# Find the unnecessary steps in a process and what to remove

Reviews a process step by step to spot steps, checks, and handoffs that add no value, and suggests what to cut safely.

- Topic: Projects & Operations
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/find-the-unnecessary-steps-in-a-process-and-what-to-remove

## Prompt

```text
Review this process and find the steps that add no value.

**Process name and purpose:** [e.g. "purchase request approval - get spend approved quickly and within policy"]
**Steps as they happen today:** [PASTE - who does what, in which system, and any wait times]
**Volume and cycle time:** [e.g. "120 requests a month, average 9 days"]
**Rules we must follow:** [policy, audit, regulatory, customer requirements]
**Complaints or pain points:** [DETAILS]

For each step, ask:
- Does it change the output or protect against a real risk?
- Is it a duplicate (same data entered twice, the same check done by two people)?
- Is it waiting, a re-approval, a handoff, or a workaround for another broken step?
- Would the customer or the next person in the chain miss it?

Return:
1. Step table: | # | Step | Owner | Time / wait | Adds value? | Why | Verdict (Keep / Simplify / Combine / Remove) |
2. Steps to remove or combine, ranked by time saved.
3. Controls that look unnecessary but must stay, and why.
4. The streamlined process as numbered steps.
5. Expected impact on cycle time and effort, as ranges with assumptions.
6. Who needs to agree before the change, and a 2-sentence pitch for them.

Base timings only on what I provide and mark estimates. Don't propose removing a compliance or audit control; flag it for the control owner instead.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE - who does what, in which system, and any wait times
- e.g. "120 requests a month, average 9 days"
- policy, audit, regulatory, customer requirements
- DETAILS

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.