Operations and processes · Short · 5 September 2026
The Law of the Upward Problem: the problem arrives in 5 minutes and the solution takes 3 weeks
Companies can be very quick at spotting problems and very slow at solving them. Escalating information is good; escalating every decision isn’t always.
When you press play, the video loads from YouTube.
Your actions for this week
- Pick a recent problem and count how many levels it took to decide on the solution.
- Define which decisions each level can make without escalating.
- Shorten one approval chain this week.
More on Operations and processes
ShortOperations and processes
The Law of “While You’re At It”
How a 10-minute task turns into a whole afternoon
Every “while you’re at it” seems free, but it adds work without touching the deadline, the scope or the priority. The useful answer: “I’ll add it. What do we adjust: deadline, scope or priority?”.
Watch the Short
ShortOperations and processes
The Law of the Permanent Exception
When the temporary becomes your job
Every interim responsibility risks becoming permanent if nobody agrees when it ends. “Temporary” isn’t a date.
Watch the Short
ShortOperations and processes
The Law of Inherited Urgency
Why are urgent jobs hardly ever urgent?
Many urgent jobs don’t come from importance, but from poor planning. Before accepting one, ask what priority it has, which task gets delayed and what happens if it isn’t done by tomorrow.
Watch the Short