Process is supposed to be a means to an end (results).

Process is almost mandatory if the task is very large or complex, and can be a good thing. You’ve probably seen, as you board an aircraft, the pilot going through a pre-flight checklist, even though he may have already made the same trip, with the same plane, twice that day. That’s process.

But too often, the party who should be responsible (usually management)abdicates that responsibilty. One then tends to get a “check the boxes” mentality, lots of wasted motion, and poor results to boot. Processes also tend to accrete complexity (e.g. the tax code) over time.

Its a classic problem for ISO 9000 implementations where the objective is to “get the **** certificate” rather than to improve the business result.

It requires constant leadership attention to keep the organization focused on results, and the process as simple as possible to achieve that. This is easier if (like the pilot) bad results are very obvious.

There’s an old saying, “There are no bad regiments, only bad Colonels”. Same in business. Its always the leaders, for good or ill.