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Category Archive for 'Process Improvement'

A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PROCESSES

Posted in Change Management, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Feb 1st, 2012

Why we need processes In any organization we need processes for four main reasons: 1. Increase efficiency; 2. Control quality 3. Ensure the organization is meeting Governance or Compliance requirements 4. Help manage change In early stages of process technology and method development, each reason for using process technology was different. If you have been [...]

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How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 3)

Posted in Change Management, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Project Management on Dec 15th, 2011

Benefits of reflective listening: Lets the other reaslize he or she is heard, understood and supported and thereby helps the other stay in touch with others on the project. Gives the other feedback on what he or she said and how it came off. Lets the listener check the accuracy in hearing what the other [...]

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TaskMap Update: version 4.0.5

Posted in Law Processes, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management, Uncategorized on Dec 7th, 2011

  Harvard Computing Group is pleased to announce the general availability of TaskMap 4.0.5, a minor update to the very successful release of TaskMap 4. We recommend that all current TaskMap 4 users update their copies of TaskMap to take advantage of this interim release. TaskMap 4.0.5 includes a number of fixes that will improve [...]

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BPM Blog–The need to refine

Posted in Process Improvement, Project Management on Nov 22nd, 2011

This blog is now in video/audio format for your listening pleasure. The need to refine narrated by Michael Cunningham   Download in podcast mpg3 format The need to refine

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Projects and processes

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Nov 15th, 2011

It’s been a while since we wrote about the issue of processes and projects. These often get muddled up, mainly because we tend to look at the disciplines as being very different. For example would a business analyst call themselves a project manager, or vice versa? The answer of course depends on the person. Vendors, [...]

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Customizing fields in TaskMap 4 Professional

Posted in Process Improvement, Project Management on Nov 8th, 2011

Many new customers are making extensive use of the customizing fields in TaskMap 4 Professional. In addition to creating these new fields, there are now options to set field types, lists and even create your own custom graphics to represent those fields. Typical applications include: Project management start and end times Work break down structures [...]

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The need to refine

Posted in Change Management, Legal processes, Process Analysis, Process Improvement, Project Management on Nov 5th, 2011

Yesterday I had a long lunch with a great friend of mine from Sweden. Over the years we have set up new companies together, skied the slopes of New England, seen our families grow together. We have also been through some ups and downs, but have always stayed in touch. We have one of those [...]

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Happy Anniversary BPM Blog: A good first milestone

Posted in Change Management, Compliance, Legal processes, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Nov 3rd, 2011

My mother used to chide me “Michael, self praise is no praise at all!”. When I congratulated myself on achieving something as a child; or if the truth be known, also as a adult. Well at the risk of invoking her comments from heaven, I will congratulate the team and myself on our first full [...]

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BPM BLOG SITE MAP

Posted in Change Management, Compliance, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Sep 27th, 2011

We have just added a great new resource to the BPM Blog, with over 250 topics and posts out there we thought it would be helpful for you to find topics of interest and not just use the search engine. Here is the link http://taskmap.com/wordpress/bpm-blog-sitemap/  The BPM Blog site Map will help you find topical [...]

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Rigor and our business processes

Posted in Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Sep 26th, 2011

Recently I had an encounter with the word rigor and though the subject was not about processes and process improvement it seemed like a good time to revisit the use of rigor in our processes. The definition I like best for rigor is as follows: The quality of being extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate. We [...]

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Process Mapping in the Legal Profession: Part 1

Posted in Law Processes, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Sep 13th, 2011

In recent months, we have seen a dramatic increase in interest from Law firms and practitioner in the use of Process Mapping and Process Improvement tools and systems. Having spent some time talking to these firms over this period it would seem somewhat of a trend is emerging. Background Many law firms are not new [...]

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The lifecycle of a process map

Posted in Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping on Jul 7th, 2011

Process maps have a lifecycle of their own, but is often not recognized by those authoring, reviewing or receiving them. Here is the cycle as we see it. For each step of the Lifecycle you may want to increase or reduce to the amount of information available to the audience involved. For example: Discovery of [...]

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Blueprint for building a Task Library: Part One – Getting Management support

Posted in Change Management, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on May 17th, 2011

So you have decided to build a task library for your process and project work. Ten good reasons Let’s start with the reasons for doing this in the first place, as this may not be an insignificant endeavor, requiring a lot of thought and resources. Ten good reasons which can justify creating a task library [...]

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BPM Blog Weekly Summary 29 April 2011

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 29th, 2011

This weeks summary of posts for your enjoyment.   There is no smoke without fire. Is that true in Project Management? Posted in Change Management, Project Management on Apr 28th, 2011 As I write this blog entry, it’s the early hours of the morning in New England, USA. Awakened by the CO2 detector at our [...]

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BPM Blog Weekly summary-April 15, 2011

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Apr 15th, 2011

BPM made simpler Licensing alternatives for TaskMap Process Mapping software Posted in Process Mapping on Apr 14th, 2011 If you are considering TaskMap for your organization for process mapping applications you will have to consider licensing options to make the most effective use of the software for your organization. There are three considerations that will [...]

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What to do when a meeting gets out of control: Part II

Posted in Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 12th, 2011

When a meeting starts up and begins to go south, project managers react in a number of ways. The negative reactions include: Chastising and demeaning participants Getting frustrated and losing your cool Blaming everyone else for your bad planning Letting the meeting run on and getting hijacked by others While experience tells us when a [...]

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What to do when a meeting gets out of control: Part I

Posted in Change Management, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 11th, 2011

Meetings sometimes take on a life of their own. Sometimes that’s a good thing. When new ideas are explored, breakthroughs occur, the status quo is challenged and new processes and products are born. However, often there are just problems keeping a meeting under control. There are two parts to this issue. Before and during the [...]

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BPM Blog Summary 8th April 2011

Posted in Change Management, Process Analysis, Process Discovery, Process Improvement, Process Mapping, Project Management on Apr 8th, 2011

  Staying flexible in your BPM project Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 7th, 2011 It’s important to keep a flexible position when managing any project, but particularly a BPM one. Why, because things change. Just when you thought everything was going perfectly your project sponsor has left the company for [...]

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Staying flexible in your BPM project

Posted in Change Management, Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 7th, 2011

It’s important to keep a flexible position when managing any project, but particularly a BPM one. Why, because things change. Just when you thought everything was going perfectly your project sponsor has left the company for another opportunity; the budget has been cut; a new division has been acquired or formed; you get the idea. [...]

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How to deal with different cultural environments

Posted in Process Improvement, Project Management on Apr 5th, 2011

Many BPM projects are international in nature. Working overseas as a part of an international team can be one of the most enjoyable, yet challenging environments. Over the past 12 years, much of my travel has taken me to the Middle East, an area with much change going on right now. Projects in Jordan, Egypt, [...]

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  • Recent Posts

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    • A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PROCESSES
    • Process Dashboards: Identifying and flagging risk levels
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    • THE CASE FOR PROCESS DASHBOARDS
    • Is 2012 the year that version control finally takes hold?
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 8)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 7)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 6)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 5)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 4)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 3)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening skills overview (Part 2)
    • How to listen carefully to your team–Reflective listening (Part 1)
    • TaskMap Update: version 4.0.5
    • BPM BLOG Summary for week ending 2 December 2011
    • The Tutorials are coming … the tutorials are coming
    • The psychology of spending and how it can help BPM ;-)
    • Happy Thanksgiving
    • BPM Blog–The need to refine
    • Processes as instruction tools
    • BPM Blog Weekly summary 11.18.2011 with video blog
    • Project and Processes (responses to the questions)
    • Projects and processes
    • Thinking things through
    • Happy 11.11.11 and BPM Blog summary
    • TaskMap Automated tutorial: TaskMap Capture for Excel
    • Customizing fields in TaskMap 4 Professional
    • Prioritization in your life
    • The need to refine
    • Happy Anniversary BPM Blog: A good first milestone
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    • BPM Blog summary for week ending 28 October 2011
    • Customized process mapping
    • Agile methodology: The case for a blended Agile
    • Additional displays: Are they worth the money?
    • BPM Blog summary week ending 21 October 2011
    • Thoughts matter: How thoughts affect our actions in everyday life
    • BPM Summary of automated tutorials on the TaskMap menu
    • Automated tutorial—Save as process folder
    • Automated tutorial—Task Links and how to use them
    • Automated tutorial for Task Details
    • TaskMap Tutorial—Save as PowerPoint
    • Check my TaskMap
    • BPM Blog summary week ending 7 October 2011
    • Renumbering Tasks in TaskMap
    • Customizing roles names in TaskMap
    • Adding tasks to a Page–add task to page Dialog
    • How to add tasks to pages using the auto connect feature in TaskMap
    • BPM Blog Summary Week ending 30 September 2011
    • Towards Perfection
    • BPM in the Legal Profession
    • BPM BLOG SITE MAP
    • Rigor and our business processes
    • BPM Summary Week ending 23 September 2011. The Case for a Blended Agile
    • The Case for a Blended Agile: Part 4-Agile Stepping Stones Approach
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