Processes… Unless I Say Otherwise!

One of my biggest workplace pet peeves?

When someone decides to override an established process… for exactly one request.

Not because the process changed.

Not because anyone got together and agreed on a better way.

Not because there was an emergency.

Just because.

We had a simple intake process.

A new request came in.

The TPM scheduled a quick 15-minute meeting so everyone could understand the request, ask questions, prioritize it against other work and decide which team should own it.

It worked.

Then, out of nowhere, a manager jumped into Slack:

“No meeting. Just assign it to a team.”

Excuse me?

Did we change the process?

Did I miss the memo?

Or is today’s process just whatever happens to be typed into Slack?

Here’s what drives me crazy: if you think the process is broken, let’s change it. Seriously. Let’s discuss it, improve it, document it, and move forward.

But don’t hijack one request, bypass the people responsible for the process, and expect everyone to magically know whether this is:

• a one-time exception,
• the new standard,
• or just today’s management mood.

Nothing creates chaos faster than undocumented or unexplained exceptions.

Processes aren’t frustrating because they exist.

They’re frustrating because someone decides they don’t apply… until they do again.

And somehow we’re all supposed to know the difference.