Squirrel Chasing Syndrome

Another of several Lean afflictions, Squirrel Chasing Syndrome is the inability to remain focused on the goal or task at hand when something enticing comes into view.

This generally means abandoning the current task and switching to the new task without any real planning.

This form of distraction is harmful for three reasons. The first is that there is always waste when switching from one thing to another. We aim to minimize that waste, and for some people, it can be quite low. But for most people, the cost of bouncing from project to project adds up.

The second reason is that the new project that catches your eye may be a mirage or a rabbit hole. That means that it either isn’t exactly what it seemed at first glance, or it has a lot of complexity to it that wasn’t readily apparent. In either case, you will quickly find that the resources needed are far greater than what you have available. It then becomes a time sink, or you abandon the squirrel you just spent resources on and are now behind on your original project.

Finally, even if the project is easy to solve, it may not be aligned with your policy deployment. Doing the wrong things well isn’t a recipe for success.

Fortunately, this is not a big occurrence for major projects, but it is quite common at the frontline or in support teams. Maintenance, tooling, and IT are commonly presented with squirrel after squirrel as their customers show up, and it can be hard to resist chasing the occasional one.

Managers are often guilty of this as the day-to-day crises interrupt the important, strategic tasks they are working on.