Cutting the Workshop Short: Ever Ended a Process Session Ahead of Schedule?

I recently came across a question posed by Chris Green on LinkedIn:

Have you ever ended a process workshop early?

Chris Green

He mentioned three major obstacles that can bring a workshop to a halt:

1. The wrong people were in the room
2. The wrong behaviours were in the room
3. Big decisions have yet to be made

Personally, I’ve encountered situations involving the first and third hurdles, although I haven’t come across the second one often. However, I can understand how it might arise in certain cases.

In response to Chris’ post, I shared another impediment I’ve encountered:

“Another showstopper I’ve seen is when the ‘decision makers’ and ‘task owners’ have conflicting views on how the process should be.”

Frequently, senior team members haven’t been closely involved in the day-to-day operations, which can result in a lack of understanding regarding what actually takes place, especially when there are no established processes or work instructions in place. This isn’t to say that the current practices are inherently right or wrong, but it often leads to tensions between those responsible for the tasks and those overseeing the overall process.

As the business process consultant leading the workshop, my role is to facilitate a resolution between the parties involved. An external perspective that draws on my experience with how other organizations handle their processes can often prove decisive.

Needless to say, it requires a certain level of diplomacy!