Cecelia Cartier, PMP

The Real Issue: How Processes Have Evolved - Failure Mode #3: Control stacking in banking processes

Failure Mode #2: Excessive Handoffs When ownership is unclear, work starts changing hands and excessive handoffs become the next constraint. Excessive Handoffs Work doesn’t move forward—it moves around. From inbox to inbox. From queue to queue. From team to team. Each handoff looks reasonable in isolation. Together, they quietly become the process. Excessive handoffs usually accumulate for good reasons: Capacity was uneven Risk wanted visibility A workaround solved a short‑term issue A...

Failure Mode #1: Overlapping Ownership If work around the core feels heavier than it should, overlapping ownership is often where the problem begins. Overlapping Ownership Over time, many bank processes evolve to involve more and more groups - operations, risk, compliance, line of business, audit. Each group touches the work. Each has a valid reason for being there. And yet, no one truly owns the outcome. On the surface, overlapping ownership feels responsible. More visibility. More review....