There is no single step-by-step process for improving processes, but we understand that there are some fundamental steps, such as identification, prioritization, preparation, redesign, SOP consulting, and implementation. Find out a little about each of them below:
1. Process Identification
At this initial stage, the organization must survey its end-to-end processes. If you have already done a process standardization before, it can be very useful to rescue this documentation. Identifying which processes exist in the company should be an exercise in reflection on management practices. You need to ask yourself:
Why do these processes exist?
To whom do these processes deliver value?
What are products and services delivered in these processes?
How is the health of the processes?
How are the goals and indicators?
The answers to these questions will be very helpful in the next step.
2. Process Prioritization
After listing the processes identified in step 1, you need to prioritize the processes. One of the ways to do this is to create a scoring system that goes from the most critical process to the least critical process. The order of importance of these numbers will then be the criteria for prioritizing process improvement and defining which process should be improved first.
Another way is to assess the health of the process through indicators that will demonstrate how far we are from the goals. It is not recommended to improve all the processes at once because, during the work, opportunities for transforming processes for the future can be seen. That is, the improvement of one process will impact others.
3. Preparation For Process Improvement
After choosing the first process that will undergo process improvement, it is time to define or make it clear:
Who owns the process?
Good process management encourages a culture of accountability. This is materialized through the figure of the “owner” of the process; the person said to be responsible for the process. There are also “participants” whose mission is to help the process owner achieve the objective.
What Are The Limits Of The Process?
Every process has an input and an output. Establishing process boundaries and cross-departmental work is essential in process improvement. In this way, there is a comprehensive view of the activities that need to be carried out and how to improve them.
Which team will be part of the improvement work
The group that will be part of the BPI project needs to be creative and multidisciplinary. Having a plurality of opinions is very productive for the process, as it allows it to be seen from different angles.
