Bonitasoft has put out a good whitepaper for getting started with BPM. In it they talk about 10 best practices. They do point out that the goal of managing your business processes is to optimize efficiency and improve profitability.
I have addressed many of these in the past, but some of these are worth revisiting. I will reorder them to fit my experiences.
Measure
Implementing a business process management solution implies that you have a process that needs improvement. It could be taking too long or it could be too disruptive or… No matter the reason, there is a problem with the process that you are looking to solve.
In an earlier blog, I mentioned that you should work with your existing process. When working to improve a process, you need to have a starting point. Metrics are an easy way to measure and track improvements.
Some number of years ago, HP had a company wide mandate to improve their processes by a factor of 10. They achieved success by implementing this 5 step process.
1) Map your existing process.
2) Follow your map for your existing process to be sure that you have mapped it correctly. Odds are against you getting it right the first time.
3) Measure how long this process takes as you have it mapped.
4) Make some simple improvements like removing non-value add activities.
5) Measure again to see if you have actually improved the process.
I see process improvement activities as an ongoing event. As you move new people into and out of a process, it may be beneficial to change the process to fit the new personnel. Make the necessary changes to optimize efficiency and improve profitability.
Follow
