I Love Parallel Tasks

Not an exaggeration. Parallel tasks are awesome. So awesome that I pretty much think about them every day of my life. In fact, a lot of what I do is based solely on my desire to organize everything in parallel. So long monotonous sequences, long live in parallel!

Parallel Tasks?

Why so much love for a seemingly bland process mapping technique? At its core, parallel tasks are ones that can be done at the same time. This is in direct contrast to sequential tasks, where one must not begin until the other is finished. 

More specifically, the required inputs of each task are not dependent on any of the other tasks finishing. So in essence, a process supporting parallel tasks will bulk generate inputs for multiple tasks at once. This reduces the overall time the process takes to complete and can eliminate any wasted waiting time in between. 

Do you like waiting? I didn’t think so. There is nothing more gratifying than creating a process where everything is free to happen as soon as resourcing is available. No waiting, no bottlenecks. Just pure uninterrupted progress. 

My Sequential Mornings

This is a classic lean waste removal technique but one I find very satisfying. So in an effort to relay this wonderful feeling to you, I will share my experiences of managing a normal start to my day.

My morning routine consists of several major activities. Showering, Dressing, Cooking, Brewing Coffee, Cleaning, and Eating. A completely shocking list, I know. 

Without my parallel obsession, it would be normal to assume these tasks would be completed each after the other. Something like the following:

• 10 minutes to take a shower
• 5 minutes to get dressed (Don’t judge, I am very slow to pick an outfit) 
• 20 minutes to cook boiled eggs and toast
• 5 minutes to brew coffee
• 5 minutes to clean the messes I’ve made in the kitchen
• 15 minutes to eat and drink

Sounds reasonable but not so fast (foreshadowing pun!). That’s literally an hour of my time in the morning to complete these few activities. I don’t know about you but I’m usually running late enough where every minute, and certainly every hour, counts. 

Without parallel tasks, I would need to eliminate certain activities in order to start my day on time (getting up early is not an option). But even more than that, this process in its sequential form delivers a terrible morning experience. 

• A lot of my time is spent waiting for something to finish. Staring at my eggs boil, watching coffee brew, etc. 
• By the time I can eat, my food and coffee is most likely cold
• I may spill food on my new outfit and have to do some re-work!

Sure, I can reorder some of these tasks (clean at the end) but I can’t really do them more quickly. My opportunity for improvement is limited by the sequential nature of my mindset. 

Parallel Morning Optimization

Enter parallel tasks. As mentioned, I literally think about this all the time. And my goal is always to achieve the most tasks happening at once and therefore the shortest overall completion time. 

How does my actual morning routine look then? Well it’s important to note two key principles: 

• Most of these activities are not dependent on one another. I don’t need the eggs boiled for the coffee to brew, and both don’t care whether or not I’ve showered. 
• Many of these activities do not require my attention while it’s happening. I simply start the task and wait until it’s done.

These are important observations because it shows that parallel tasks are possible AND value add. Because I am only one person performing these activities, I can only do so much in a single moment. Therefore, I can create a process where all waiting time is converted to alternate task completion and still manage by myself. 

So what does my fully optimized morning look like now?

• Start egg boiling (~15 min)
  • IN PARALLEL: Take shower (10 min) and get dressed (5 min) while “waiting.”
• Start brewing coffee (5min)
  • IN PARALLEL: Make toast and clean kitchen (5 min) while “waiting.”
• Eat HOT breakfast and coffee (15min)

The improvement? Reduction of almost 50% of total time and a better experience with no waiting and hot food. Not to mention the amazing experience of improving a process so near and dear to my heart. 

Coming Back to the Corporate World

Thinking in parallel is a simple but an effective mindset to find opportunities in your own processes at work as well. 

We’ve all come across processes that mimic cycling through a checklist, one task at a time. Perhaps the process was originally performed by a single person who had to manage the work that way. Or maybe the process was setup long in the past without being questioned further. Either way, its a great way to dive into a quick analysis with huge potential benefits.

Try keeping these simple questions in your mind to jump start your own parallel journey:

• Do I have time to work on other things while waiting for a task to complete?
• Is there anything else I can be doing at the same time?
• Can I get what I need to start this task earlier in the process? (and remove dependencies on other tasks)

Happy parallel improving!