Convential Wisdom Heaval - How to Stuff 100 envelopes

© Redbaron | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

We often take for granted time-honored conventional wisdom.  What is true is true…period.  So, if I were to ask you what is the fastest way to stuff 100 envelopes, which option would you choose? 

·         Option #1 – Batch.  Line up all the supplies and fold all the inserts at one time.  Once all inserts are folded, move on to stuffing all the envelopes, and then closing all the envelopes, next addressing the envelopes, and then stamping the envelopes.

·         Option #2 – Piece by Piece.  Start with the first envelope, fold the insert, stuff the envelope, close the envelope, address it and put a stamp on it.   Move on to the second envelope.

Many people would say to Batch the work for a more efficient process.  This is what America was built on – the assembly line of work.  And…you would be wrong.

There has been much research on this particular process and researchers discovered that Option 2, Piece by Piece, is the fastest way to work.  There are also positive side effects on quality.  Any quality issues can be caught earlier in the process when you do the piece by piece process.  Let’s take the envelope example where you were inserting two different folded pieces of paper and an address card in the envelope.  If the address card was the incorrect size, you would not discover it until you folded two hundred pieces of paper using the batch method.  However, using the piece by piece method, you would discover the quality issue after folding just two pieces of paper. 

Another added benefit of this process is that you get your first item out the door more quickly.  If you started the process at 11:00 a.m. and the mail pickup was at noon, you could get some of the envelopes in the mail that day using the piece by piece method.  However, using the batch method, all envelopes would go into the mail the next day. 

I encourage you to challenge conventional wisdom with your processes.  Where does it make sense to stop doing batch work to improve quality and speed?

I first read about the envelope test the Lean Startup. Get your copy at Amazon Today.