Purpose-Driven Process Development: The Question Behind Every Good Process

Earlier in my career, I was asked to oversee a quarterly data review that highlighted my team’s successes for executive leadership. As I began taking ownership of the process, I asked my boss a question that caught her slightly off guard: “What’s the point of this review?”

The question was not meant to challenge the value of the meeting, it was meant to clarify it. The blunt phrasing was intentional. I wanted to spark a thoughtful conversation rather than receiving a quick response. If I was going to lead the process moving forward, I needed to understand what she wanted the review to accomplish. Was the goal to celebrate wins? Inform leadership? Identify barriers? Secure support? Influence future priorities?

Without knowing the intended outcome, I could complete the task, but I would not know whether I was making it successful.

Throughout my career, I have continued to come back to that same question in different ways. In any organization, it is easy for meetings, reports, workflows, and recurring tasks to continue simply because they are familiar. But when the purpose behind a process becomes unclear, the process can begin to lose value.

This challenge is not unique to one team or organization. Research shows that many employees experience uncertainty around expectations and spend significant time on activities that do not directly advance meaningful outcomes. Gallup found that only “46% of U.S. employees clearly know what is expected of them at work,” while Asana reports that “knowledge workers spend 60% of their time on ‘work about work’ — activities such as chasing updates, attending unnecessary meetings, switching between tools, and searching for information.” 

Activity alone does not create value. Processes need a clear purpose. 

Purpose-driven process development starts by asking a simple question: What are we trying to achieve?

Purpose should come before process

Strong processes do not begin with steps. They begin with purpose.

Before improving a workflow, building a report, scheduling a meeting, or assigning ownership, teams should first understand the intended outcome. What should this process accomplish? Who needs the output? What decision, action, or result should it support?

A process can be completed accurately and still fail to create value. A report can be delivered on time but not answer the right question. A meeting can occur every week but not drive any decisions. A workflow can include every required step but still create confusion if the people involved do not understand the larger goal.

That is why purpose matters, it gives structure meaning.

When the purpose of a process is clear, teams can make better decisions about what information is needed, who should be involved, how often the work should occur, and what success should look like. It also helps individuals understand how their work connects to a broader outcome, rather than simply completing tasks because they are expected. As a result, people are often able to produce stronger outcomes with greater independence because they understand not just what they are doing, but why they are doing it.

Activity is not the same as progress. A purpose-driven process helps ensure that the work being done is connected to the outcome being sought.

Purpose helps determine whether a process is still useful

Processes often begin for a good reason, but they do not always remain effective without periodic review. Deloitte’s 2025 Human Capital Trends report notes that employees spend 41% of their day on work that does not create value for the organization. Similarly, Asana reported that workers spend an average of 257 hours per year navigating inefficient processes and another 258 hours on duplicative work and unnecessary meetings — adding up to roughly 12 work weeks annually.

When processes are not periodically re-evaluated and aligned with their purpose, they can quietly contribute to a tremendous amount of lost productivity.

Organizations change. Priorities shift. Systems evolve. Teams grow. New requirements are introduced. What was once useful may no longer be the most effective way to achieve the intended outcome. That does not mean the original process was wrong. It simply means the process may need to be revisited.

The question is not only, “Is this process working?” but also, “Is this process still serving the right purpose?”

That distinction is important. A process may be functioning exactly as designed but still no longer be necessary in its current form. A recurring meeting may still happen, but the decisions it was meant to support may now be made elsewhere. A report may still be produced, but the audience may no longer use it in the same way. A workflow may still move from step to step, but changes in technology, staffing, or priorities may have created a better way to complete the work.

Purpose-driven process development creates space to evaluate whether the process still fits the need. It allows teams to ask what should continue, what should change, what can be simplified, and what may no longer be needed.

This type of review should not be treated as a one-time exercise. Processes need to evolve alongside the organizations they support. Periodically revisiting the purpose helps ensure that workflows remain relevant, efficient, and aligned with current goals.

Purpose improves efficiency by focusing attention on what matters

One of the greatest benefits of a clear purpose is that it helps teams focus.

When the goal of a process is unclear, people may spend time producing information that is not used, attending meetings that do not lead to action, or completing steps that do not meaningfully contribute to the outcome. These activities may seem small on their own, but across teams and over time, they can create meaningful inefficiency.

A clear purpose gives teams permission to simplify.

It allows them to identify which steps are essential and which may be creating unnecessary work. It helps reduce duplication, clarify handoffs, and focus conversations on decisions rather than updates. It also helps leaders and teams align on what success looks like, making accountability more practical and less dependent on interpretation.

For example, if the purpose of a data review is to inform executive decision-making, the process should be designed around the information leaders need to make those decisions. That may mean changing the format, reducing the volume of data, adding context, highlighting barriers, or clearly identifying where leadership support is needed. If the purpose is to celebrate team wins, the process may look different. The tone, content, audience, and follow-up actions may all change.

The steps should support the purpose, not the other way around.

When teams understand what they are trying to achieve, they are better equipped to use time wisely, improve communication, and adapt the process when circumstances change. Purpose does not eliminate the need for structure; it makes structure more effective.

Conclusion

The question “What are we trying to achieve?” is simple, but it can change the way we approach our work. 

It moves the conversation from task completion to value creation. It helps teams understand whether a process is still useful, whether it needs to evolve, and whether it is helping the organization reach its intended outcome.

Purpose-driven process development is not about creating more structure for the sake of structure. It is about ensuring that the structure we do have is meaningful, efficient, and aligned with the work that matters most.

The next time you inherit a recurring meeting, report, workflow, or task, pause before jumping into the steps and clarify the purpose:

• What is this process intended to accomplish?

• Who uses the output, and what do they need from it?

• What decision, action, or outcome should this process support?

• Are the current steps helping us achieve that outcome?

• What should we continue, change, simplify, or stop?

The answer may confirm that the process is working exactly as intended — or it may reveal an opportunity to make it better.

A good process should not only help work get done. It should help the right work get done, in the right way, for the right reason.

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References:

• Gallup. (2025, January 14). U.S. employee engagement sinks to 10-year low. 

• Asana. (2026, April 17). How work about work gets in the way of real work. 

• Business Wire. (2022, April 5). Asana Anatomy of Work Index 2022: Work about work hampering organizational agility.

• Deloitte. (2025, March 24). When work gets in the way of work: Reclaiming organizational capacity.

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Nathan Simpson is an Engagement Manager at Summit Managed Solutions, where he helps organizations turn strategy into practical, sustainable operations. With more than 15 years of experience in process design, workflow improvement, executive reporting, and cross-functional leadership, Nathan is passionate about building systems that teams can actually use and adopt — systems that help them work more efficiently and drive purpose for their organizations. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife of 16 years and their two boys.

Summit Managed Solutions is a management consulting and professional services firm that partners with healthcare organizations across the private, public, and social sectors to create value. By providing comprehensive solution management and inclusive business operation services, Summit helps deliver specific, transformative outcomes. With consulting and managed service offerings, Summit helps partners overcome the critical challenges associated with people, process, and technology, while providing partners with flexibility, reliability, and innovation that will propel growth.