach us how to succeed!
Execution: Execution means getting things done! But, what things? The right things, of course! The right things are those things we plan to do. We are not talking about processes here. We don’t plan to do processes. Instead, we plan to develop processes. From its inception, every organization begins as a plan. It grows and succeeds as the result of planning. At best, processes are only the product of planning. And, planning is the first step in Flawless Execution.
There a three commonly misused words that we will define in order to fully understand what Flawless Execution is trying to achieve. Those terms are simple, complicated and complex.
Simple: Simple can be defined as something with few or only a single part or process. For our purposes, simple is something easily comprehensible. Simple tasks are those things that can be easily taught and mastered by anyone, with little investment in time or pre-requisite training.
Complicated: Complicated can be defined as something with many parts or processes that requires significant technical knowledge to operate or manage. Complicated tasks and processes require specialized knowledge derived from considerable training and education.
Complex: Complex is vastly different from simple and complicated. Anything that is simple or complicated can, with sufficient technical skill, be mastered and produce predictable results. However, something that is complex means that its complexity arises from the collective interaction of simple, complicated or even other complex parts. The distinguishing mark of complexity is its unpredictability. Complexity is everywhere! It exists in all living things and their interaction with other living things.
Now that we understand the differences between simple, complicated and complex, there are two other related terms we must clearly understand. Those are process and system.
Flawless Execution in Business
Process: We define a process as a set of specific steps that converts a specific input into a specific output. Therefore, processes may be simple or complicated. But, they cannot be complex because the output of a complex process is not predictable or specific. It is for that purpose that we use methods like Six Sigma.
System: A system can be described as a complex process. A human being is a system. A company is a system. As is government or an economy. The global economy is a system of systems, a supra-system if you like, that is continually changing in unpredictable ways. Systems are interdependent of other larger and smaller systems. Everything is part of a system. Everything is affected by other systems.
So, if everything is part of a complex system that is unpredictable, then how is it that we can speak of predictable processes existing within unpredictable systems? Well, that is why we must define our next term, organization.
Organization: Organization is a broad term that originates from living systems. Its root comes from living systems and implies coordination and cooperation among other living things. In Flawless Execution, we use the term organization in two slightly different senses. First, we use it as a blanket designation for any business or company, government entity, association, and so forth. In that sense, an organization is an association of individuals for some coordinated purpose. Second, we use organization more specifically to describe the degree to which those individuals coordinate well. In that sense, then, organization applies to the quality and value of the processes utilized within an organization. Processes are developed within organizations to bind the problems and challenges it faces into more manageable and controllable tasks. Therefore, processes can be viewed as a rigorous attempt to shield an organization’s necessary functions from the dangers of complexity. Even then, an organization’s processes must still change over time in order to evolve under the assault of constant change.
There is just one final term to define, one that is commonly used in organizations today. It’s a powerful concept, one that has dominated the business world for decades. It is Continuous Improvement.
Continuous Improvement: Continuous improvement is a commonly used phrase to describe programs such as Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean, etc. However, Continuous Improvement can only logically refer to the improvement of processes. It cannot refer to the improvement of organizations in a holistic way because organizations are complex systems. Systems either survive, thrive, and perform highly or they stagnate, decline, and possibly die. Therefore, organizations do not continuously improve. Instead, they improve their performance by adaptation and evolution within the larger system. Think of it this way, no process can be more than 100% effective, but an organization’s growth and success are unlimited!
Flawless Execution References –
ASQ. (n.d.). What is total quality management (TQM)? ASQ. https://asq.org/quality-resources/total-quality-management
White, S. (2018). What is six sigma? Streamlining quality management. CIO. https://www.cio.com/article/3237692/six-sigma-quality-management methodology.html#:~:text=Six%20Sigma%20is%20a%20quality,little%20to%20no%20variance%20throughout.
McLaughlin, E. (n.d.) Lean Management. Tech Target. https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/lean-management
