The “Google method” for handling mistakes can improve by incorporating lean problem solving
Google recently disclosed its internal method for dealing with mistakes. Called postmortem (which we could loosely translate as “autopsy”), it is an apparently simple method, with three phases that, according to Google, can be applied in any company.
In short, they are: 1st) identify the most important mistakes that occur in the company; 2nd) then “record” the failures and reflect on them: what happened, why it happened…; and 3rd) do not look for culprits in this process.
How interesting! Since the 1980s, the lean system, a management philosophy inspired by the Toyota model, has spread the idea that the problems that occur every day in companies (involving mistakes, failures and any other type of deviation from what is desired) should be regarded as true treasures. They should not be hidden or disguised. And it is by knowing how to deal with and learn from problems and mistakes that organizations truly grow.
It has also always emphasized that what matters is to identify the causes, not the culprits, by improving processes. The lean maxim is: when faced with problems, ask "why" 5 times, not "who" 5 times. In fact, the lean concept adopted and refined this idea from the total quality concepts that were initially developed in Japan in the 1970s.
Google, with all the visibility it brings to everything it does, makes a great contribution by presenting a simple method and by putting the focus on the opportunity to learn from mistakes. Knowing how to deal with mistakes is highly valued in highly innovative environments with many uncertainties, such as startups, for example, but it is also fundamental for any company.
This discussion can become even more interesting if we add some elements of the problem-solving approach, which lies at the core of the lean philosophy. Below I point out some of these issues, which may be useful for those who begin to address mistakes and problems more systematically, encouraged by the Google method.
Encourage “exposing problems”. In the lean mindset, various methods are used so that problems are exposed as soon as they occur, and before they become big. That is why this management philosophy places importance on establishing standards, rhythms and visual management, which make it possible for any deviation to be detected and exposed immediately. In this way, the people directly involved, at the front line, can quickly seek a solution to these problems, restoring the processes to normal so as to keep delivering value to customers with minimal variation.
Small or large, all problems must be addressed. The first step of the “Google method” holds that one should identify the most important mistakes. Without a doubt, prioritization criteria are fundamental, since it is impossible to attack all existing problems at once. In the classic problem-solving method, this is often done through Pareto analyses (that way of ranking problems in decreasing order of impact). It is not only major failures that cause losses to organizations. Many small problems together do more damage day to day than a single big mistake. Moreover, small problems are the ones that most often remain hidden. And over time they become bigger, more complex and harder to solve. So it is better to find and attack them while they are small and before they get out of control. That is why, in the lean system, each and every problem must be tackled, at different levels and with appropriate methods. For example, a management group may use a complete PDCA for a strategic problem, and each employee can solve small deviations in their activities every day, using the 5 whys.
Look for the “root causes”. “Recording” and discussing mistakes, as the Google method says, is fundamental. However, in this process, something more specific is needed: looking for the “root causes” of the mistakes. It is very common to see companies “thinking” they have solved problems simply because they revealed them and applied some solution. But the same failures soon return. Why? Because they did not manage, or did not even try, to understand the problem well and to find and eliminate its root causes. In the lean system there is a scientific method for solving failures, whose initial basis is to characterize the problem well and look for the root cause. Without finding it, merely “recording” and even discussing the problem will be of little use.
Do not blame people; look for the deficiencies in the processes. And for all this to happen day to day, so that problems are sought out and revealed and their root causes identified, in short, so that they are definitively solved as an everyday process within companies, it is necessary to take the blame off people and focus on processes. This view is present in the Google method, as we can see, but it must be said that this should be the starting point, fundamental, and, more than that, it requires a major cultural change and a change in leadership behavior. It is the leaders who must change, supporting people as a coach, teaching them to solve problems with the scientific method and setting the example. It is necessary to create this basic and fundamental culture within the company, which goes against the dominant culture of traditional management, which always holds people responsible when, in fact, it is the processes that are bad.
It is good that Google, one of the most valuable companies in the world, has gone public to share that it has a simple method for managing and learning from mistakes. But it must be said, if only for the sake of historical justice, that this idea is at least 50 years old and that it is important to incorporate a few more elements of problem solving for an even more effective approach.
