Juma Vera (Maitreyi Gautam)
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What is meant by Business Process Management?

6/4/2018

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Business Process Management is defined by the activities involved in an organization that include identification, evaluation and improvement in various processes of a business. It is used in many industries but is most popular amongst the IT industry. Businesses tend to use this action in order to increase customer satisfaction, efficiency, effectiveness and overall performance.

The idea of business process management is to lower, or diminish, errors that are caused by employees in the workforce. Common causes of these errors include miscommunication. It is necessary for employees to understand their various roles in an organization and to be managed accordingly. It is a system of management that is not just another tool or software to use but requires employee’s participation in order to succeed.

A major different between business process management and workflow software is that business process management does not solely use a set of tasks to reach a desirable solution but encourages individuals to continuously contribute to improvements in an organization’s processes as well.

Simply put, business process implies the various stages involved in reaching a specific goal. Either systems or individuals perform the activities involved in the stages. The activities can take place in sequence or at the same time, depending on the issue at hand. It is thought of as the necessary stages in order to adequately perform tasks that need to be done to successfully reach a goal.

There are many processes involved in business process management, some of which are more applicable to certain situations than others. Various processes are typically determined by: time frame, volume, department, difficulty and industry. Not all processes will necessarily be included in order for business process management to reach the goal. There are five main stages of business process management: model, automate, execute, monitor and optimize.

During the first stage of business process management, a model is created as representation. This stage is vital in determining the processes involved in order to reach a goal and allow stages to begin developing, without going into specific detail yet. The automate phase uses the model and general ideas involved to come up with more detailed directions. This can include instructions, rules and other important aspects of the process.

During the execution phase, instructions outlined in the automate phase are monitored and evaluated until the entire process is complete. The monitor phase specifically measures and analyzes the improvements made. The final stage known as the optimize phase uses the information gathered from the entire process and makes it applicable to situations in the future.
Sandhya U Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new (under patent filing) and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.
​#ProcessModelling #BPM ​#BusinessProcessMapping #BenefitsofBPI #ROI #BPI #BPR #ProcessMapping #LearningandDevelopment #CorporateTrainingTV #Leadership #Management #Coaching #Mentor
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Strategic Roadmaps

9/28/2017

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Strategic Roadmaps with Actionable Steps
Strategic Roadmaps with Actionable Steps
If you were asked to get in your car and simply drive- it will probably take you quite aback! At the very minimum, you would like to know the destination, route and other trip details. Even though stepping out on a road-trip without a proper game-plan would be considered ludicrous, it’s amazing how many organizations operate that way! This is not only the case with mid and small size companies but also with major Fortune 500 corporations!

Even though words like Strategies and Roadmaps are some of the most used (and abused words) within management teams,  one seldom sees clearly chalked out roadmaps and defined strategic actions that will help them traverse that journey.

So, what are Strategic Roadmaps?
Similar to the route-maps which are used for road-trips, a business road-map helps us to define our starting point, our destination, i.e. the business goal/ objective which we wish to achieve and possible routes that can get us there.

Roadmapping was pioneered by Motorola in the 1970-s to plan their technological capabilities so they can meet their strategic and commercial objectives. Since then this strategy and methodology has come a long way.

Roadmaps help us to carry out strategic actions that link our assets and resources (including Human Capital) to our corporate vision, values, goals and objectives. Roadmaps helps us to define how a particular group within an organization intends to carry out its function for a given length of time while also supporting other groups within that organization to meet individual  group and corporate goals & objectives. Roadmaps also help to point out where one may need added support from another group within the organization or possibly outside vendors or other internal/ external stake holders.

Graphical representation of roadmaps makes it easier to identify and represent the often complex links and dependencies between goals & objectives of various groups within an organization. They also help to initiate dialogues and workshops with teams and stakeholders to ensure that all parts of the organization are truly moving in the same general direction towards the shared vision for success.

Tactical roadmaps on the other hand help us to further drill down into details and define how an item from the Strategic roadmap will be worked out.  It would provide action steps and task level details for work that will need to be completed by a specific timeline, budget and set of resources. Usually such tactical maps are simply referred to as action plans during roadmapping workshops.

When properly implemented, Strategic Roadmaps can reduce workforce stress and encourage better communication & collaboration between various groups within an Organization. In addition, it also helps employees to better understand their role and how they contribute to the team, department and organization. By clearly understanding their funtion within the grand vision-mission-goals framework; employees feel less stressed and better engaged. You may want to read:  Understanding Employee Engagement 

Questions you may want to ask in your team are:
1. Does your team have a strategic roadmap in place for the function it performs within your corporation?
2. Do you really understand how, i.e. with what level of efficiency, you are truly contributing to your corporate vision and success-objectives?
3. Are you sure that you are truly utilizing full benefit of all your assets? This includes budget, software applications (technology), tools & techniques (architected processes) as well as people-resources?

If you are not able to answer any of these questions with a firm clarity, then you should definitely consider Strategic Planning (with actionable roadmaps) as your key initiative in 2015. In today’s uncertain economic times, where any task that improves cost-efficiency is very much applauded; chalking out such Strategic roadmaps will help your team to work in an efficient, streamlined manner and in full alignment to your shared corporate goals & vision.


Sandhya U Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new (under patent filing) and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.
​#Roadmap #Strategy #Design #ContinuousImprovement #Management #CorporateTrainingTV #LearningandDevelopment #Leadership #Management #Coaching #Mentor
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Technology Tool Selection: understanding People, Process & Technology triangle

1/8/2016

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Even as the People, Process and Technology dependency is being accepted as a standard way of looking at any technology selection, the finer steps which lead to better utilization of this principle can be missing. Here is a quick overview info-graphic on how 'People, Process & Technology' triangle can be utilized to make better technology selection.
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#PeopleProcessTechnology #ProcessImprovement #TechnologyToolSelection #SandhyaBhat
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Process Architecture

1/1/2016

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Unlike conventional thinking Process Architecture involves lot more than merely process mapping. Process mapping involves documenting single or parallel processes for a clearer understanding of procedural steps. Process Architecture on the other hand involves comprehensively evaluating current process states and re-engineering them to accomplishment better outcomes, enhanced operation, increased productivity or lower cost- i.e. Process Architecture involves process re-engineering to achieve better ROI.

Process Architecture involves the following main steps:
     1. Map current state processes
     2. Identify integration points between multiple processes
     3. Identify and resolve process gaps
     4. Identify process optimization opportunities
     5. Conduct process optimization by
             - Resolving process gaps
             - Utilizing technology
             - Training people on new competencies
     6. Place governance controls in place to ensure process integrity is maintained
     7. Document final state process
​#ProcessArchitecture #ProcessImprovement #SandhyaBhat
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Applicant Processing (sample process map)

1/26/2015

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Here is a sample process map for Applicant Processing. In addition to providing details about the people, process and technology; the three main components of any true Business Process Map; it also shows impact level and their relationship with the organization. In addition, such a map also indicates how and where such a business task fits into the grand APQC Upstream Process Classification Framework for Human Resources Division.

This sample
(though based on real life client/s scenarios) process map has been created for an Oil & Gas company .

Some of the key features of this process map are:
  • People and systems are clearly highlighted.
  • Interaction from one set of people to another while using a particular application/system (Technology component of the People-Process Technology triangle) is also very clearly indicated.
  • All information, even though detailed is presented on one sheet. (Note: project documents typically tend to be very wordy. Busy executives are not able to provide adequate involvement with strategy discussions as they waste much time going thru huge stacks of project paper! Presenting information in simple and yet comprehensive way is a much-appreciated document style- particularly by executives and other senior project stakeholders.)
  • This visual map highlights if the people or technical systems/applications in the process are internal or external to the company or if they are contracted vendors. This helps to understand "potential impact group" if/when any changes are made to this process.
  • and last but not the least, it highlights where this process fits in within the overall recommended framework by APQC (American Petroleum Quality Council).
This is just one way to present this information. Depending on the organization's needs, their standards and protocols, such process maps can easily be modified to suit individual company and client needs. 

Hopefully this sample process map will get you thinking on how you can utilize simple indicators to provide maximum information in an easy to understand process documentation format.
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​#ProcessModelling #BPM ​#BusinessProcessMapping #BenefitsofBPI #ROI #BPI #BPR #ProcessMapping
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Process Pyramid

1/13/2015

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Process Architecture provides a vivid, visual representation of various processes carried out by any Division. They also help to identify entry, exit and integration points within groups of that same Division or other parts of the Organization. One of the best ways to start a Process Architecture project is by chalking out a Process Pyramid.

At the top of the pyramid we have the main Business Group. This is followed by any sub-group if applicable. Next comes all the main processes that are used by that group. Various sub-processes for each of the main processes are identified in the next tier and finally at the very bottom of the pyramid, we have various process steps.

Such a Process Pyramid is a quick but comprehensive visual representation of the all the constituent process flows. This makes it much easier for those who are viewing it to easily understand and contribute in a meaningful way during process mapping workshops. It also helps to identify process areas where there are repetitions, overlaps, gaps and breaks between work conducted by the same team as well as by other teams within that Division.

To explain this concept, let’s take an example of Recruitment division within Human Resources. Usually HR-IS (Human Resources- Information Services) within a company governs all technology related HR solutions. Since in this example we are considering HR- Recruitment Solution, for our Process Pyramid, we will have HRIS at the very top followed by Recruitment Solutions.

In the next tier, we will list out all the main processes that would be conducted by the Recruiting team- this includes Applicant processing, Managing applicant data, Pre-employment & other verification etc. In the sub-processes tier- we will list out all the sub-processes that happen under each main process.

It is important to note that there may not always be a one-to-one relationship between sub-processes and main-processes. It is very much possible that one sub-process is seen in several main processes.  During the initial process mapping session- noting down such details in a process pyramid will help to highlight over-laps and other associations.

If used correctly, Process Pyramid can truly help to highlight areas of gaps and inefficiencies. These can then act as main gateways to formulate methods to improve process effectiveness.  Process Pyramids are definitely not a substitute for comprehensive Process Architecture Maps- they are one of the key steps, which when conducted correctly, can help to provide a good overview.

Process Pyramids are most helpful when Organizations do not want to spend a whole lot of time, resource or money to build comprehensive workflow maps, but want to benefit from over-all high level understanding of how their Divisions work within themselves and with the rest of the Organization. It also comes in handy when technology tool needs to be selected for a Division where proper process-understanding is not available.

Refer
Technology Tool Selection to understand how process architecture plays a key role in application-tool selection.
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Example of a Process Pyramid
​#ProcessArchitecture #ProcessPyramid  #BusinessProcessImprovement #SandhyaBhat #ContinuousImprovement 
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Process Architecture "is not" Process Mapping

11/28/2014

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Process Architecture "is not" Process Mapping
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Technology Tool Selection: understanding the 'People, Process & Technology' Triangle...

10/16/2013

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When Businesses have application (technology) needs, they usually reach out to vendors they have met at some conference or a referral from another colleague. Doing this can introduce many challenges in the long term. Most important being- landing with a product that does not really meet business requirements, is too cumbersome/costly to manage & maintain and inadvertently leads to user non-acceptance!

Take a look at the info-graphic below, to understand how the People-Process-Technology triangle plays a helpful role in making better Technology Tool selection.
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Technology Tool Selection: understanding the 'People, Process & Technology' Triangle
#Technology #Tool #IT #Management #Operations #Process #Mapping #SelectingBusinessApplication #TechnologyToolSelection #NewSoftware #SandhyaBhat #PeopleProcessTechnologyTriangle
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Pyramid Representation of Recruitment Team within the HRIS/HR Division

10/15/2013

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APQC Upstream Process Classification Framework for Human Resources Division

10/15/2013

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    Maitreyi Gautam has
    ​developed several strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery.

    Maitreyi has more than nineteen years of experience as a senior strategic Management Consultant with Process Improvement, Business Relationship Management and Project Management specialization. She has particularly utilized Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and ISO principles along with Scrum and Kanban frameworks. 
    View my profile on LinkedIn

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