Human Factors
This Human Factor shows up when assumptions replace clarity.
What is communication?
A customer PO arrives incomplete. Sales assumes manufacturing will "figure it out."
What is lack of communication?
Leaders reduce ambiguity by doing this.
A team rushes to finish a task before a deadline.
What is Pressure?
A team member replies to a customer with incomplete information. It looks like they didn’t slow down, but the template they used doesn’t include the required fields.
What is a process Problem?
Correct, this is a template design gap influenced by pressure.
This Human Factor increases when leaders multitask or switch tasks rapidly.
What is distraction?
A product spec is outdated in a marketing campaign.
What is Lack of Awareness?
Leaders reduce distraction by doing this.
What is minimizing interruptions?
Two departments assume the other is handling a customer follow-up.
What is lack of communication?
A leader thinks an employee keeps forgetting tasks, but the task list resets every time priorities shift in the project tool.
What is a Process Problem?
Correct, this is a workflow reset issue triggering Lack of Awareness.
This Human Factor spikes during quarter-end, customer escalations, or urgent orders.
What is pressure?
A policy update is emailed but not reinforced.
What is complacency?
Leaders reduce communication errors by doing this.
What is confirming understanding.
A leader launches a new initiative without explaining the "why."
What is lack of awareness?
Two managers make conflicting decisions. It looks like miscommunication, but the process doesn’t define who has final authority in gray‑area situations.
What is a process problem?
Correct, this is an unclear decision-rights process causing assumptions.
This Human Factor appears when teams say, “We’ve always done it this way.”
What are norms?
A technician is interrupted twice during assembly.
What is distraction?
Leaders reduce variation by doing this.
What is standardizing the workflow.
A technician skips a step because "we never really do that part."
What is Norms?
A team produces different results depending on who performs the task. It looks like a capability issue, but the SOP leaves three steps open to interpretation.
What is process?
Correct, this is process ambiguity increasing Variation and Norms
This Human Factor increases error risk by up to 60% when present.
What is fatigue?
A new initiative is launched without defining "done."
Leaders reduce hidden work by doing this.
What is visualizing the process?
A manager doesn't speak up when a decision feels risky.
What is lack of assertiveness?
A senior employee seems disengaged and misses a risk in a review. It looks like low effort, but they’re covering two roles due to an unaddressed workload imbalance.
What is process?
Correct, this is a resource constraint triggering Fatigue and reduced Awareness