The Workshop Leadership Team consists of the Executive Sponsor, the Triage Host, and the Facilitator. 

The Executive Sponsor (PDF download instructions HERE / Video summary HERE) selects the process to be triaged and funds its triage workshop.

They appoint a Triage Host to handle the details and lead the post-triage improvements follow though.  Consider host selection both an honor and professional development moment.

On triage day, the sponsor gives kick-off remarks in the morning and leaves. They return to observe the team during the afternoon, concluding with closing remarks – from lunch time to a hard stop by 6:00 pm (usually ended by 5:00).   Their focus is understanding how the team came to their improvement proposals as context to the Triage Host’s 90+Day Implementation Plan.

The Triage Host (instructions HERE) typically reports to the sponsor and is responsible for the process being triaged.

They project manage the triage workshop as guided by the certified ProcessTRIAGE® facilitator and lead the 90+ Day Post-Triage implementation of the proposed improvements.  

They observe the entire workshop, asking clarifying questions and making implementation notes.  For small triage teams (under six members), hosts may serve as a team member (triager) if required.  

The host drafts the Process Capability Goal, which the sponsor approves (when satisfied) and selects the triage team members.  Schedule two hours to plan the triage, reserve all day for the triage itself, and eight hours total,  after the triage, to draft the 90+ Day Implementation Plan.

The ProcessTriage® Facilitator is certified to conduct the workshop. 

They advise the Sponsor and Host in all phases of the triage engagement.

Facilitate the workshop, start to end, and are accountable for the facilitator’s deliverables after the workshop.  

The facilitator may also provide continuous improvement team coaching, executive coaching, or expert subject area consulting as negotiated separately

The Triage Team consists of the Host, Team Members (Triagers), and the Facilitator

The Triage Host (​PDF download instructions HERE /​video summary HERE) typically reports to the sponsor and is responsible for the process being triaged.

They project manage the triage workshop event as guided by the certified ProcessTRIAGE® facilitator (details in the The Workshop Plan & Venue Requirements tab).

They observe the workshop, asking clarifying questions and making implementation notes.  For small triage teams (under six members), hosts may serve as a team member (triager) if required.  

The host drafts the Process Capability Goal (HERE) which the sponsor approves (when satisfied) and selects the triage team members.  

Drafts and submits the 90+Day Improvements Implementation Plan to the sponsor.

Team Members (instructions HERE), called Triagers are the front-line process content experts who perform and/or train the process being triaged.  

They have skilled task mastery and would be on the take with us list if the enterprise relocated. Their selection is a professional compliment and prepares them to lead the post-triage improvements they identify and prioritize during the workshop. 

Triagers perform the process triage steps as instructed by the facilitator.

They accomplish all triage workshop tasks as a team.  While triaging is an effective team building tool, it is not team building as ice-breaking or play; it’s serious work that drives the next 90+ days of process improvement.

The ProcessTriage® Facilitator is certified to conduct the workshop. They advise the Sponsor and Host in all phases of the triage engagement, facilitate the workshop day, and are accountable for the facilitator’s deliverables after the workshop.  ProcessTriage® is also able to network hosts with previously successful hosts to improve post-triage follow through. 

Sponsoring and Hosting the Workshop follows our best practices. 

The Triage Host follows the workshop project checklists provided and coached by your facilitator. These checklists reflect the wisdom from hundreds of triage workshops.

Your facilitator will register your workshop after the sponsor schedules it (with a binding Notice to Proceed email or purchase order). ProcessTraige® then invites the Sponsor and Host to share a cloud folder for work files and planning checklists.

Payment terms are Net 30 (unless otherwise agreed) after the Facilitator’s deliverables are satisfied.

Venue Requirements

The workshop venue must accommodate a long (24 feet), portable foam-core board wall (HERE), provided by the facilitator.  This thin, light-weight surface safely leans against the wall and is assembled shortly before the workshop starts (HERE)

How ProcessTriage® likes to work:

Email for team-shared and project-related conversations.

Mobile Devices for 1:1 texting, primarily between facilitator and host.

DropBox® cloud folder for Documents-of-record, hosted by ProcessTriage®.

The Workshop’s Level of Effort

Executive Sponsor: 1-2 hours planning, mostly directing the host; approving the Process Capability Goal (drafted by the host), providing workshop opening remarks and observing the afternoon’s work.  Expect routine post-triage consulting / coaching related to the selected improvement proposals.

Triage Host Host: 2-3 hours planning, drafting the Process Capability Goal, selecting and inviting the triage team, reserving the venue; 8 hours attending the workshop; 4+ hours writing the 90+ Day Implementation Plan, then leading post-triaging improvement activities, most of which are delegated.

Triage Team Member (Triager): 8 hours participating in the workshop (there is no pre-work). Post-triage leading process improvement action items and projects.

Certified Facilitator: 26+ total hours; 4+ hours planning the workshop with the sponsor and host; 10 hours facilitating the workshop; 12+ hours creating and publishing post-triage deliverable.

The Sponsor’s Welcome Remarks

The workshop is an expression of our continuous improvement and empowerment culture.

No matter how much organizational stress compelled the Sponsor to triage this high-value process, we generally frame the purpose as being one of a continuous improvement culture, not a reaction to a failure or break/fix crisis (although such situations welcome triaging to resolve them).

Many triage teams appreciate that the Sponsor has delegated the next 90+ days of incremental improvement to them. In so doing, the Sponsor does not (usually) observe the process mapping in the morning. Sponsors who mention they may only ask clarifying, non-leading questions will further empower the team.

We need a patient to triage!

The triage team spends most of the morning mapping the process they’ll triage in the afternoon. It is highly collaborative and led by the facilitator.  The mapping style is designed specifically for triaging’s extremely fast tempo.

The map focuses on what the work is, not who does it or how it’s done.  Generally, the sponsor does not attend this part of the workshop – it is delegated work and their presence may distract the team.

The map illustrates the process from start-to-end.  Here is an example of a triager presenting their completed map to the sponsor after lunch (HERE).

The team owns this map.  It crafted in their language, by them.  After completing it, they clearly see how they relate to each other within the process.  Triagers frequently say that creating this map is the ‘Best Take-Away’ from the workshop (additional feedback HERE).   

A First Timer’s Triage Mapping Guide HERE explains this unique, team-based mapping style.  It includes some mapping theory especially helpful to software developers.

Triage Examinations — How Capable is the Process Now?

Triage results improve the more the whole team sees how their process is performing from a start-to-end perspective.  While triagers know what’s happening in their activities (silo), it sharpens their thinking to see how other parts perform.   

We capture some basic performance measurements if time allows, such as speed, cycles (volume), and traffic paths (e.g. rework).  If we don’t have time during the workshop, we’ll gather this in the post-triage planning.

We will note where customers are touched if the process interacts with them.

This performance awareness is critical to nominating reasonable remedies to points-of-pain later in the workshop. The appropriate triage examinations are selected during workshop planning.

For a “Process Launch Triage”, these examinations capture process design objectives.

The Process Capability Goal Binds Improvement Proposals to Strategic Objectives

After lunch, the Triage Host presents the Process Capability Goal (definition and examples HERE) to the triage team. This goal, if met and sustained, will ensure the process delivers its share of enterprise strategic objectives, typically for growth, volume of work, customer satisfaction, and financial stewardship.

The Host drafts this goal and submits it to the Executive Sponsor before the triage. The Sponsor approves it when satisfied.  Sponsors delegate this task to the Host as a professional development assignment.

This goal is written in the language the triagers clearly understand, in terms of,”Make this process capable of sustaining the following behaviors by a specific date.”  

The facilitator may share examples of similar process goals from the ProcessTriage® case study library.

Where does it hurt?

A process Point-of-Pain is any repeating behavior or event within the process that inhibits the Process Capability Goal.

A pain point is always a measurement, however estimated, of how often something undesirable occurs.  It is not a resource constraint but may be the effects of such a constraint – such as slowing the process down.

Each triager identifies a specified number of pain points following an instructed format.

The team will typically identify between 40 and 50 observations. Here’s a clip of them posting their pain points HERE.

The Executive Sponsor and Workshop Host are not allowed to participate in identifying pain points. It is more valuable for them to observe and ask clarifying questions, as this portion of the triage enhances their situational awareness.

Front-line experts that perform the work for a living are surprisingly accurate at estimating these point, and each one is proofed by the team to ensure its removal will improve the process toward the team’s performance goal.

It’s time for solutions – Toe-Tagging!

Each Point-of-Pain is triaged (sorted and prioritized) by a proposing an action item-size Small Now or project-size Big Now effort. The procedure is called Toe-Tagging.

The team collaboratively decides what must be done to remove a pain point and thereby make progress toward the Process Capability Goal.  They nominate these solutions using an instructed format that is fast and highly collaborative. This is the workshop’s most popular activity, for both triagers and their leaders.

Pain point solutions are triaged to one of two sizes, based on level of effort:  

A Small NowSM action item-size task may be handled by one or two people who can perform or learn to do what will remove the pain point. It does not typically require its own project plan or complex governance.

A Big NowSM project-size effort requires a sponsor, a budget, a project manager, and more than a couple of content experts.

These process improvement proposals (toe-tags) are ranked by selected value criteria. The overall ranking is determined by which proposal most favorably impacts the triage goal, video clip example HERE and HERE.

Since the team must agree on these rankings, they now share the same awareness about what improvements are most urgent. This sharpens their thinking and develops their ability to nominate more relevant and valuable improvements later.

The third triage category, Not Yet’sSM, are proposals that cannot be attempted in the next 90 days. This sorting is performed by the Host when they draft their 90+ Day Implementation Plan.

The Triage Workshop Is Well Received.  This satisfaction builds as improvement proposals are delivered and sustained.

The Triage workshop ends with the host’s closing remarks and a Participant Experience Survey.

Each fall we compile the survey results of a hundred triagers and report their experiences and comments, most recently reported HERE.

Was the workshop worth you and your Sponsor’s investment compared to other work in your queue?

What workshop activity or result most satisfied you?

Did or will the workshop improve team member collaboration?

How confident are you that your leadership team will follow through with allocating the resources to accomplish the Small Now’sSM and Big Now’sSM  

Were you satisfied with your ProcessTRIAGE® facilitator’s performance?

Were you satisfied with the workshop’s administration?