The Reverse Beta

September 2, 2014

Everyone knows about the “beta test” – try something new and see how it goes. (For a more prescriptive process, see the Beta Blueprint chapter in my book, The Culture Blueprint).

But even easier is the “Reverse Beta.” This is the exact opposite. Try stopping something that may not be working.

For example, at one company we had to fill out two forms and get two signatures to note our use of vacation time. It was a huge pain. HR was upset that people were not using it enough and vacation time was going unreported. Some people were taking too much, others were not taking enough.

What if the forms were killed entirely? What if people could just email [email protected] and simply tell HR that way? No forms, no signatures, just easy. Everyone was happier.

You can easily find sources for this by asking your people, “What is a total waste of your time?” And then try stopping it for 90 days and see what happens.