Lab: Identifying the Squeaky Wheel

Full Title

Identifying the Squeaky Wheel – Understanding Work Through Friction Mapping

Purpose

This lab gives learners hands-on practice applying friction mapping to realistic workflow scenarios.

Learners will practice:

• discovering how work actually moves
• identifying inputs, outputs, and transformations
• placing a process in limited larger business context
• mapping current state using Mermaid
• identifying friction without blaming people
• separating observations from hypotheses
• avoiding premature recommendations
• producing toolkit-ready artifacts

Lab Location

The full lab package will live in the shared lab library when built:

labs/identifying-the-squeaky-wheel/

Lab Outputs

Learners produce:

1. discovery notes
2. process context summary
3. current-state Mermaid map
4. annotated friction map
5. friction inventory
6. recommendation boundary notes
7. client-safe summary
8. self-review checklist

Related Module Sections

This lab applies concepts from:

• What Is Friction Mapping?
• Why We Use It
• Current State Before Future State
• Input, Output, Transformation
• Friction as System Signal
• Workarounds as Clues
• Avoiding Premature Recommendations
• From Map to Assessment

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Source: modules/friction-mapping-understanding-work-before-recommending-solutions/activities/lab-identifying-the-squeaky-wheel.md