When working with clients, our Product Specialists begin by understanding how work actually happens. Not how it is meant to happen, or how it is documented. Instead, we focus on how tasks move from one person to the next in practice.
Those conversations often reveal something familiar. Many workflows include steps that remain not because they are still useful, but because they are established.
They may have been introduced years ago to solve a problem that no longer exists.
They may reflect how one individual preferred to work at the time.
Or they may simply persist because no one has stopped to question them.
Over time, these inherited steps can have a bigger impact than people realize.
Sometimes the issue isn’t the process — it’s the lack of shared understanding.
Sometimes the issue is not the process itself. Instead, it is the lack of shared understanding behind it.
Every organization has processes that are thoughtful, intentional, and genuinely valuable. Problems arise when that intent is no longer understood or shared across teams.
That is when:
no one knows why a step exists
different teams interpret it differently
people begin skipping it without understanding the consequences
frustration builds because tasks feel bureaucratic rather than meaningful
In these moments, the challenge is not inefficiency. It is misalignment.
And misalignment quietly erodes both morale and data quality.
Efficiency only works when purpose is understood.
Teams are often rightly proud when they have streamlined their workflows. However, even the most efficient process breaks down if people do not understand why it exists.
For example:
if someone does not know why a particular field matters, they may leave it incomplete
if a team member does not see how a status update affects colleagues downstream, it may be skipped when time is tight
if a process feels opaque or unnecessary, people will create their own shortcuts
Each of these small variations creates gaps in data. Over time, those gaps compound. As a result, reporting, planning, decision-making, and the experience delivered to audiences and clients all suffer.
Data quality reflects behaviour, not just systems.
Software can structure data.
Policies can define rules.
However, people determine outcomes.
When processes are unclear or inconsistently followed, data becomes inconsistent too, even in the most capable system. That inconsistency shows up in:
forecasting and financial accuracy
resource planning
risk management
customer experience
audit readiness
confidence in reporting
In short, unclear processes lead to unclear insight.
Purpose turns compliance into collaboration.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve process adoption is also one of the most overlooked: explaining the purpose behind each task.
People are far more willing to follow a process when they understand:
what it enables
who depends on it
how it supports colleagues in other teams
what happens downstream when it is missed or done inconsistently
Clarity reduces friction.
Moreover, purpose builds ownership.
A practical way to surface hidden work.
One of the most valuable exercises we have seen does not require new tools or major change. Instead, it starts with a simple amnesty.
Teams are invited to share the things they do outside documented processes. This includes workarounds, side spreadsheets, verbal handovers, and “just-this-once” steps that keep everything moving.
Crucially, this is not about blame. It is about understanding reality.
These conversations often reveal:
where processes no longer match how work is actually done
where people are compensating for ambiguity or gaps
where small changes could remove disproportionate friction
What emerges is not resistance. It is insight.
Often, the quickest improvements do not come from enforcing processes more tightly. Instead, they come from adjusting them to reflect how people really work.
What arts organisations can do today.
There are practical steps organizations can take to strengthen process clarity and data confidence:
Map workflows with reasoning, not assumptions. Document not just what happens, but why it happens.
Review inherited steps with fresh eyes. Ask whether each step still serves a purpose, and whether that purpose is understood.
Communicate intent across teams. Even brief explanations can change how a task is perceived.
Align training with context, not just function. Training should answer: how does this help me, my colleagues, and our audiences?
Create space for questions. When someone does not understand a process, that is not resistance. It is an opportunity to improve it.
Why this matters to us at Artifax.
We work with people across programming, operations, finance, front of house, and community engagement. Each team touches a different part of the data journey. When processes are unclear or misaligned, the effects are felt everywhere.
Our role is not only to provide tools. It is to help organizations understand how their processes support coordination, accuracy, and better decision-making over time.
Because strong data does not come from software alone. It comes from people who understand the purpose behind their work and feel supported in doing it well.