Before You Improve the Service

Make sure you understand what is actually getting in the way

Understanding the Dual Lens Management Diagnostic

When a service is underperforming, the instinct is often to improve the service itself—change the process, add a tool, introduce a new practice, or launch another improvement initiative.

But the service may not be the real problem.

Performance is often constrained by the management system around the service: unclear accountability, fragmented decision-making, conflicting priorities, inconsistent ways of working, or gaps between teams that no single service improvement can fix.

The book Before You Improve the Service explores why it is important to look beyond the service itself and understand the management environment that shapes its performance. (Available in free PDF, Kindle, or Paperback)

The idea behind it

Improvement works best when you diagnose before you prescribe.

Looking only at service performance can lead to local fixes that address symptoms while leaving the underlying management constraints untouched. Looking at both the service and the management system provides a more complete picture of where improvement effort is likely to have the greatest effect.

That is the thinking behind the Dual Lens Management Diagnostic: understand both lenses before deciding what needs to change. For free training on a Lightweight Dual Lens Management Diagnostic, click the link below.

Free Dual Lens Public Training

Want to see it in action?

Click the link below for some example scenarios.

See some Lightweight Dual Lens Management Diagnostics in action

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