On a lighter note...
In a meeting today, someone shared some business advice. They said there were 4 steps to success - I will share them.
1) Do lots of Stuff
2) Stop doing the Stuff that doesn't work
3) Do more of the Stuff that does work
4) Do more Stuff
My Thoughts...
We all laughed at this, but...
Let's apply this to your business processes.
When I look to improve a business process, I go through these 5 steps.
1) Document the existing process
2) Confirm that it is documented properly [do a walk through]
3) Measure the current process
4) Make improvements to that process
5) Measure the results - repeat
During this analysis, you will identify the Stuff that you are doing.
To improve that process you will stop doing the Stuff that doesn't work. You will eliminate non-value added tasks and you could outright eliminate some activities.
To improve that process you will do more of the Stuff that does work like automating some activities and redesigning some activities.
All resulting in decreased costs and improve productivity.
You could build a sustainable competitive advantage by increasing productivity and finding ways to deliver new value to your customers...
Your Thoughts...
Is your company still doing Stuff that doesn't work?
Process Management - Keeping it Real!
Great point. Too many companies feel "as long as we're in motion, we're making progress". The reality is that doing "stuff" is really nothing more than churn if that "stuff" is without direction. Any effort to improve a process or even analyze a process must have a benchmark and be measurable, otherwise, it's just "stuff".
I agree Kristopher, many times companies jump in without really thinking about automating, they may not put as much thought into improving output at the outset. We don't need more stuff if the stuff we are getting doesn't make our lives better!
Items 3, 4 and 5 collectively point to another really important issue: do you have a clear answer to the question, "what is the RIGHT STUFF to measure?"
It's immensely important to ensure that the right people are in the room to answer that question, and it's even more important to actually get everyone to agree on the answer that's assumed to be "correct." Otherwise, your perceived path to "better" will be skewed by a misperception in defining the current-state view of the world you're trying to fix. You'll be working toward's someone's preferred direction, but not necessarily the best direction to meet your objectives.
Until the right stakeholders reach agreement, (including addressing any turf-battle-based areas of discord,) the measurements you agree to make -- and the steps you take to resolve those measures -- in a direction that matches your strategic direction, you'll be automating something, but not necessarily the "right" thing.
Be careful to ask the right questions, of the right stakeholders, and then get agreement that the chosen solution actually gets you closer to the goal you've collectively defined.
Successful business-process redesign starts (or eventually, ends) with meaningful communication.