GETTING STARTED WITH BUSINESS PROCESS...
Transcript of GETTING STARTED WITH BUSINESS PROCESS...
GETTING STARTED WITHBUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
WHITE PAPER BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
6 WAYS TO PROCESS IMPROVEMENT SUCCESSSo you’ve been given the go-ahead on your shiny
new business process improvement initiative. The
champagne corks have been popped, you’ve given
yourself a big pat on the back then suddenly the eyes of
the business are on you – asking how you are going to
make it a success.
Here are six ways to improve your chances of Process
Improvement Success:
1. Get The Project Team RightGetting the interpersonal dynamics and skills of the
project team right is absolutely critical.
y Hire doers, not delegators.
y Hire people who have the same attitude to work.
Don’t hire bureaucrats or people who think having
meetings equates to getting things done.
y Hire people who are passionate.
y Hire great communicators.
y Hire people who are sociable.
y Hire great writers (who are great thinkers).
y Hire people with flexible attitudes.
y Hire people who are down to earth.
y Hire experts.
2. Pick The Right TechnologyJust because it’s in the Gartner Magic Quadrant doesn’t
mean it’s the right solution to your business problem.
It’s also likely to also be the most costly solution to your
business problem. There is an almost overwhelming range
of software on the market to suit every business need so
selecting a vendor should be more about fit with needs
rather than who is winning the most deals and who is less
risky.
Big software companies often have the same painful process
issues you are trying to fix, so why should you try to fix your
problems with the same kind of thinking that created them?
3. Start with The CustomerToo many organisations have a myopic view which focuses
firstly on internal processes prior to looking at the customer.
Focusing on what the customer needs and looking at end-to-
end process from a customer experience perspective stops
wasted time and effort improving processes and tasks which
shouldn’t actually exist in the first place.
Start with the customer, define what they need and align
your organisational processes to that need and you can’t go
far wrong.
4. Implement Change Management (Properly!)Change Management.
That’s that warm and fuzzy feel-good stuff, puffed up with
words like “engagement” and “actualisation”, right? Wrong.
It’s time everyone started to take Change Management
more seriously – studies have shown that projects are six
times more likely to succeed if they have good change
management.
Get a change manager on board and on-board early.
A good change manager is worth their weight in gold – it’s
a specialised skill that requires experience, expertise and a
structured approach.
5. Bring The Business into the Project (Fully!)Part-time business commitment is the first sure-fire sign of a
delivery disconnect.
If the business are unwilling to commit at least one full-time
resource to a process improvement project then stop the
bus and let everyone off.
Not only is the business’s expertise essential to progressing
the project, but a lack of commitment on a project that is
designed to improve the business itself shows that they
either do not adequately understand or appreciate the
benefits that the initiative will bring or have no faith in your
ability to deliver!
Either way, business commitment is another critical step on
the path to success.
6. Prove The ConceptStart small. Never go “big bang”.
Prove the concept.
It’s far too risky in this day and age to start with a huge
transformational implementation of software if you have
never implemented the software before. Start with a small
project that can prove the benefits of your business case and
ramp it up from there.
It will also help you to confirm that you have the right project
team skills and that your cost estimates are correct before
you sign a big cheque that may have you throwing yourself
on your own sword come the end of financial year.
There are many other ways to improve the success of a
process improvement initiative but getting these six right at
the start will take you a long way towards the goal of a happy
business, and most importantly, happy customers.
More than searching for a vendor that offers x, y, or z it is
important to look for a solution that can solve your business
problems. In many cases, an organization will task an
employee for identifying and cataloguing multiple vendors
without understanding the overall need or push for this type
of solution.
OVERCOMING THE TOP CHALLENGESTaking on the task of implementing any new
business solution is often daunting and time
consuming. Even the best laid plans are going to
come with potential roadblocks, so facing them head
on and steering clear of the most common ones
means you will have a far greater chance of success.
Process improvement solutions have the potential
to help a company cut costs and improve processes,
but poorly planned and implemented rollouts can
result in financial and productivity losses, and a
project failure.
According to a recent industry survey, the
following are the top obstacles encountered by
firms while implementing new technology, be it
Business Process Management, Enterprise Content
Management or Process Automation. In this paper,
we cover these primary challenges and identify the
ways an organization can avoid or overcome them
to successfully achieve process improvement that
lasts.
CHALLENGE #1
Underestimated process and organizational issuesIn general, the initial engagement between vendor and client
should follow a clearly defined process, which is a best-practice
for success in the adoption and use of technology. The first step
within an organization should be a discovery process to explore
the organization’s flows and processes and provide suggestions
for process improvement and efficiency maximization.
The Solution: This first step is not complete until both the vendor
and the client are clear on the architecture of their business
processes. If your provider does not offer this assessment, it
may be a red flag, and time to find a new solution.
“As an IT Director, I like things that just work and leave me alone. I don’t have to fight it, and I get good support from my vendor, every time.”
Chris Devous
IT Director, The Antigua Group
CHALLENGE #2
Lack of training and supportIf you don’t know how to use the solution, or if it’s hard
to use, then chances are that your implementation will
fail. Time and time again, expensive software purchases
go under-utilized because of lack of training and support
material. There may be elements to the software that you
are not be taking full advantage of, or features that are not
being utilized correctly due to improper training.
When working with any new technology, especially an out
of the box solution that doesn’t come with training or an
implementation team, chances are there are features that
your staff either doesn’t know exist or doesn’t know how to
use.
Without an in-house expert, how can your organization be
sure they are taking full advantage of the technology?
The Solution: To safeguard against this problem, choose a
vendor that offers continued services, support, education
and product enrichment to ensure that the software
investment is paying off.
While an out-of-the-box approach is often appealing initially
due to the lower price, the costs quickly begin to rise as your
business realizes that in-house experts must be hired, you
are responsible for properly training the staff, and additional
personnel must be brought on to properly implement,
manage and support the system.
SharePoint is an excellent example of this exact scenario.
Unfortunately, too many organizations underestimate the
long term costs of such solutions. As Tony Byrne, founder of
CMS Watch, states on Search CIO, “you cannot overestimate
the need for SharePoint training among your own staff.”
CHALLENGE #3
Project derailed by internal politicsThe ubiquitous Achilles’ heel of every implementation
project: internal politics, which govern and decide the fate of
many software investments.
The Solution: To avoid confusion and disagreements during
the implementation phase, after discovering the needs
and flows of the organization, your provider should offer a
customized strategy and expected ROI. A well detailed and
thorough plan will avoid any surprises and reduce potential
disruptions to the process.
Proven ResultsBefore ClosetMaid found DocuPhase,
the company committed over 8,000
A/P invoices each month to microfiche.
Retrieving archived data could take a
week or more.
With an ECM system, AP professionals
now scan incoming invoices right away.
ClosetMaid saved over $100,000 in labor
costs and equipment in just their first
year using document management and
workflow solutions from DocuPhase - a
great example of a quickly and efficiently
completed project.
CHALLENGE #4
Uneven usage due to poor procedures and lack of enforcementOngoing process improvement and ensuring enterprise
adoption are among the requirements to consider an
implementation successful.
The Solution: Your system should be designed to ensure
compliance with internal and external policies, keep
change management efficient and reduce downtime during
operation optimization.
CHALLENGE #5
Underestimated the effort to distill and migrate contentWhether its scanning reams and reams of paper documents
or importing gigabytes of files, the migration of your mission-
critical documents shouldn’t be a hassle or a reason to derail
an implementation. Come to think of it, your commitment
to migrate the content was the reason you probably looked
for a solution in the first place. The implementation plan and
strategy should ensure that your company feels comfortable
with the procedure as you move forward with your solution.
The Solution: Be sure to choose a provider that can assist
and provide support to overcome this challenge.
CHALLENGE #6
Poor planningThorough planning is absolutely necessary if a program is to
succeed. Close to 70% of all process improvement projects
fail, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Chances
are it was not a hasty decision when your organization
decided to take on a process improvement project; the
planning stages should not be hasty, either. Yet, in the rush
to get the new system up and running, too many companies
do not spend enough time in the pre-planning phase.
In fact, part of the problem is that businesses are not
properly trained or equipped to effectively dissect their own
processes in the manner required for optimal success. Also,
similar to the old adage “can’t see the forest for the tress,”
businesses can get derailed by (often insignificant) details
and can struggle to stay focused on the big picture.
The Solution: When selecting the right technology for your
business, choose a vendor that will be your partner, not
just your provider. An ideal solution will provide technology
and services to ensure you get the solutions you are
seeking. Thus, make sure your provider offers a trained and
competent staff, not just an IT team, but process experts
who can assist your business in the planning stages. Another
option is to bring in a third party business consultant that is
experienced in implementations similar to your own project.
CHALLENGE #7
Lack of Goals & PrioritiesPriorities and goals need to be established before starting
any new system.
Without priorities, there could be delays and more time
taken than necessary on any given project, but with the
proper priority system in place, tasks can be completed in an
orderly fashion and big issues can be solved. This will allow
companies to get to the most important, pressing tasks first
and go from there.
Without goals, there is not way to measure success.
How will your company know if your implementation and
overall system is successful or not?
The Solution: Set objectives and priorities early. Work with
your vendor to ensure that goals are aligned with overall
business plans and that the are being met at specific points
along the way.
Don’t wait until 6 months after roll out to evaluate if goals
were met, be conscientious along the way and evaluate early
and often. Don’t be so invested that you cannot be flexible
and adaptable, as this is the best way to ensure long term
success.
Proven ResultsAntigua Shirts manufactures on-demand
custom sports shirts. Orders arrive in
many formats—via third-party websites,
paper order forms, and retail stores.
There was an average turnaround of 3
days to fulfill orders.
Antigua Shirts used DocuPhase ECM
solutions to transform a three day
order process into a 24-hour automated
workflow. After a two week software
implementation, the savings in labor
dropped straight to the bottom line.
This project, once DocuPhase was
involved, had years-old problems solved
DocuPhase delivers process automation, document
management, and capture tools designed to help your
enterprise stay organized and meet evolving technology
and business needs.
When you use our integrated platform to manage all of
your core business functions, you work more effectively,
automate service delivery, and provide top-tier customer
experiences.
We solve your most challenging problems, including
access to information, burdensome approval processes,
high transaction volumes, and complex compliance issues.
www.DocuPhase.com