BPM made simpler
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 31st, 2011
I hate to use the words post mortem in the context of Project Management … it obviously assumes the patient died! Not a good outcome. Obviously, that’s not the case, but the procedure still has some value. As busy professionals we have a lot going on, and the most successful project managers often just move [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 25th, 2011
Automated help with Quality Assurance Posted in Process Analysis on Mar 23rd, 2011 Many BPM projects need assistance with quality assurance. Often this occurs when we are analyzing maps for opportunities to enforce quality standards and ensure they are being supported. In addition to these more sophisticated requirements, there is also the need to keep [...]
Posted in Process Analysis on Mar 23rd, 2011
Many BPM projects need assistance with quality assurance. Often this occurs when we are analyzing maps for opportunities to enforce quality standards and ensure they are being supported. In addition to these more sophisticated requirements, there is also the need to keep the basics of a process in order. As most processes typically span several [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Mar 22nd, 2011
If have have elements of perfectionism in your personality that finds you doing the following: Completing others work who haven’t quite gotten it right Getting very frustrated about keeping others on track Wanting every meeting to run perfectly like clockwork Having little or no tolerance for something that doesn’t meet your standards Then perhaps you [...]
Posted in Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Mar 21st, 2011
Sometimes we just don’t have the time to put the effort into going to formal educational courses to get the data we need. As Meryl Streep once quipped in the movie Postcards from the Edge “I used to be into instant gratification, but now I don’t have the patience for it.” In BPM that’s a [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Mar 10th, 2011
What an overused word transparency is today. In recent years it’s banded about like some great revelation to management and self help gurus alike. What monumental balderdash! Suddenly we awake one morning and decide that we will be honest, open, clear with everyone we deal with on a project. We won’t hide that key piece [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Feb 23rd, 2011
In setting up the first meeting it is vital to establish and affirm quality and delivery guidelines; milestones; timelines for tasks within the project and assign roles to each involved. The kick-off meeting should have the ingredients of our meeting planning skills discussion earlier in the book. It should also address all of the following [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Feb 10th, 2011
Critical Thinking is relates to BPM in several steps of the process. These include: Critical Thinking factor and activity Where it fits in a BPM process More accurate and complete information Process Discovery and Documentation Freedom from coercion and distorting self-deception Brainstorming, Goal and Objective setting Openness to alternatives points of view: empathy and concern [...]
Posted in Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Jan 11th, 2011
The before view Sometimes it’s hard to see the before and after changes in a process. Particularly, when you are looking for key points in automation. The following example shows the before “picture” of International bank transfer process. In this case from a local US bank in Massachusetts. It is pretty obvious from looking at [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Jan 5th, 2011
When an existing "as is" process needs analyzing or an existing managed process requires analysis it enters the "Analyze Processes" process. The Project Manager is responsible for conducting a validation review of the process maps. During this review the Project Manager ensures that the maps are complete, confirms that the data is accurate, gains a [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Dec 19th, 2010
The third analysis pass through a process is for Quality. Quality has a lot of dimensions. The checklist on this task shows a number of strategies that can be used to examine opportunities for improvements in quality. These include: Identification of Tasks & Processes without adequate Quality levels or QA function; Ensure that standards being [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Dec 18th, 2010
Process Analysis-How to identify areas to improve efficiency A important area to review any process is for efficiency. While it’s obvious why we would want to create improvements in efficiency, how to get there is less so. By taking a separate look at each aspect of our process for understanding, efficiency and quality [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Mapping on Dec 17th, 2010
Chances are, unless you have been living in the past, that your process maps have been created with an electronic drawing tool. That being the case, you may want to take advantage of features that will help you check quality more easily. Mistakes are introduced in process maps for a variety of reasons, however here [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Dec 16th, 2010
The checklist below shows some very good places to start when looking for efficiency candidates in existing process maps. This checklist should include a review that searches for: Complex Processes Redundant Tasks Delays in Task or Process timing Wait time between Tasks Tasks Duration Task Frequency Poorly allocated resources To explain these points in more [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Dec 15th, 2010
A important area to review any process is for efficiency. While it’s obvious why we would want to create improvements in efficiency, how to get there is less so. By taking a separate look at each aspect of our process for understanding, efficiency and quality we are less likely to overlook important elements. The check [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Improvement on Dec 14th, 2010
The first, and often most missed review of a process map is for readability. All the analysis in the world may not help a process if the readers can’t understand it. The map in the picture below is used as an example of what happened when process maps are poorly conceived. This one has many [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis on Dec 13th, 2010
For many organizations their goals and objectives are fulfilled once they complete the review process and the Process Capture project stops at that point. For others it is important to move beyond the basic process documents and analyze the data collected and documents. In working with many organizations over 20 years, a good strategy with [...]
Posted in Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Mapping on Dec 3rd, 2010
Once we start creating process maps, we will be using symbols. Now because there are many, many to choose from, problems start to occur. The first one is using too many symbols for your audience. This is distracting, unhelpful and makes it harder to read and understand the content of your process map. Two basic [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Nov 16th, 2010
With a team in place, the first task of the Discover phase is to set the objectives for the project. Each objective will be tied to specific initiatives agreed upon by the project team and typically will fall into one of four categories: Governance Quality improvement Efficiency improvement Change Once the objectives have been identified [...]
Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Mapping on Nov 15th, 2010
The first phase is Discovery and the first task is to select a project team. We strongly recommend a project team with the following composition: Process participants and line manager(s): Included for obvious reasons – they’re the ones who are part of the process every day. IT representatives: Essential because in today’s organizations nearly every [...]
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