I would like to ask the following questions regarding process improvement.
1) If within a certain process a proposal for example was sent to a customer. The next activity on this process would happen when the customer signs the proposal and send it back. Would this activity and the following ones separated in a separate process or the process will remain active till the customer send the signed proposal?
2) How does the parallel activities represented in process maps?
3) What is the suitable book I can read to understand exactly how to develop and improve the processes in a software house? Saving Changes...
Michael - I would be interested in receiving a copy of your book The Helix Factor. I have recently taken a leadership role in the IS department of a manufacturing company. I am positioning my team to become an internal consulting group focusing on business process re-engineering and not simply project order takers. Thank you in advance. My mailing address is 2200 Norman Drive South, Waukegan, IL 60085 Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Mark, its on its way with my compliments Saving Changes...
Hi Michael,
I am a member of a team working on a sales process improvement process of a major manufacturing company. I am very interested in receiving a copy of your book.
Kindest regards,
Saving Changes...
Michael, I am working on the project called process improvement for the software company. I am very interested in receiving one copy of your book. My email address: [email protected] Thanks! Saving Changes...
Mary Elizabeth DiabDirector| Leadership FormationTallassee, Al, United States
Michael,
I have been in Project management for some years now and have taken a fairly new role in Process Improvement. My company does SW development based on a process tool. As a result, much of what I'm doing fits more into a Business Analyst role looking at business processes. I am very interested in getting a copy of your book. My company has settled upon a Standard based on Alec Sharp's Workflow Modeling book. However, I'd like to gain a more detailed understanding of the options. Clearly, PM is really just a process, so the more I learn, the more I find I know. I'd be interested to see how you graphically represent items. My e-mail is [email protected]. Thanks in advance! Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Hello everyone, all I need is your mailing address and they will be on their way. [email protected] Saving Changes...
Prabhas SinhaDirector - Product Management| CAHyderabad, India
Interesting Discussion thread. I read the very first post by Amr Hegazy and actually I had done a similar process modeling a few weeks back so thought will share my thoughts here.
I had used a visual Business Process modeling tool where I had modeled a "Response to RFP" process that is initiated by a IT-Services Business Development Manager where he gets the RFP from a prospect and then this tool/model helps him to collaborate with the Technical guys, Commercial guys, Finance folks and Legal guys to work on the response in an iterative loop. Once each team individually approves their section, the work is collated and the response to RFP is sent to the client. If it is an unsuccessful bid then all stakeholders are notified by email whereas if it is a successful one then this process kicks off a "Project Initiation" sub process which kicks off various other sub processes at a later stage. And at any point in time if you wanna check the status of the process, there is a visual window for it.
Incase you folks are interested in having a demo of it, I can do a webinar for you all for 30-45min.
Pls let me know at [email protected]
cheers
PS: Michael, would love to receive this book. It might help me to do some more modeling and I can share with you all.
Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Prabhas, I just need your snail mail address and a book will be on its way. Cheers Saving Changes...
Ben GrahamPresident| The Ben Graham CorporationTipp City, Oh, United States
Amr and others: using detail process charting, the time waiting for the signed proposal would be identified with a delay step (ANSI Y15.3M-1979, Process Charts) within the complete process as Michael clearly laid out in his Apr 14 reply. Parallel flows are displayed as separate parallel flows. Any relationships between the flows (exchange of data) are clearly shown as well. This methodology is a simple, fundamental method for laying out the flow of information processes – ALL the items in the process and their relationships. This method shows WHERE every item is handled and WHO does the work. And...it has been around for over sixty years. It is discussed thoroughly in "Detail Process Charting: Speaking the Language of Process". It is available electronically via public and university library networks and at Amazon.com. Saving Changes...
