Successful Business Process Management: What You Need to Know to Get Results
272
Successful Business Process Management: What You Need to Know to Get Results
272eBookFirst Edition (First Edition)
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Overview
This book has done all the homework for you and provides a succinct, accessible overview on the training and tools available for process improvement that fills that gap of being not too rigid nor too blasé.
Too few standard procedures within an organization and inefficiency will inevitably ensue. But too many, and creativity is stifled. This catch-22 is enough to make heads spin! How does one settle on the perfect mix that will streamline activities and create smooth workflows?
In Successful Business Process Management, you will discover step-by-step instructions that explain how to:
- Overcome resistance and apathy to standard procedures
- Take a systematic rather than ad hoc approach to process management
- Design key processes and capture them in documented procedures
- Revise existing processes when feasible
- Roll out the changes so people know what to do
- Embed them in the organization for reliable outcomes
With the increasingly complex organizations of the twenty-first century, it is vital that companies have standard, documented processes and procedures in order to achieve high levels of quality and productivity--yet they can’t afford to dampen the innovation that got them on the map in the first place. Successful Business Process Management will show you how to get it just right.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780814434024 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | AMACOM |
| Publication date: | 04/23/2014 |
| Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 272 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
INTRODUCTION
Before we plunge into the details of business process management, it will be useful to begin with a description of what Successful Business Process Management is, why I wrote it, who it is written for, and how it is structured, because for this book to be helpful, it has to be a discussion. You need to bring your own opinions and experiences, together with an understanding of your business and company culture. In order to make processes and procedures work for your company, you need to tailor them to fit, because there is no magic bullet and no one-size-fits-all approach.
There are tools and methods that are applicable in many cases, but you’ll need to use your own judgment: You can drive a nail with the end of a screwdriver, but it’s not an efficient way to work and someone is likely to get hurt along the way. A similar thing can happen if you try to use the wrong tools to create process solutions that don’t fit your problems. For this reason, I’m going to avoid jargon and management-speak in favor of plain language and simple ideas that can be adapted to provide the value you need.
WHAT THIS BOOK IS
In the chapters that follow, I discuss the basic principles of good processes, starting with fundamental ideas. I explain how a process system works (and how to create and maintain one), how to document standard processes so you have something your process users can read and follow, and how to put that documented process in place as a standard way of working that will remain effective over time. I also provide methods that will enable you to use your own work experience to understand your company’s needs, create processes that meet them, and ensure that those processes are optimized, in place, and working correctly in order to achieve your organization’s goals. Whether you are a member of a quality department, a manager, a project leader, or the person who will be performing your process as part of your normal work, you can make your processes effective and productive.
This book might seem simple and almost naive compared to some books and articles on this topic. I am not pitching tools that can automate everything for you, I am not instructing you on the latest object modeling methodology, and I am not promising you a silver bullet cure for everything that ails your company. This is not intended as a criticism; there are lots of good tools and methodologies out there, some of which can make your life and your process management much easier—but you need to understand the basics in order to choose the right ones.
No matter what methods you use, you have to consider the needs of your company and engage your own common sense in deciding how to model your business, in figuring out what procedures you need, and in determining what to include in those procedures. Having standardized procedures will not automatically increase your revenue, decrease your time to market, improve your flexibility, or enhance your creativity—but having a good process system, choosing the right procedures, and keeping them flexible can do all those things. Modeling tools and process improvement methods can facilitate your work and provide visibility into your processes’ interactions and performance. What they can’t do is substitute for understanding what you’re doing at a fundamental level.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART ONE REVIEWING THE DEFINITIONS
1 UNDERSTANDING PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES
PART TWO BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE PROCESS SYSTEM
2 CREATING THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR PROCESS SYSTEM
3 CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH TO BUILD YOUR PROCEDURES
4 IMPLEMENTING YOUR PROCESS SYSTEM
5 MANAGING YOUR PROCESSES AND PROCESS SYSTEMS
PART THREE CREATING OR REVISING A PROCEDURE
6 PLANNING YOUR CHANGES
7 MAPPING YOUR PROCESS
8 DOCUMENTING THE REST OF YOUR PROCEDURE
9 FINALIZING YOUR PROCEDURE
PART FOUR MAKING PROCEDURES REAL
10 ROLLING OUT YOUR CHANGES
11 MANAGING YOUR PROCEDURE OPERATIONS
PART FIVE REVIEWING THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO MAKE PROCESS IMPROVEMENT HAPPEN
12 FACILITATING YOUR MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS
13 DRIVING CHANGE THROUGH YOUR ORGANIZATION
14 MANAGING YOUR PROCESS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
AFTERWORD
APPENDIX: SAMPLE PROCEDURE TEMPLATE
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR