When a blockage appears in a process, the instinctive reaction is to look for someone to blame.
It’s human, but ineffective.

An operational blockage is almost never the fault of a single person; it is a symptom of a system no longer functioning as intended.

Detecting a blockage without creating internal tension requires a structured approach.

1. Observe the flow, not the individuals

A flow gets blocked when a constraint exceeds the capacity of the next step: overload, missing information, uncertainty, poor coordination.
Analyzing the flow instead of behaviors avoids implicit accusations.

1. Look for the point where effort increases without adding value

A blockage is easy to identify:
people work more, but progress stops.
This indicates a structural limit, not a human failure.

1. Identify what the system expects but does not receive

Each step depends on a resource: information, material, validation, availability, synchronization.
A blockage occurs when this resource is missing or delayed.

1. Check the workarounds

Teams instinctively create bypasses.
These workarounds reveal the real causes:
slow processes, overly centralized decisions, poorly calibrated tools.

Detecting a blockage means understanding the system’s logic.
The leader’s role is not to find a culprit, but to stabilize the flow.
Once the cause is clear, accountability emerges naturally.

A blockage is a signal. Interpreting it correctly is the foundation of operational intelligence.