Quick Hits : Business Optimization Overnight

A number of terms have been coined by the experts/gurus over the years as the latest trend to re-engineer and improve an organization's operations. Total Quality Management. Business Process Re-Engineering. Six Sigma. ISO 900x. The list goes on.

Each one of these approaches certainly did (and do) have merit, yet they can be daunting to an organization that doesn't have the time, budget, or experienced resources to take on an initiative of this magnitude. The ironly of some of these approaches is that they themselves are complex and over-engineered. Considering the time and effort associated with running a business on a day-to-day basis, many organizations are forced to default to the status-quo.

The good is news is that there are perfectly legitimate and productive ways to turn operational processes around in a short period of time (i.e, days, weeks) without the need for heavy investment. Not to mention the fact that the business world is a better place without the corny big-project monikers such as "Project Phoenix" or "Ignite".:)

One very straight-forward approach that I works remarkably well involves business process mapping workshops. Here's how it works:

• A handful of staff members associated with a specific business process (i.e., order entry, billing, acccounts receivable, customer support, etc.) are brought together in a 1 day workshop. The goal set for the workshop is simply to "improve the way we do things".


• Facilitated by a moderator, the group begins to indentify each step in the overall process. This includes identifying the people and resources, decision points, system interactions, reports, etc. The processes are captured in real time using a flowcharting tool (Visio) by the moderator similar to the one illustrated.
  
  


• Once the process is captured, the group works through each step to identify and document the issues and opportunities that impact the overall efficiency of the process. The visual nature of the maps is very helpful to particpants here as they can more easily see what is...and isn't...working.


• Based on these findings, a series of quick-hit action items are identified. Responsibility is assigned to the appropriate people in the room to take action within a given timeframe.

The approach itself is not rocket-science. The results are nonetheless impressive...

• The on-the-fly process maps provide a structured and common way for the particpants to discuss how the business is run. Particpants tend to rally around the flow maps and engage in a dialog that would not have otherwise come up during the normal course of business. One client recently told me "We've been talking about these problems for the last 20 years...and we addressed them all in one day."


• Particpants have engaged in a process that helps them understand how the business is run, where the issues may be, and where opportunities lie. The process is fun, interactive and engaging. They feel that they have made a difference in figuring out how to improve things.


• Quick hits can easily be identified and remedied while establishing buy-in on the spot.


• Many organizations have found value in the fact that the processes are simply documented. This certainly helps from a training and risk-management perspective. In one recent case, I encouraged a client to include a new employee in the workshops. By the end of the session, not only had she acquired a deep knowledge of how a specific area of the busines, but she became empowered to take responsobility for the things that weren't working in her new position.

It's clear and proven that this approach can work in almost any type of organization. That said, keep the following in mind:

• Esure that you have a very strong workshop facilitator. The success of this initiative is directly proportional to the abilities of the facilitator to quickly grasp and understand the business while managing the discussion during the workshop. Electronic flow charting skills are a must. The facilitator should be engaging and be able to keep the discussions on-track.


• Execute. Work quickly to organize quick-hit items with a plan for implementation. The plan should include an assigned responsibility, timeline and the support needed to be successful.

Clikc here to learn more about KCG's Business Process Mapping skills.