Process Thinking

At Level 1, process thinking starts with observation and participation. You follow established team processes and begin to notice how things work (or don't). You may not design workflows yet, but you're gaining awareness of how tasks move from start to finish and how your role fits into the broader system. You're learning not just *what* to do, but *how* work gets done—and why that matters.

Key Behaviors

  • Follows team processes for tasks, code review, deployment, etc.
  • Asks questions to understand why steps exist
  • Notes when something seems inefficient or unclear
  • Uses checklists or templates as instructed
  • Brings up issues with current workflows when prompted

Common Struggles

  • May treat processes as rigid or burdensome
  • Might skip steps due to lack of understanding
  • Can struggle to see how their part affects the larger workflow

Success Indicators

You know you're successful when you:

  • Follow team processes reliably and with care
  • Seek to understand the why behind the how
  • Begin to notice friction or bottlenecks in common workflows
  • Ask questions about how work moves through the team or system

Mindset Shift

From:

"I do things the way I'm told."

To:

"I want to understand how our team works and why."

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • What's the goal of this process?
  • Where does work tend to slow down?
  • How do other teammates interact with this workflow?

Build These Habits

  • 1
    Document your steps when trying something new
  • 2
    Reflect on what worked well or felt clunky
  • 3
    Watch how others navigate team processes

Seek Feedback

  • "Is there a better way to approach this step?"
  • "What's the most common mistake people make here?"
  • "If something feels inefficient, what's the best way to bring it up?"

Signals You're Ready to Level Up

  • You ask thoughtful questions about how and why processes work
  • You complete tasks more smoothly by understanding the workflow
  • You begin seeing opportunities to improve—not just complete—your work

Focus Summary

  • Follow with care
  • Ask why
  • Observe the system

At Level 1, process thinking is about *paying attention*. The best way to get better is to notice more: how work flows, where it sticks, and what that might mean.