I go in and I ask a stupid question - so absurd like, "Why do we do it this way?" And I never get an answer. So I conclude that they are only doing it that way because that's how they've always done it. I ask, "Can we do it better?" and the answer is always a thoughtful, "Yes."

People don't have the mindset of improving a process. Improving a product, improving themselves - yes, but not the process, but that's at the core of getting anywhere. I refer to this as Organizational self-awareness as a higher level concept.

Host, Mike Volpe asked, "What would you recommend- schedule annual or 6-month process for a process audit?"

"5-10 minute review, at minimum, after each cycle - especially when we have success so we can keep doing it that way. Should this be reviewed right now? Example, FYI earned the #2 spot last year in the Golden Kitty Awards for the lifehack category. Our co-founder wrote about this post-mortem - not to whine about 2nd place, but to figure out how to get the 1st place next time. Why did we not get first place? She wrote about the series of events that happened such as being caught off-guard being nominated." That won't happen again.

Listen to the full episode here.

About our guest:

Hiten Shah has started and run many SaaS companies, most recently FYI, a tool that helps you find all of your important documents in three clicks or less. But that’s just the beginning — Hiten has also founded companies like Product Habits, Crazy Egg, KISSmetrics and more. 

See how FYI can help you search and organize all your documents all in one place.