Designing a Process Driven Organization
by Leon Spackman, Business Process Director, PMC Solutions
A recent survey by the non-profit Business Performance Management (BPM) Forum found that 68 percent of businesses
consider the bottom line - increasing revenue and optimizing profit - to be key factors in improving their business’s
efficiency. This should come as no surprise, since improved efficiency results in cost savings and better performance.
But improving efficiency requires much more than streamlining labor-intensive jobs. Forward thinking organizations
constantly look for new ways to manage increasingly complex business processes. They make each process work smarter,
not just harder.
How do they do it? They first develop efficient processes by using process mapping software to help the organization
seamlessly organize and automate policies, personnel roles, and supporting documentation into an interactive, web-based
central database. Then the real work begins by involving all levels of the organization, from the CEO to the front line
employees, plus vendors, suppliers and customers, in re-thinking how processes interact.
Being a process-driven organization demands leadership involvement and support so that employees have clear expectations
of their actions and outcomes. Employees, in turn, gain increased satisfaction in their jobs because they how they fit
into the company’s processes, and ultimately, the bottom line.
Just as important, though, and the pivotal component that turns a process-oriented organization into a process-driven one,
is customer involvement. The most efficient processes in the world won’t sell a product or service if your customer doesn’t
feel it meets his needs. This critical element – the incorporation of the customer into the process loop - ensures that your
organization meets its customer’s needs.
Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of species that survives or the most intelligent, but the one most responsive
to change.” In order to thrive, you must be flexible and constantly aware of change that affects you and your organization.
Only by asking customers critical questions and involving them in your processes, do you know what changes are coming.
Thus, decision-making capabilities and analytics should be embedded into the design of a process, not added after the fact or
in reaction to processes that do not work efficiently. With this type of intelligent process design, the need for decision-making
is anticipated as an integral part of each process, resulting in business processes that work smarter, not harder, in improving
business efficiency and performance. PMC Solutions leads the process improvement industry by bringing an entire toolbox of
methodologies to our customers. Our philosophy, that first we assess the current situation, means that we find out what’s really
going on the business. Only then do we open out tool kit to find the right solution for the job.
This resulting change within your organization will delight your customers and positively impact employee productivity and
financial goals. Our process improvement team stands ready to assist you on your road to delight customers and establish a culture
of continuous process-driven improvement.
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