Garbage-Collect Your Processes
Companies add process by default; build a counter-process to remove the obsolete ones
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 82%
Zuckerberg observes that companies add process over time, almost always with good intentions, to avoid repeating past mistakes, so every launch accumulates another checklist. The failure is that most companies have no counter-process to garbage-collect the process that is no longer useful. His fix is to make removal an explicit, resourced effort: he routinely sits down with engineering leaders and others and asks simply what is slowing you down, then treats removing those obstacles as a core part of his job. The discipline must respect other goals, if a slowing 'issue' actually matters, you find the most efficient way to keep caring about it rather than dropping it, but applied methodically over time it greases the wheels in the direction you want.
Origin
A focus of Zuckerberg's 'move fast with stable infrastructure' value as the company approached 100,000 people and process accretion began to dominate.
Core principles
- 01Organisations add process over time, usually with good intentions
- 02Most companies have no counter-process to remove obsolete process
- 03Accumulated checklists silently slow everyone down
- 04Ask people directly what is slowing them down, then remove it
How to run it
- 1
Accept process accretion
Recognise that process accumulates by default and good intentions do not keep it useful.
- 2
Build the counter-process
Create an explicit, resourced effort to review and remove obsolete process.
- 3
Ask what slows people down
Sit with front-line teams and ask directly what obstacles are slowing them.
Pro tip Make removing those obstacles part of the leader's own job.
- 4
Remove without dropping priorities
Cut the process that no longer serves the company while preserving what protects real priorities.
Watch out If a slowing issue genuinely matters, find an efficient way to keep caring about it rather than abandoning it.
In the wild
Beyond product reviews, Zuckerberg routinely sits with engineering leaders and asks what is causing them to move more slowly, then he and a dedicated team work to remove those obstacles, checking each removal against the company's other goals.
→ Applied methodically, this kept a near-100,000-person organisation moving fast despite accumulating process.
Common mistakes
Adding process with no removal loop
Piling on checklists without a counter-process means accumulated bureaucracy eventually slows everyone down.
Cutting process that protected a real priority
Removing a rule just to go faster can drop something that mattered; keep the priority and make it efficient instead.
Is it for you?
Best for
Leaders of scaling organisations where bureaucracy is accreting faster than it is pruned.
Not ideal for
Early or very small teams with little process to begin with.
From the transcript
“most companies don't have a counter process to basically garbage collect and remove processes that are no longer that useful”
From the episode
#582: Mark Zuckerberg on Long-Term Strategy, Business and Parenting Principles, Personal Energy Management, Building the Metaverse, Seeking Awe, the Role of Religion, Solving Deep Technical Challenges (e.g., AR), and More