Why do the processes you create end up ignored? You document workflows, create templates, build systems—and then nobody uses them. The problem isn't discipline. It's design.
Most founders treat processes like chores instead of products. They skip user research (who's actually using this?), ignore usability (can someone follow this under pressure?), and never iterate. Colin Gray turned this around by building The Podcast Host and Alitu using one principle: every process is a product for your future self.
In this episode, discover the inflection points for documentation, how to design processes that actually get used, and why treating systems like shelf-ware kills growth. Learn the "First Use Test" that separates working processes from documentation theater, why most process metrics create worse problems than no metrics at all, and how to build systems your team actually wants to use.
Stop building process graveyards. Start shipping systems that work.
The core problem isn't that founders don't understand the importance of processes. It's that they build them wrong. They create elaborate documentation that looks impressive but fails the real-world test. They measure the wrong things, document too early, and treat internal processes as administrative overhead instead of strategic assets.
The solution starts with the "First Use Test." If you can't use a process within 48 hours of creating it, you built shelf-ware. This isn't about perfection. It's about immediate utility. Most founders over-engineer their first process version, creating complex workflows that require a PhD to follow.
Processes without metrics become suggestions, but the wrong metrics create worse problems than no metrics at all. A marketing team I worked with tracked "content pieces created" as their key process metric. They hit their numbers every week while creating content nobody read. The process worked perfectly while the business died slowly.
Every undocumented repeated task is technical debt in your operations. It compounds silently until it becomes a crisis. Process debt works like technical debt, but instead of breaking your product, it breaks your team.
The fix requires treating your internal processes with the same quality standards as your customer-facing products. If you wouldn't ship a product with this user experience, don't ship a process with it either. Your team deserves the same experience quality as your customers.
Watch the Full Episode on Building Better Processes with expert Colin Gray below:
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