An established translation system is not openly abandoned one day. The breakdown happens through the accumulation of decisions that look reasonable when they are looked at one by one.
The first stretching happens in a busy period
In a rush job the form is not filled in, the translation brief is not written or the review step is skipped. For that moment it looks like the right decision.
The exception becomes the rule
A step that has been skipped once is skipped more easily the second time. After a few periods the exception has become common practice.
A change of staff takes the knowledge away
When the person who set up the system leaves, why the rules exist becomes unknown. A rule whose reason is not known is removed at the first pressure.
When measurement is dropped, the breakdown becomes invisible
If the indicators are not being followed, the increase in the share of rush jobs or the rise in the number of rounds goes unnoticed. The breakdown advances silently.
The guide goes out of date
A guide that is not updated comes over time to conflict with the organisation's real language, and it starts not to be applied.
Lack of an owner is the most common cause
If the person responsible for the process is not defined, it is nobody's job to notice that any step has broken down.
Newcomers do not see the old system
When the structure that was set up is not explained, new employees bring their own methods and the flow diversifies.
Counter-view: processes ought to stretch anyway
It is true that a rigid system will not fit real life. But stretching and breakdown are different: stretching is a defined exception and is recorded; breakdown, on the other hand, is a deviation that is not recorded and is repeated.
Exceptions are defined in advance
When it is written down in which situations which step may be skipped, stretching becomes part of the system and leaves a trace.
The skipped step is recorded
When it is written down that a review was not applied, its frequency can be measured and the trend can be seen.
A periodic review is carried out
A short assessment made once a year brings to light which steps are not being applied in practice.
The reasons are kept in writing
When it is recorded why each rule exists, the rule can be defended under pressure as well.
The busy period is planned in advance
When capacity is set aside in advance for the known peaks, the need for stretching largely disappears.
Rebuilding is harder than building the first time
Bringing back a system that has broken down requires habits to be changed as well. Early intervention is far cheaper.
The breakdown starts first in small jobs
Requests that look short and unimportant are the place where the rules are first stretched. These jobs are small one by one, but because they are many in number, the greater part of the system in practice runs through them.
It is explained to newcomers
When how the system works and why it was set up in this way is not passed on to new employees, every person who joins brings their own method. A short induction is more effective than a long guide.
Takeaway
An established system breaks down not through a decision but through neglect. Defining the exceptions in advance, recording the skipped steps, keeping the reasons in writing and the periodic review: these four make stretching part of the system and make silent breakdown visible early.