Don't let your employees wait
Article#: 00125
Date: 2026-09-09
Author: Radim
Peter is waiting for an answer from a more experienced colleague.
Martin is waiting for a decision from his manager.
Jane is waiting for her colleague to finish his task so that she can continue.
Thomas is waiting for the test hardware to become available.
Paul is waiting for access to the system.
And Michael is waiting for his slow computer to recover.
They are all at work.
They are all being paid.
And they are all waiting. :-(
Don't let your employees wait. Give them the conditions they need to work.
It starts with a task itself.
Is the task clear?
Does the employee have all the information needed?
"You are the expert. You know what to do."
I have heard this statement more than once.
But there is a problem with it.
An expert may know very well how to do something.
But they cannot know what you expect if you have not clearly defined it.
Expertise cannot replace requirements!
Requirements must be clear.
The relevant standards, guidelines and technical boundaries of the solution must be known as well.
Unclear requirements are expensive.
Their cost is not only the time needed to clarify them.
Much more expensive can be the time several people spend working in the wrong direction because the requirements were never clarified.
Access to experienced colleagues is just as important.
A junior engineer may spend two hours searching for an answer that a senior engineer could provide in ten minutes.
If a senior engineer is supposed to support a junior, make sure the senior actually has time to help.
Ten minutes of a senior's time can save two hours of a junior's time.
And the junior learns something in the process.
Waiting can also be reduced through good planning.
Tasks should be prepared so that they can actually be carried out without unnecessarily waiting for someone else to finish their work.
In automation, even the architecture of the machine can help.
If a machine is appropriately modularized, both electrically and in software, several people can commission different parts in parallel.
Think about equipment as well.
Does it make sense for several well-paid programmers to constantly share a single piece of test hardware?
How much did we really save by not buying another one if people have to wait because of it?
And what about the computer an employee uses eight hours a day?
How much time is lost every day because of a slow system?
Just as important is a working environment where people can actually concentrate on their work.
Do not save money on tools at the cost of your employees' time.
Not all waiting can be avoided.
But if an employee regularly cannot continue working, we should find out why.
Not to control them more, but to remove the obstacle that prevents them from working.
How much does one hour of your employee's time cost?
Do you really want to pay for two or three hours every day in which no value is created simply because the system is slow, the task is unclear, hardware is unavailable, or someone is waiting for somebody else?
Don't let your employees wait. Give them the conditions they need to create value.
© Radim-Automation, 2020–2026. All rights reserved.
Sharing of this article is permitted with proper attribution (link to the original page).
Related previous articles:
- Too many cooks spoil the broth
- The false illusion of rapid progress
- An irreplaceable employee
- Dedicated employees
- Keep everything you need together
- Maintain order in the program code
- Keep the documentation up to date throughout the project
- Version control system
- Documentation issues
- Machine modularization
- Modular software architecture
- A good concept = Complete set of suitable solutions
- Project leader
- Why do automation projects fail?
- Collect all the requirements and sort them!
- Use a usefull styleguide!
- Write and accept only readable code!
- Who knows it?
- Appoint a representative!
- Are the people planned for this task really available?
- Set your goals for today, tommorow, this week ...
- Write down your best practices and processes!
- Prepare a good project plan and keep it up to date!
- Do you really want to start with this?
- Do the right things and do them right!
- Keep the answers to the question "Why"
- Realize every good idea ASAP!
- Get and stay in the flow!
- Stay alert!
- Ask questions!
- Assign tasks efficiently!
- Request bottom-up input!
- Don't replace employees in the middle of the project!
- Develop a sense of responsibility!
- Recruit and retain the best employees!
- Get the things done with a small, motivated team!
- Multitasking is harmful
- Avoid overly optimistic estimates!
- 9 women can't make a baby in a month
- Sharpen your axe before you start felling!
- Understand - Agree - Be Identified - Believe
- Don't leave a work package half-finished!
- Don't neglect and don't skip any step!
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