Improve your process…

You have uncovered a problem process.  It is broken for any of the reasons I posted in my last blog.  You have accurately documented the process and you have put in place some metrics that can be objectively measured.

Start with simple process improvements…

Some school of hard knocks advice:

Do not pursue perfection for a couple of reasons.  First – perfection is not a reachable goal.  Who decides what is perfect?  Your business changes often, by the time you think the process is perfect change happens.  Second – the search for perfection takes way too long.  People will lose interest quickly.

Do remove non-value added activities.  As you go through your process, you should be able to easily identify unnecessary activities.

Do automate where programming is not required.  If an activity can easily be automated, then do it.

Measure…

When you have completed your initial process improvement, follow the new process through your organization and track the results using the metrics that you have declared.  If the measurements have improved, you have been successful.

Software

This process improvement has been done without the use of software.  What happens when you add BPM software to the mix?  Oversimplified, BPM software provides control and visibility.  It ensures that your process is followed.  It provides visibility into your processes.  You can see if the process has been completed and if it hasn’t, you will know the status [whose desk it is on].

Next week – Is that all there is?

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