Numerous studies are now showing that 65% - 85% of attempts to use process improvement or reengineering have yielded "mediocre, marginal, or failed results"! There are many reasons for failure. We find these are the most common causes:

• An internal rather than a customer focus
• Senior executives aren't providing active leadership
• Teams narrowly improve micro processes that have little strategic value
• Teams make changes that (often unknowingly) create problems elsewhere
• Improvement activities aren't linked to key organization objectives
• Specialists/consultants don't involve the people who implement the changes
• A culture of distrust and fear creates resistance to change
• Teams and their leaders aren't well trained and supported
• Organization structure and systems aren't aligned with process changes
• Core macro processes and their many micro processes aren't well mapped