Good Process / Good Results

I have to say I have become very cynical about the world. Maybe it’s because I am getting older and have gained some perspective. Or was I naïve for most of my life? I never considered people’s motives when it came to healthcare, science, the law, economic policy, and the like. I am realizing how devoted people are to their own self-interest, which, I have to say, it is disheartening. I grew up when Camelot was big on Broadway, and I thought of people in general as being “pure of heart” and self sacrificing like Lancelot . I wish the world were so.

I had a discussion this week with a fellow at the office about the financial regulatory reform measures now winding their way through Congress. I don’t know what the end result is going to be, but I do suspect that there is more than politics as usual going on. My friend’s thesis is that the Democrats are driving the process in such a way as to be in a position to squeeze Wall Street for greater campaign contributions for the upcoming fall elections. Is this really the way the system should work? Are politicians gaming legislative processes as a way of squeezing campaign contributions from Wall Street?

President Obama has said that he would use “every resource at his disposal” to deal with the oil spill in the Gulf, yet he has refused to accept offers of aid from 13 countries. Some countries have superior technology to fight an offshore spill of this magnitude. According to one story I read, Dutch and Belgian dredgers have the technology in-house and special vessels to fight the spill, but Jones Act, protectionist legislation passed in the 1920’s, prevents them from working in the US. The Jones Act requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. In a national emergency Obama could waive the requirements of the Jones Act, but he has failed to act. In the face of this disaster you have to wonder why? Could it be that he doesn’t want to offend his labor union supporters?

I’m a big believer in “good process, good results.” In fact, it is how the Japanese learned to manufacture quality goods. W. Edwards Deming, an American statistician, taught the Japanese statistical techniques used to dissect processes to learn what leads to bad results. The goal was to improve the process and thereby improve the results. Today the Japanese strive for perfection and zero defects. We American’s seem to be satisfied with standards that are “within tolerance.” Another way to say it is tolerable (not necessarily good) results.

Good processes do not always result in good outcomes, but it certainly improves the chances of getting things right. We need to be constantly asking ourselves if the processes we have in place are going to help us get the results we are looking for. Speaking of which…

I went for my CT/Pet Scan this week and was anxious to hear the results, so I sat with the radiologist after the scans were completed and we reviewed the pictures together, from head to toe. Thankfully, the radiologist could find no evidence of disease. It is the best of all possible outcomes and I am so grateful to be alive and healthy. I am now looking forward to marking my third anniversary of life since my diagnosis.

Thinking about this makes me wonder if it was just luck or something else that has kept me alive to date. I think good process has been integral to my recovery. We had a plan. We worked the plan systematically. We used all available resources to get the best possible outcome, and it worked!

Let’s pray the Gulf of Mexico is as lucky.