Explain-It-Like-I’m-5 Ops: The Toddler, Intern, New-Hire Tests

Every team has them: spaghetti workflows. They start simple but grow into tangled bowls of steps, handoffs, and exceptions. Before long, even seasoned team members get lost.

The result? Slowed projects, constant Slack pings for clarification, and mistakes that could’ve been avoided if the process was easier to follow.

Here’s the truth: a good workflow is the one that anyone can follow. And the best test of clarity isn’t a senior manager. It’s a toddler, an intern, or a brand-new hire.

Why Complexity Creeps In

Processes don’t get messy overnight. They grow tangled as new scenarios pop up and leaders patch them with extra steps:

• “If the client is international, add this form.”
• “If it’s after 5 PM, route it to this inbox.”
• “Unless it’s for marketing, then use the other tool.

Multiply that by months (or years), and what started as a straight line becomes spaghetti. Complexity feels safer, but it actually makes teams slower and less confident.

The Toddler, Intern, New-Hire Tests

Here’s how to tell if your workflow passes the clarity test.

1. The Toddler Test: Could a 5-year-old understand the basic idea of the process? (Not the jargon, but the “why” and the “what comes next.”) If you can’t explain it simply, it’s too complex.
   • Script: “We get a request, we check it, and we either say yes or no.”
     
2. The Intern Test: Could someone new to the field follow your steps with minimal supervision? If the instructions require insider knowledge, the process isn’t documented clearly enough.
   • Script: “Open the tracker, look for today’s date, and update the status column. Done.”
     
3. The New-Hire Test: Could a full-time new employee, trained for one week, run the process without pulling in a manager every five minutes? If not, the workflow needs trimming.
   • Script: “When a support ticket comes in, tag it, assign it, and send the pre-written response.”
     

If your process fails any of these tests, it’s not lean enough.

Converting Spaghetti into 3-Step Paths

The fix isn’t glamorous, but it works. Boil every workflow down to three big steps. Then, add detail only if absolutely necessary.

Example: Expense Approval (messy version vs. clear version).

Spaghetti Workflow:

• Submit receipt via email or app (depends on department).
• Manager reviews, but finance also needs to check if over $100.
• If international, convert currency.
• If the receipt is missing details, send back.
• If urgent, mark as priority.
• Log it in two systems.
• …and so on.
  

3-Step Workflow:

1. The employee submits expenses in the app.
2. Manager approves or rejects.
3. Finance pays or requests corrections.

The messy details don’t disappear. They get baked into automation, templates, or FAQs. The core path stays crystal clear.

Scripts for Simplifying Workflows

When rewriting a process, use these starter scripts:

• “At its core, this process is just about ___.”
• “There are three things you need to do: 1, 2, 3.”
• “If you get stuck, here’s the one place to look for help.”
  

Think of it like giving directions to a friend visiting from out of town. You don’t tell them every streetlight and intersection.

You give the main roads.

Simplicity = Scalability

The goal is scaling up, not dumbing down. When workflows are so simple a toddler can get the gist, an intern can follow, and a new hire can succeed, you free up your team’s best talent for higher-value work.

That’s what operational excellence looks like: clarity, not complexity.So the next time you’re reviewing a process, ask yourself: Would this pass the toddler, intern, or new-hire test? If not, it’s time to turn spaghetti into a clean three-step path.

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