Ep. 128: As-Is to Prepare for the To-Be

In organizational transformations, leadership teams are often eager to rush toward the future state. Whether implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, rolling out a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, or restructuring departments, the excitement surrounding the “To-Be” vision frequently overshadows the immediate reality.

In Episode 128 of the Harmonious Workplaces podcast—titled “As-Is to Prepare for the To-Be”—hosts Rich Cruz (Organizational Development Consultant) and Ben Kleinman (Certified Change Management Professional) explore why skipping current-state process documentation creates severe operational risks and how to effectively capture your workflow foundation.

The Danger of Skipping Current-State Documentation

A common pitfall in change management is treating documentation as a last-minute catch-up exercise or discarding it as tedious minutiae. However, attempting to build a new operating model without understanding existing workflows is like “building your castle on sand”.

Without clear visibility into current operations, organizations risk:

• Replicating inefficiencies in new software platforms rather than optimizing them.
• Breaking undocumented dependencies that keep daily operations flowing.
• Incurring higher marginal costs during rollout due to unexpected disruptions.

As Ben notes, unless an organization operates in a heavily regulated industry with mandatory compliance standards, everyday conversational workflows and unofficial ways of working are rarely written down.

Hidden Expertise and the “Single Point of Failure” Risk

When organizations rely on unwritten habits, they create massive operational vulnerabilities. Rich shares an example of a veteran employee who spent 35 to 40 years with a company. Working out of a corner office, she single-handedly acted as the monthly financial integrator across sales, project management, marketing, finance, and supply chain. When a business analyst evaluated her role prior to her retirement, they discovered she managed over 60 undocumented, business-critical processes.

Ben highlights a similar real-world scenario involving a multi-billion-dollar global organization that relied on just two aging employees to maintain a legacy mainframe system.

These situations highlight Human Capital Theory: the value employees bring to an organization is “borrowed value”. If key personnel retire or leave, their uncaptured tacit knowledge leaves with them, creating a crisis for the business.

Modern Tools for Efficient Process Mapping

Documenting current workflows does not require manual drudgery. Modern technology allows teams to capture operational details in real time without disrupting daily work:

1. Screen Capture and Narration: Employees can use video software like Microsoft Teams or Clipchamp to record their screens while talking through everyday tasks.
2. Private Enterprise AI Models: Transcripts and recordings can be analyzed securely through private, enterprise-grade AI tools (such as ChatGPT or Gemini) to draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
3. Visual Workflow Modeling: AI outputs can be converted into Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) diagrams using tools like Microsoft Visio to visualize step-by-step procedures.

Note: Both hosts emphasize the necessity of coordinating with IT departments to ensure video feeds, payroll data, and customer information are kept inside secure, redacted environments rather than public AI models.

The Strategic Role of the Business Analyst

While software tools streamline documentation, human facilitation remains essential. A skilled Business Analyst (BA) acts as an operational detective by asking “why” tasks are performed in specific ways.

During mapping sessions, BAs uncover critical workflow nuances, including:

• Workarounds: Tasks done purely out of habit versus those required for downstream steps.
• System Gates & Approvals: Hard sequence dependencies where a process must pause until specific criteria or approvals are met.
• Automated Triggers: Opportunities to automate manual reports or dashboard updates.

Grounding Documentation in Broader Frameworks

Documenting current operations connects directly to change management frameworks:

• Navigating the Neutral Zone: According to William Bridges’ transition model, understanding the current state provides employees with the psychological clarity needed to transition through the uncertain “neutral zone” into a new beginning.
• The Knowledge to Performance (KTP) Tree: As detailed in the hosts’ article for ATD’s TD Magazine, an organization functions like a growing ecosystem. Good documentation forms part of the healthy soil and root system that feeds performance and allows the organization to bear operational fruit.
• Upfront vs. Marginal Costs: Front-loading the investment in process mapping requires upfront resources, but dramatically reduces costly fire drills and operational errors later in the project lifecycle.

Shifting Mindsets: From Drudgery to Employee Engagement

Employees often resist documentation because they fear micromanagement or job elimination. To overcome this resistance, leaders must communicate “What’s In It For Me” (WIFM) and align documentation with the organization’s overarching purpose.

Framing documentation as an opportunity to eliminate administrative friction—such as freeing up 40% of an employee’s time to focus on higher-value growth—turns documentation into an empowering exercise. When employees help design their future workflows, their internal motivation and engagement increase significantly.

Key Takeaways for Change Leaders

To wrap up the episode, Rich and Ben share their top recommendations for managers preparing for change:

• Ben Kleinman’s Top Advice: Approach process documentation with clear intentionality. Connect the documentation effort directly to the organization’s mission and purpose rather than viewing it as mere paperwork.
• Rich Cruz’s Top Advice: Set explicit expectations and ensure open access. Even high-quality documentation is useless if it remains siloed or inaccessible to change professionals and leadership teams.

By capturing the As-Is state today, organizations build the stable foundation required to achieve seamless, sustainable transformation tomorrow.

If you need help with capturing knowledge, check out our Knowledge Continuity Service.