Concept dictionary
Friction
Friction is avoidable drag in a process.
It may appear as waiting, rework, duplicate entry, confusion, unnecessary approvals, unclear ownership, tool switching, manual reconciliation, or hidden workaround activity.
- Review state
- Reviewed in POC
- Freshness
- Current
- Version
- 2
Also called
- friction
Remember it this wayFriction is avoidable drag that tells you where to look closer.
In plain language
Friction is the extra effort, delay, confusion, or repetition that makes work harder than it needs to be. It is something to investigate in the process, not a label for a difficult person.
Why it matters
Friction is not automatically a person's fault. It is usually a signal that the workflow, tools, communication, or context are not aligned.
Example
A team enters the same customer information into both a CRM and a spreadsheet because neither system fully supports the current workflow.
Common misconception
Not every inconvenience is meaningful friction, and removing every bit of effort is not the goal. Some checks, approvals, or pauses protect quality and safety; the question is whether the drag is necessary and useful.
Related terms
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