Walk into almost any school, college, or organisation and you’ll hear the same story: ‘We’ve got three systems for the same thing.’ Or ‘We spend more time filling out forms than helping people’
Sound familiar?
The truth is, most systems don’t fail because the technology is broken. They fail because they’re built on assumptions, not lived experience.
The 3 Classic Pitfalls of Systems
- Designed for compliance, not for people.
Systems are often created to satisfy external requirements (audits, regulators, inspectors). That’s important but it rarely reflects how the day-to-day work actually flows. - Top-down, not co-created.
Decision-makers choose a tool or process, then expect staff to ‘make it work.’ The result? Shadow spreadsheets, sticky notes, and endless workarounds. - Static, not adaptive.
Policies change, contexts shift, and needs evolve. But too many systems are treated like concrete: fixed in place, even as reality moves on.
What Really Happens in the Workplace
When systems don’t fit, people invent their own. They build parallel processes that do work for them but these invisible fixes create duplication, confusion, and stress. Over time, trust in the ‘official system’ erodes.
That’s why we say at Anthill: humans before assumptions.
How to Make Systems That Last
- Listen First. Start with the people doing the work – their frustrations, their hacks, their ideas.
- Co-Design. Build solutions with staff, not for them. Prototypes, sketches, and quick tests are your friends.
- Launch with Care. Adoption isn’t about a go-live date, it’s about confidence. Training, support, and champions make the difference.
- Keep it Alive. Systems need care. Check in, tweak, and adapt them as the world changes.
The Anthill Method™
This is why we created The Anthill Method™ -a six-stage, human-first approach to designing systems that actually get used. It’s not about the tech; it’s about trust, clarity, and continuous improvement.
When you join our workshop, you’ll learn how to:
- Discover what’s really happening, beyond the policy.
- Define problems with precision (and avoid surface fixes).
- Co-design practical solutions that staff believe in.
- Build, launch, and adapt systems that grow with your organisation.
Whether you’re reading this as part of our CPD course or exploring ideas on our website, here’s the key takeaway:
Systems fail when they ignore people. They succeed when they’re built with them.
