In a classic Dilbert cartoon, the “client” proudly claims to Dogbert the consultant that “every three months, an existing customer acquires another product.” Dogbert replies, “what if you don’t count warranty replacements?” Client: “Oh, then we don’t look so good.” This exchange is one example that can represent a real problem in how businesses define success. Other signals sound like this: “That’s the wrong process,” “That’s not what I meant,” or “That’s not how it’s done.”
What all these have in common is a lack of clear operational definitions. And just to demonstrate how serious this can be, consider feedback from a federal judge that was asked why it was taking so long to support President Obama’s pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo, a process intended to quickly triage dangerous inmates from those that could be deported: