It’s not unusual for companies I work with to come to me with a list of 50 process problems.
I get it. When you finally take a hard look at your operations, everything starts to look broken—onboarding, sales handoffs, reporting, communication, you name it. But here’s the truth:
You don’t need to fix everything. You just need to fix the right thing.
To help you figure out what to fix first, I created a Process Optimization Audit Checklist—a simple, strategic tool to help you evaluate and prioritize your operational problems. 👉 Download it here
One team I supported came in with 86 problems. Instead of going deep on one fix, we took a wide-lens approach—prioritizing what would make the biggest impact first. Within six months, they solved over a quarter of those issues, improved 13 processes, and created 76 new assets to support their team.
That’s the power of prioritization. It’s not about fixing everything—it’s about knowing what to fix first.
Criteria for Prioritizing Process Changes in Your Business
For businesses aiming to thrive in a constantly evolving marketplace, refining your internal processes is non-negotiable. It’s how you stay competitive, drive efficiency, and elevate customer satisfaction. But when time and resources are scarce, how do you pinpoint the processes that need attention most? Effective problem prioritization is the key, directing your efforts to the areas where they’ll make the biggest difference.
This blog will guide you through a two-pronged approach—combining qualitative and quantitative criteria—to help you prioritize process improvement efforts effectively.
Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment
To prioritize process improvement efforts, consider using both qualitative and quantitative criteria. This dual approach allows you to assess the value of each process from multiple angles, ensuring a well-rounded evaluation.
Qualitative Questions to Assess Value
Qualitative criteria focus on the strategic alignment and feasibility of improving a process. Here are some key questions to guide your assessment:
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Feasibility: Can the process be improved within 30 days without significant financial investment and in alignment with brand values?
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Alignment: Does improving this process align with your organization’s core values and mission?
Use these three qualitative questions to determine which processes are most strategically valuable for your organization. For example, improving a process that directly supports your brand promise or customer experience might be more important than optimizing an internal administrative task.
Quantitative Questions to Measure Impact
Quantitative criteria help you measure the potential impact of each process improvement. Consider the following questions:
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Staff Capacity: Can the process improvement be achieved with existing staff within a reasonable timeframe?
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Customer Impact: How will improving this process affect customer satisfaction (measured by NPS or CSAT)?
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Revenue Impact: Will improving this process directly increase revenue?
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EBITDA Impact: Will this process improvement positively impact earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization?
Assign a score of 1 to 5 for each quantitative question to rank processes based on their potential impact. This numerical evaluation provides a clear, data-driven basis for prioritization.
Implementing the Prioritization Process
With both qualitative and quantitative criteria in mind, follow a structured process to prioritize process improvement efforts:
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Identify Problems: List all operational processes that could benefit from improvement, from pre-sales to post-sales.
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Assess Qualitatively: For each process, assign “yes” or “no” answers based on the qualitative questions. This step helps determine which processes are most strategically aligned with your goals.
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Rate Quantitatively: Assign a score of 1 to 5 for each process based on the quantitative questions. This step measures the potential impact of each improvement on your organization’s key metrics.
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Prioritize: Select processes with the highest total score and “yes” answers to the qualitative questions. These are the processes that are both strategically valuable and likely to have a significant impact on your organization.
Criteria for Prioritizing Process Improvement Efforts
Impact on Customer Satisfaction
Focus on processes that have a direct effect on customer satisfaction. Improvements in these areas can lead to immediate and noticeable benefits, such as increased customer loyalty and positive brand perception.
Cost and Financial Impact
Prioritize processes that have a high potential for cost savings or revenue growth. Use your quantitative assessments to identify which process improvements will deliver the greatest financial return.
Alignment with Strategic Goals
Ensure that your process improvement efforts are aligned with your organization’s strategic goals and objectives. Processes that directly support growth targets, market expansion, or quality improvement should be at the top of your list.
Frequency and Volume of Use
Give priority to processes that are frequently used or involve a high transaction volume. Improvements in these areas can generate significant benefits across the organization.
Risk and Compliance
Processes that pose a high risk or have regulatory or compliance implications should also be prioritized to avoid potential legal, financial, or reputational damage.
Employee Feedback and Pain Points
Leverage employee insights to identify processes causing frustration or inefficiencies. Addressing these areas can improve overall morale and operational efficiency.
Key Considerations for Prioritization
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Limit Scope: Focus on 25 or fewer processes to avoid overwhelming your team and to maintain focus.
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Incremental Improvement: Prioritize smaller, achievable improvements to build momentum and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.
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Flexibility: Adapt your questions and scoring system to reflect your organization’s specific needs and priorities.
Striking a balance between quick wins and long-term gains is key to effective process improvement. Quick wins can boost morale and show early successes, while long-term changes deliver sustainable benefits that drive ongoing growth.
Remember, prioritizing process improvements goes beyond selecting which changes to make; it’s about making strategic choices that align with your organization’s goals and maximize return on investment.
Looking to dive deeper into problem prioritization and process improvement strategies?
Visit our Learning Center for expert resources to help you build stronger, more efficient processes.
Curated Picks
Read: “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” by Satoshi Yagisawa A quiet, charming story that reminds us how clarity often comes when we slow down. A lovely read for leaders who need a pause before making their next big move.
Listen: SOLO: Mastering the Art of Problem Prioritization This short solo episode breaks down how to identify your most valuable problems, when to act, and what to leave alone—for now. A great companion to this week’s theme.
Strategy Spotlight
Use this simple matrix in your next team meeting:
Create a 2×2 grid with these axes:
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Impact (High/Low)
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Effort (High/Low)
Have your team plot current process problems on the grid.
➡️ Start with high-impact, low-effort items—your quick wins. Then move to high-impact, high-effort—your strategic bets.
This visual method builds consensus fast and helps your team align on what to tackle next without getting stuck in debate.
Want to Work With Us?
When everything feels urgent, prioritizing can be paralyzing. We help teams gain clarity, cut through the noise, and confidently tackle what matters most.
Here are two ways to get support:
The Ops Edge Academy Waitlist
Tired of patchwork solutions in your operations? The Ops Edge Academy waitlist is now open! This program is designed for operations leaders ready to scale sustainably by focusing on team development, not just new tools. »Join the Waitlist«
And if you need to tackle immediate workflow issues, consider The Flowstate Workshop. This live, hands-on session will help you pinpoint problems and align your team to your organizational goals. »Book a Spot Here«
In your service,
Hilary Corna
