Business Process Improvement

Today, more than ever before, using technology to improve your business processes is paramount to business success. Luckily, there is a simple approach that can help you determine how to go about planning your improvements - and accomplishing this as efficiently as possible.

So, how do you go about improving your business processes -- particularly in tough economic times? We suggest that you begin with a thorough look at each of your processes, and the people and technology that are involved with each one of them. We refer to this process as a "Technology Roadmap." A Technology Roadmap is actually just that - a very detailed document that maps out exactly where you are today from a technology perspective (your "As Is" state), where you desire to be technologically (your "To Be" state), and the resulting gap that exists between these two states.

Once you have your Technology Roadmap clearly defined, you can then assess the best way to prioritize the resulting tasks or projects that will bridge that identified gap. You will examine your budget and your human resources, and then develop a project plan to prioritize the projects based upon those two constraints. Once you've done this, you will be well on your way to improving your business processes. And, you'll be able to do it in a timeframe that fits with your existing resources or determine what resources that you may need to bring in to help you accomplish your business goals.

A word on resources . . . sometimes in order to improve your business, an outside perspective is necessary. This is true no matter what business you are in. Because we love what we do for a living, we can sometimes become too inwardly focused when examining our own businesses. Despite our best intentions, we tend to want to do things the same way because we are inherently averse to change. It's simply human nature. As you are considering your business and improving your business processes, take a hard look at your internal capabilities to thoroughly examine the processes and poke holes in them to cause change.

Once you've done some soul searching you may well determine that you can effectively build your Technology Roadmap internally. However, if you get the feeling that having an outside consultant to manage the process, by all means do it. Simply select a consultant who you trust (and be sure to check references) and who has a specific background in business process improvement.

When looking externally, an additional factor to consider is the consultant's ability to pay attention to the details. We've found that many consulting firms take a purely strategic approach - providing a high-level overview of how to positively impact your business processes. While this isn't bad, we've found that in order to positively change your business processes for the better, attention to detail is paramount to your project's success. Accordingly, select a consulting firm that can help you with strategy but also work through the details and tasks to get each project done on-time and on budget.

Fundamental Rethinking And Radical Redesign Of Business Process Through Process Modeling Software

Every business requires starting anywhere, and one of the things we require to do when modeling processes is to determine how your business processes get kicked off. To create a model, you need to start by defining what the process is aiming to achieve, and how it fits with other processes. The modeling software / tools are the best to recognize and handling for business models. The key concepts for modeling software are as follows:

• Recognizing process beginning points • Recognizing touch points with other systems - for example, how BPM and SOA interact • Simulating a new business process • Follow the industry Business Process modeling notation and standards • Identifying changing job roles • generating a structured model for execution • Recognizing where ROI will be generated and how to track it

Modeling tools in short process drastically improves the business productivity for process modeling and analysis. These tools are designed for BPR and IT experts of industrial and service enterprises who require decreasing the time and risk it takes to service customers, fulfill demand, and develop new products. mapping is another advanced features of modeling software allows enterprises to visually map their current businesses, allowing them a comprehensive overview of what actually happens. This allows users to look at design from an objective point of view and enables them to identify areas of concern and possible methods of improvement.

Modeler builds it simple for business and operations managers to map and document their business processes easily. With the Process Modeler, creating high-value models that are used in tactical and calculated decision-making is now within the reach of any company. Solution-specific forms, pattern and reports assist the capture and maintenance of process knowledge in a way that lets business users, regardless of technology aptitude, produce information-rich models with the same or less efforts used to generate static flowcharts and narratives.

Reasons Why Business Process Mapping and Optimization Is Crucial

Business process mapping and optimization is a set of activities that looks into essential aspects of a business, including objectives and the people and steps required to achieve them. One defining characteristic of this strategy is its reliance on visual representations. As human beings are 60% dependent on visual stimulus, BPMO is deemed crucial to the effective management of large companies through the following:

1. Identification of Problem Areas

Large businesses are made up of many different departments, which perform both independent and interdependent functions. Hence, it may be expected that each of these departments give rise to varying problem areas that may be difficult to identify without the use of effective tools. With flow charts, graphs and other visual depictions that are part of business process mapping and optimization, these areas can be easily spotted and understood.

2. Timely Risk and Damage Control

Apart from identifying problems within a company, sound business strategy mapping also enables decision-makers to affect appropriate remedies through business process reengineering so as to control risks and damages to the concerned departments or to the business as a whole. In simple terms, this means problems are resolved more quickly, and the company is able to restore normal functions and continue to maintain company standards in half the time.

3. Strengthening of Existing Best Practices

Business process optimization can also be used to pinpoint areas where the company has been

exhibiting good performance so they can be further improved or enhanced. This means, not only does the strategy help managers correct problem areas, but it also lets them detect existing best practices. As a result, the company's strengths can be magnified, customer satisfaction can be maintained, and performance can only get better and better in the long term.

4. Training of Human Resources

Business process optimization can also be used to make employees more effective in what they do. This benefit of BPMO is especially useful during the process of training newly hired personnel who have a lot to learn about their new job or the company itself. Instead of relying on thick handbooks or lengthy training guides or manuals, a company can make use of visual depictions to make employees learn faster and more effectively.

5. Increase Predictability

The inability to accurately predict results of actions within a company can give rise to unmet objectives and ultimately, the downfall of the organization. With business process mapping and optimization, predictability is increased as managers clearly see what is happening within the business, detect patterns and, thus, gain full control in allowing or not allowing certain patterns to be repeated, depending on what is deemed good for the company.

Briefly, business process optimization allows a company to take a snapshot of its current performance to see how it can be improved and what lies ahead when certain actions are taken or not taken. Because the strategy mainly makes use of graphical representations, the entire process becomes easier, tasks are completed faster and productivity is increased significantly.