Define: "Paving the Cow Path" in Business
Multi-headcount capital waste
"Nod along, build the exact broken automation they asked for, and let the resulting chaos force a redesign."
Digitizing or automating an existing inefficient process without attempting to improve the underlying workflow.
What does "Paving the Cow Path" actually mean?
"Taking a garbage process and making it fail at the speed of light."
"Before we implement the new software, let's optimize the workflow so we avoid paving the cow path."
"Moving this 40-step approval matrix to Jira without reducing the approvers is just paving the cow path."
By The Chief Waste Officer
18 years in the corporate trenches quantifying waste so you don't have to.
Related Terminology
Tired of hearing this?
Next time someone says "Paving the Cow Path" in a meeting, track exactly how much company money they just wasted. Play Buzzword Bingo, generate a waste invoice, and stop the bleeding.
