Consequences

Underutilised in the business context is the use of consequences when a process isn’t followed, or a document isn’t read.  Meeting requirements on a project or in a business relies on, or assumes, that a business document or process is part of achieving those requirements.  And yet, particularly in dysfunctional businesses or projects, the number of documents or processes that are not followed is often “most of them”.  There are no consequences for not reading the document or not following the procedure.  Hurdles requiring evidence of usage will quickly identify which procedures or documents are, actually, not useful after all.