Proof of Concepts, Progress, and the Realities of Helping - Part 1 of 3

Proof of Concepts and Small Steps in the Hospital

When I think back on this field service (thus far), one of the themes that keeps coming to mind is the value of trying small things first. Not huge systems, not big redesigns, but proof of concepts and small changes that help people see progress.

Coming into this year, the hospital was asking some fairly tough questions. There was a sense of, “How are we going to manage this workload?” Pre-Op in particular was working long days, often from 8 in the morning to 7 or 8 at night. Doing their best, but exhausted. There was much work, a lot of admin, and many spreadsheets that were harder than they needed to be.

Our thought was: if there’s anything we can do to make their load lighter, we’d like to try. Even if that’s something fairly small.

What we did was not fancy. It was cleaning up spreadsheets, making workflows consistent and simple, and making it easier to see and manage the information. We weren’t replacing everything. We tried to make what already existed more usable and less heavy.

We could see the difference in a few ways:

• Less time spent on certain recurring tasks (cut 1.5 hours per day for one person)
• Fewer errors and stumbling blocks (found over 150 errors on day one)
• Better visibility into what was coming next
• Going from 78 tabs in Excel to 10 (!!)

To be fair, some of the improvements also came as the team got into a rhythm. Not everything is about tools or process; part of it is people learning to collaborate. We can't nor want to take credit for things that weren’t ours. But we do know that the changes we made helped, and the hours saved and errors reduced were real, not theoretical.

Why Proofs of Concept Matter

This reinforced for me that people can only listen to general promises for so long. A leader (CEO, president, manager, or prime minister) can restate the vision only so many times before it means nothing. You can say, “We’re going to improve this,” or “We’re working on a better system,” over and over, but if nothing changes in their day-to-day work, it’s hard for anyone to believe and support it. A small, working proof of concept goes further than a million words or a thousand promises.

Waterfall-style projects—long planning cycles with little visible progress for months—drain morale. What helped here was taking one piece at a time, improving it, and then doing that again somewhere else. It brought attention, insight, and a collaborative environment. It was also quick.

Iteration Is Just The Start

As helpful as the proof of concept was, it wasn’t enough by itself. Sustainability still needs leadership alignment, ownership, and advocacy from the right people. Small improvements spark energy, but can't carry themselves.

People tend to join tribes and projects that are going well. We want to be associated with what is "moving up and toward the right". That isn’t negative—it’s human. Small working improvements help generate that interest and momentum.

So for me, this first story is about that: using small proofs of concept to show what’s possible, to lighten the load a bit, and to remind myself that progress here is usually incremental, not all-or-nothing.