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Reviewed in POC · content version 2

Review Friction

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Definition

Friction is avoidable drag in a process. It may appear as waiting, rework, duplicate entry, confusion, unnecessary approvals, unclear ownership, tool switching, manual reconciliation, or hidden workaround activity.
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Plain-Language Explanation

Friction is the extra effort, delay, confusion, or repetition that makes work harder than it needs to be. It is something to investigate in the process, not a label for a difficult person.
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Why It Matters

Friction is not automatically a person's fault. It is usually a signal that the workflow, tools, communication, or context are not aligned.
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Example

A team enters the same customer information into both a CRM and a spreadsheet because neither system fully supports the current workflow.
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Common Misconception

Not every inconvenience is meaningful friction, and removing every bit of effort is not the goal. Some checks, approvals, or pauses protect quality and safety; the question is whether the drag is necessary and useful.
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Remember It This Way

Friction is avoidable drag that tells you where to look closer.
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Related Terms

* [[bottleneck|Bottleneck]] * [[rework-loop|Rework Loop]] * [[workaround|Workaround]] * [[duplicate-entry|Duplicate Entry]] * [[manual-reconciliation|Manual Reconciliation]] * [[actor|Actor]]
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Sources

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Learn More

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