Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
BPI and BPM have made it to the top of CIO's priorities. What confounds me is the slim supply of case studies out there and even less dialogue being pursued on the topic. So I want to hear from YOU the gantthead community... what are the challenges you are facing related to Business Process Improvement and Management? What issues have plagued you? What successes have you achieved? Where do you need help?
There is over 250,000 of us ganttheads out there... tap the resource; engage the community.... SHARE! Saving Changes...
Quanah BonrudDirector Delivery Excellence| Bonrud Management LLCHopkins, Mn, United States
Some issues I've noticed are the varying definitions people have of BPI and BPM. Depending on what level your're working with in an organization, it could mean even cultural changes. Some execs have an idea of what they want with regard to BPI or BPM they just call it something else. I met with one who told me that he wanted a quality organization. Improve business processes to attain world class status. So, bottom line...getting to case studies may be difficult since businesses may categorize differently. In this case, BPI (globally) had to be broken down into pieces and parts, prioritized and executed/measured. The initiative was called "Quality Excellence" even tho BPI was the discipline/metho. Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
I find the same problems when discussing BPI and even strategy with many execs. They operate in the realm of the vague and undefined and then wonder why the results aren't dramatic. I spend much of my time on BPI initiatives working with execs to quantify their thinking and to create operationally actionable goals that can then be driven down into the organizatiion via BPI projects. Saving Changes...
Quanah BonrudDirector Delivery Excellence| Bonrud Management LLCHopkins, Mn, United States
I'd like to hear your thoughts on
1. keeping the executives "entertained" and funding the efforts, when the efforts move to operational...possibly small steps and slower payback and
2. keeping the execs in evangelism mode during the efforts.
You may guess from these questions that I have some case studies...or should I say...war stories. Thanks! Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
In my experience keeping execs engaged is a function of the business case to be made for the initiative and how persuasive and compelling the outcome. Clearly the more painful and unacceptable the current situation the more engaged and focus the support will be for change.
I find creating a case for Sooner not Later and focusing on HUGE payback improvements usually does the trick.. Of course the real trick is to get them to want it, feel they need it and feel they need it now.
In the final analysis I find most initiatives are driven from emotion not hard cold logic.
Execs want harmony and if they see the rank and file rallying behind the initiative they will tend to support it and see it through.
Its incombent upon the facilitator of the initiative to keep the energy and evangelical fires burning.
Would love for you to post some of your experiences (case studies) and the lessons learned.
Saving Changes...
BPI and BPM are the buzz words everywhere and majority of the companies taking up the initiative are not aware of the "WHY" and "WHEN", basically doing it for the wrong reasons. In my case I would add here that often the organization is in the state for BPM and not BPI when they start taking interest and intiating activities thus getting cought up in an endless circle of trying to improve a process which is not even properly managed in the first place. I am not implying that both BPI and BPM cannot be taken up simultaneouosly but that the process has to be reasonabally managed/used/mature before you can start analysing it for improvement.
For Example: One of the divisions in my company have a data processing center which is fairly new (8 months of functioning) and does not have well defined (not documented and not followed consistantly) processes. Reason being the unpredicted nature of business model. A lot of things here are fluid due to high dependency of the project on the client who keeps changing his mind and faces. Multiple types of clients (small companies, corporate, Joint Ventures, strategic partners, potiential clients, etc) make the project even more unpredictable. Here an attempt to improve the process would not be a wise options as the process is not been used enough and the business model is not well defined to know its shortfalls or benefits. Without having some experience of trying the process one cannot decide to improve/drop it.
This could often lead to situation where all BPI activities do not lead to dramatic/considerable effects on the efficiency, consistancy, predictability, visibility. In my opinon before you should even try to manage the process look into the business situation and seek the answer to the following question: Is your organization ready/in need of managed processes at this point in time?
Your business might not be mature enough to bear the load of a manged process!
Let me know if I made any sense here. Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Haroon
BPI is the process of identifying GAPS in current business operations between how things are done today and how they could be done in order to better align with the organization's objectives and to adding more value to stakeholders.
BPM is the process of managing a given operations regardless of its state and is mostly software driven and then mostly via bolt on solutions not integral change.
That being said, BPI is always appropriate sense it takes the organization in its current state and then help redefine how it delivers value based on its overall strategies and objectives. Now if an organization can't clearly define those objectives there is no way to insure the changes made will provide any true long lasting benefits.
I would agree with you here. I am also of the opinion that if an organization does not have a clear strategy, objective or in other words still fluid in their business goals it is not wise to invest time and resource into BPI. They could invest into BPM (minimally) as there is no gaurentee that the effort would yield results that would long lasting.
I have another question though!
From where I come, there are undefined/overlapping responsibility areas, vague JARDs and none or inefficient performance evaluation system which leads to condusive environement for existing without having a professional attitude towards the job. In such a situation would it be wise to invest into BPM or should the performance evaluation system be addressed first. I belive that no process can survive/properly managed unless you have convinced the employees or created an environment for them to follow the process which cannot be done unless they have trust in the system that they would be evaluated/penalized for what they do and what they are responsible for (Is this part of BPI?) Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Step one, quantify the outcomes that each process is to produce and get input from the rank and file on how to make that happen. This will allow them to own the process and contribute to improving it. Build the performance evaluation criteria around those elements that sustain the process at the levels desired. After that is in place then you can think about BPM if it is at all needed. Saving Changes...
Bipin Lekshmanan PMPProject Manager| Wipro TechnologiesEdison, Nj, United States
I have seen external consultants called upon to devise a new business process remodelling strategy in some of the organizations. Mostly, they have structured their delivery channels in IT by enacting appropriate toll gates, methodologies in place to be followed by the organization...etc. The objective is to measure where they are and then how to reach a better place in the future. But, I would agree that most decisions are surrounding what the competitors are doing and emotional reactions rather than devised from pure organizational strategy.
In the end, the organization becomes more quantitative in tracking projects and measuring results. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
I've also found that there is a serious lack of understanding of BPI and BPM at all levels across some organisations. In my last role I found that often even basic processes were not documented in any way, and remodelling of process was done as a "knee jerk" reaction to competitive changes in the market.
Part of the problem with business process is that you need to get buy in from the users - no buy in and process remodelling will fail every time. A clear understanding of what the organisation wants to achieve means that you can create clear communications to the users to achieve buy in. Buy in = success.
I think there are two key failures that BPI projects are most at risk of. First is where the process does not provide change on completion of the project and can show no recommendations for improvement. This usually shows a lack of understanding of the day-to-day business and little to no buy in from the users. Second, and possibly worse, is where there is a lack of focus on the organisational change that is key to successfully enabling the new and improved process to be rolled out across a company. Saving Changes...
