Efficient Business Processes: Key to Effective Execution
Having the right strategy is critical to business success. But strategy without effective execution amounts to little more than making a wish in the right direction. And nothing is more critical to sound execution than effective, efficient business processes.
Weak business processes waste time and money, and almost always have a negative impact on product or service quality. They can also demoralize even the hardest-working individuals when their efforts are overwhelmed by a larger “system” over which they have little individual control.
This is where our business process improvement consulting capability and experience can help.
Business Process Improvement: Getting “the Whole System” in the Room
Business processes, by definition, cut across organizational and functional boundaries. Consequently, effective business process analysis and improvement is best accomplished through the involvement of cross-functional teams of individuals who actually work in the system and know it first-hand.
Gagnon Associates consultants have years of experience in chartering and working with business process improvement teams and can provide the kind of project design support, facilitation, process-analysis tools, practices and training that will ensure the success of your company’s business process improvement and re-engineering program.
Key Steps in Effective Business Process Improvement & Re-engineering
Generally speaking, a solid business process improvement program should proceed as follows:
- Identify what’s important to the customer and the business
- Identify associated critical business processes
- Prioritize key processes
- Involve those who work in the system to:
- distinguish clearly between how you think a given process works (that is, how it was originally designed or is formally documented) and how it actually works in “real world” operations – this constitutes the “as is” process
- analyze the process for waste, inefficiencies, wait times, etc.
- redesign and re-engineer the process to what you would like it to be – this constitutes the “to be” process
- distinguish clearly between how you think a given process works (that is, how it was originally designed or is formally documented) and how it actually works in “real world” operations – this constitutes the “as is” process
- Implement process improvements identified
- Monitor re-designed process performance to ensure success
Whether your company undertakes a complete or partial review of its key business processes, our years of experience in designing and facilitating business process improvement programs can help you accelerate your effort so you can get results quicker.
Business Process Improvement Training
We can also help you build into your own organization the skills required to maintain business process effectiveness over the long term. Our approach to Business Process Improvement Training can be tailored to your needs by incorporating modules such as the following:
- Basic Process Improvement Concepts
- Common Types of Process Maps
- Facilitating a Process Mapping Workshop
- Analyzing a Process Map
- Identifying Process Improvement Opportunities
- Implementing Process Changes
- Monitoring Process Improvement Effectiveness
“Since this was a process that directly involved employees in helping us find better ways to do the work they are closest to every day, Gagnon Associates worked with and through cross-functional, problem-solving teams of LCU people. As a result, this process broke down silos within the company, and improved teamwork and collaboration across the credit union. Just as importantly, perhaps, it has brought understanding among our people of how changes they make can impact other areas of the credit union and, based on this, how important it is to share information/policy/process changes across functions. In short, it has made us a more aware and better-functioning team as an organization.” ... Read the full Testimonial »
Case Study: Business Process Improvement
THE COMPANY: A formerly high-flying, enviably profitable surgical products division of a major health care company. Makers of state-of-the-art, reusable and disposable devices for the rapidly-growing, least-invasive surgery market.
THE PROBLEM: Declining profits due to increased costs associated with a lack of discipline and lack of customer focus in screening new ... Read the full Case Study »