As a Business Agility consultant and coach, I guide clients to map how work flows through their organisation and to design systems that enable a better flow of work.

To do this, I use an iterative approach I call Flow Mapping, which are practical activities based on Flight Levels.

Step 1: Define the types of work in your organisation

In Agile we talk about "focusing on the work, not the people". So, this means putting the work at the centre of our activities. Start by making sure we have a common definition of the types of work we use.

In Flight Levels these are Flight Item Types.

Step 2: Identify the events that generate new work

Work does not appear spontaneously out of nowhere. There are business events that lead to new work being identified (eg. a change in law, a customer request or a new strategy). Identify the events you company deals with.

In Flight Levels these are Triggers although I prefer the term Origin.

Step 3: Describe how the different types of work are related

As work progresses, a type of work can break down into more granular types. For example, initiatives have features and these have deliverables. Describing how this decomposition (and reassembly) process happens is essential.

In Flight Levels these are part of Flight Routes.

Step 4: Map the type of activity that the work flows through

As the work is moving forward and being decomposed/reassembled, the focus and conversations people need to have on how to manage the work changes. Sometimes we need strategic conversations (Flight Level 3), sometimes we need to co-ordinate people (Flight Level 2) and sometimes we focus on delivering (Flight Level 1). Mapping this is core to better flow.

In Flight Levels these are part of Flight Routes.

Step 5: Design the type of interactions needed for the work to flow

To successfully manage and deliver work, we need people to have the right type of conversations and activities. For example, we may need a workshop to break down the work, or a meeting to select what work to do next, or a conversation to synchronise people's work. Design the type of interactions that are most appropriate to enable a good flow.

In Flight Levels these are Agile Interactions.

Step 6: Establish an organisation design that can deliver the work

As the previous steps emerge, we need to consider how the organisation will be able to handle this work. This is all about organisational design and structure. But a very different one focused on flow and not on hierarchical reporting lines.

In Flight Levels these are Work Systems Topologies.

Conclusion

By putting the work at the core of our actions and design, businesses can achieve better agility and flow. They can also depart from the traditional Resource Management thinking.

Reach out to us if you want to find out more about Flight Levels or Flow Mapping.