Systems Should Adapt to People, Not the Other Way Around

One of the most common mistakes I see in systems implementation is forcing people to adapt to rigid systems, rather than designing systems that enhance how people naturally work.

When we implement new tools or processes, there's often an expectation that team members will simply adjust their behavior to match the new system. "This is how the software works," we tell them, "so this is how you need to work now." But this approach almost always leads to resistance, workarounds, and ultimately, abandoned systems.

Understanding Natural Workflows

Every person and team has developed ways of working that make sense to them. These workflows have evolved organically over time, shaped by individual preferences, team dynamics, and the specific challenges they face. When we ignore these natural patterns and impose standardized systems, we're essentially telling people that their intuitive approach is wrong.

Instead, I believe in starting with deep observation and understanding. How do people currently organize their information? What mental models do they use to categorize their work? What parts of their current process do they value most? Only by answering these questions can we design systems that feel intuitive and helpful rather than foreign and restrictive.

The Cost of Forced Adaptation

When people are forced to work against their natural inclinations, several problems emerge:

• Cognitive Load: Team members must constantly translate between how they naturally think about their work and how the system requires them to think about it.
• Decreased Productivity: This translation process slows people down and introduces errors.
• Resistance: People naturally resist systems that make their work harder or less intuitive.
• Workarounds: Teams develop unofficial processes that bypass the system, leading to data inconsistency and lost visibility.

A Better Approach: Adaptive Systems

The alternative is to create adaptive systems that mold to how people naturally work. This requires more upfront investment in understanding and customization, but the results are transformative:

• Faster Adoption: When a system feels intuitive, people embrace it more quickly.
• Higher Engagement: Team members appreciate tools that respect their preferences and working style.
• Better Data: When using the system is easy, data quality and completeness improve.
• Continuous Improvement: Systems that adapt to people can continue to evolve as team needs change.

Real-World Example

I recently worked with a marketing agency that had tried and failed to implement three different project management systems. Each time, the team would start strong but gradually revert to their old methods of tracking work.

Instead of trying a fourth off-the-shelf solution, we took a different approach. We spent time understanding how the creative team naturally organized their projects, what information was most important to them at different stages, and how they preferred to visualize their workflow.

The result was a custom system that mirrored their existing mental model but added automation and visibility. Because it worked the way they already thought about their projects, adoption was nearly immediate and sustained over time.

Conclusion

Technology should serve people, not the other way around. By designing systems that adapt to natural human workflows and preferences, we create tools that genuinely enhance productivity rather than hindering it.

In my practice, this people-first approach is fundamental. I never start by imposing a system; I start by understanding how you and your team think, work, and collaborate. Only then do we build tools that feel like a natural extension of your existing process—just better, faster, and more reliable.