Process documentation and control provide the business with reliable data, so that it can function effectively.

Process documentation and control are never ends in themselves. When they do not serve the business, they should not be done.

Process control can be exercised by such departments as Document Control or Quality Assurance, and ensures that the business follows consistent procedures, and that these are documented.

A consistent, documented procedure is not an end in itself. Documented procedures never saved a business with too many other problems.

But while they are not sufficient by themselves, documented procedures are a necessary first step toward doing things reliably well.

A consistent, documented procedure:

• Makes training new employees easier;
• Reminds you what to do next, or what you have left out so far;
• Lets you review the process as a whole so that you can make it better.

Process enforcement is a necessary part of process control. Without enforcement, the procedure documents are just scrap paper.

Therefore, when process enforcement becomes a burden, the answer is to fix the procedure — not to go around it.