Good - Improving business processes

A message from the advisor

Why improve your business processes?

The success of your organization depends in large part on how well it executes its business processes. These processes transform knowledge and raw materials or inputs into outputs that create value for customers—finished goods and services. Every time you improve your company's business processes, you drive significant benefits for your organization in the form of cost-saving efficiencies, increased customer loyalty, and increased profitability.

In this book, you will discover the key principles of process improvement. You will become more familiar with the subject matter by defining the nature of business processes and the characteristics of process improvement efforts. You will also find strategies and ideas for process implementation, process improvement, including project planning, analyzing existing processes, redesigning processes, sourcing resources to implement your new process design, translating business redesign into action, monitoring new processes for continuous improvement, and more.

Even small improvements in a relatively simple process can make a big difference to your organization. Mastering the fundamentals of business process improvement as a coach can help you sharpen your company's competitive edge and lead your business to long-term success.

Advisor Mark McDonald

“Mart MacDonald” Ph.D. is a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of business process design and business architecture. He is currently the research director of Garter Executive Programs. He was previously a partner at Accenture, where he led the business center’s process excellence efforts. He has delivered numerous global process transformation initiatives and is the author of “Business Process Reengineering Methodology,” “Handbook,” and “Proven Practices.” Mart wrote

The articles are about “process design and development.”

He is the co-author of the book "The eProcess Edge" with Peter Kenn, published by McGraw-Hill in 2000.

What is a business process?

As a manager, you've probably heard a lot of discussions within your organization about "business process improvement," "process redesign," and "business process reengineering." You may not have thought about exactly what these topics mean.

First, it may help you understand what a “business process” is. Below we have provided some explanations that may be useful.

Inputs, actions, outputs.

Technically, a business process is a series of steps that are performed to create value for customers. A process has the following basic components:

* Inputs . They start the process. For example, if you were making a bicycle, your inputs would be tires, wheels, nuts, bolts, bolts, chains, gears, etc.

*Activities: These activities transform inputs into outputs . In the bicycle example, activities are the axis,

We sit on the bars, set up, put on the wheels, put on the gears.

*Outputs : Outputs, sometimes called outcomes, are the results of actions. In the bicycle example above, the fully assembled bicycle is an output .

Processes are easier to understand when we think about tangible things like bicycles. But every company has processes that are not tangible. For example, a management consulting firm has inputs (such as the knowledge of a consultant) , actions (such as an employee's fieldwork on a client's team), and outputs (such as a project to change the culture of the client organization) .

People, technology and information

You can also think of business processes as the series of events that bring together people, technology, and information to create valuable outcomes. To do this, take a moment to look around your office environment and notice the following.

* The people around you implement processes and actions based on the input they receive. For example, accepting customer requests. Their skills and knowledge form further input.

* These people often work with technology, such as software applications and the Internet. These technologies support the actions of the process, such as sending emails to customers or generating sales figures.

*Information is all around you. You store it in databases provided by customers. Or it's in people's heads. Information can be input (a list of part numbers in a warehouse) or output (a consultant's report).

(like a letter). In short, a business process is the set of actions your company uses to connect people, technology, and information. It involves setting goals, measuring performance, serving customers, and addressing the inevitable challenges that arise in doing so. Processes determine the efficiency and effectiveness of your company's operations. They determine the experience and capabilities of your customers, and ultimately the financial success of your organization.

Every organization has a wide range of business processes. Some are simple processes that are performed by a single department, such as entering a customer order into a computer. Others are complex processes that are implemented throughout your company, such as developing successful products.

 

 

Regular and irregular processes

Processes can vary in degree of irregularity. Consider an example of an irregular process. A customer who has been loyal to a company you work with for a long time asks you to give him a discount when the company is ordering twice as much of your product as it normally would. There are no rules that say you can't give him a discount. There's no set method for giving him a discount. So you give him a discount. You just create an irregular process. This process is a process that is done under certain circumstances, so your company doesn't record it as a step to take. Now, at least, the business plan for giving the discount is in your head.

Let's take an example of a typical process. You run a call center to handle customer concerns over the telephone and online. You and your team have diligently established a set of work plans for answering customers' questions and resolving their problems. Your team documents this work plan, and all new employees are required to learn it, as well as receive training on how to work the call center's phones. In this way, these processes address the high level of customer concern that has arisen.

Some processes start out as unusual, and then the organization decides to make them regular. For example, let's say you create an unusual process that asks current employees to provide advice to applicants for an open position. The proof of this process's high success is that the person leaving the job is replaced by a new person.

You've identified the key to successful hiring. As a result of this success, your company may decide to make employee retention a regular part of its efforts. You may also establish a reward and bonus program for current employees who can provide feedback on the candidates they hire.

Process problems

You, your boss, your colleagues, your direct reports, your customers, your suppliers—everyone in your organization goes through a variety of different processes every day. But because business processes are invisible, many people are not consciously aware of them and do not understand the impact they have on the organization. When these errors and problems arise (for example, a customer order is not filled correctly), people often blame other people. Managers often have to spend money and time replacing the people who made the mistakes. Or they have to choose to invest in new technologies and costs to overcome the problems.

Yet, most managers find that these “solutions” don’t work. In the end, the same problem resurfaces. What happens next? As it turns out, most organizations’ problems stem from poor process. It’s not that individuals aren’t competitive. It’s not that technology isn’t accurate. By understanding how processes can lead to problems, you and your team can reengineer processes to get the results your company wants.

“Don’t look for the fault. Look for the cure.”

"Henry Ford"

The need for a process-oriented mindset

Building the right business process is essential to the sustainability of your organization, so you and your team can create tremendous value for your company by embracing a “process mindset.” When you have a process mindset, you can regularly think about ways to improve the way your team turns inputs into desired outputs. You can use metrics to map your team’s business process and understand and measure these capabilities.

Ways you can cultivate process-mindedness in your team include engaging your team members.