Process accountability: fixing breakdowns at departmental handoffs

Executive overview

Most operational breakdowns don't happen inside departments — they happen at the handoffs between them. Mapping core end-to-end processes, assigning owners, and adding metrics exposes exactly where drops and miscommunications occur.

Unmanaged handoffs between departments are where execution breaks down.

The quote-to-cash example

• A fast-growing company with hundreds of staff had salespeople solving problems in ad-hoc, one-off ways
• Custom deals were hard to invoice and implement consistently
• Assigning a single owner to the full quote-to-cash process surfaced the root cause
• Replacing infinite variations with a defined menu of options eliminated the inconsistency

Applying the PACE framework

• PACE (Process Accountability Chart Exercise) identifies the major core processes in the business
• Each process gets a named owner and measurable metrics
• Once owned and measured, process work begins: find the breakdowns, make the improvements
• Available as a free download from ScalingCoach's website