BPM project durations are usually measured in weeks-to-months - not months-to-years. With this velocity, you can’t afford to get stuck in the rut of traditional “define & design” techniques based on multiple rounds of 1-on-1 analysis meetings. In fact, I’d go so far as to label this as rework which increases a project’s cycle time!
I’m an enthusiastic supporter of the workshop format, where not only speed, but also quality, visibility and buy-in are greatly enhanced compared to the 1-on-1 approach. You could say it’s a way of applying process improvement methods to the way we carry out process improvement itself (or “PI2” as I like to call it).
In a previous blog, I shared some secrets of success for the “2 x 6 workshop“. One of the critical success factors is utilizing a facilitator - “an impartial, objective analyst to run the session, keep it crisp and in-focus”. Let’s dive into that a bit more. Why do we need the facilitator role, how does it add value to the process of process improvement, and how can it be done well?
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When your organization’s products are intangible, like an investment CD or a retirement plan, it’s sometimes difficult to identify waste or inefficiencies in your business. Today I want to discuss some of the unique attributes of financial services organizations and how to look at these businesses through the prism of process to find problems that are often overlooked.
Financial services often tend to think of themselves as very different from other types of organizations. For example, many firms have organically grown along the lines of “functional silos” based on different types of product, reinforced by separate IT applications supporting these product categories. Yet, every organization shares similar horizontal functions such as human resources, finance or accounting. These functions alone offer more than enough opportunity for delivering business value through a BPM initiative. But, I promise there’s more!
Financial services companies are generally very IT-intensive, and open to new technology and approaches to problem solving. However, it can be difficult for these organizations to determine which solutions fit their needs the best - or even which problems to address - since their products are not tangible like a car or any product that you can hold in your hand. If you can’t see your product, it can be difficult to see your problems like “defects” and “waste”.
Furthermore, regulatory monitoring & reporting requirements such as Sarbanes Oxley and Basel 2 have weighed heavily on this industry. Combined with global economic factors such as the credit crunch, there’s huge pressure on financial services companies to increase visibility, transparency and controls whilst reducing costs and simultaneously improving customer service.
In steps BPM…
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Toby Cappello, Vice President of Professional Services | August 5th, 2008
If you’ve been reading the Process People blog, you might have noticed that we talk a lot about an iterative approach to deploying BPM. What we haven’t touched on as much is that the iterative approach is an element of the overarching methodology. Looking in on the methodology from the highest level you will get a view of a three-phased approach – which ultimately results in iteration. But we want to provide a big picture of how all of the different parts of our methodology tie together, and how each point of emphasis leads into or loops back to key areas of the other two phases.
I realize that in some organizations, “phase” is a four-letter word. With BPM it is a must… it is the foundational element that leads to continuous process improvement and ultimately maximum business benefit. But don’t just take our word for it, just look at the countless customers who have used this methodology and achieve enormous success because of it.
Definition Phase
The definition phase is probably the most critical portion of the entire BPM adoption lifecycle. This is where you set the expectations for the BPM project, define metrics to measure the project and create a framework so that the focus remains on delivering business value throughout all three phases.
In this phase organizations should:
- Take the broader initiative and narrow it to a specific departmental level
- Define the business milestones and associated metrics
- Develop the business case
- Ensure that there is a common thread throughout the whole project (Business value)
- Get the business to drive this phase
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Showcasing the success of your initial BPM project is often times requested from other departments, but it’s also required to help drive adoption across the entire organization.
If showcasing your initial BPM deployment can help gain process adoption and ignite enthusiasm in other areas of the business, then you’ll get more and more value out of your overall BPM initiative. That being said, here is the first in a two part series of posts that will help you to showcase your BPM solution within your organization.
Get ‘em excited!
Everyone has had to sit in a presentation during their lunch break that seemed like a never-ending PowerPoint slide show. Now imagine watching someone explaining a process flow diagram that has no relevance to you. Then follow that with a “live” demonstration of someone clicking through a bunch of screens acting as a participant in the process that you didn’t get. Trust me, it can be very painful.
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Ed.: This is the third post in a series of Q+A sessions focusing specifically on playback session best practices, with our in-house expert, Kris Komassa. See our previous coverage here and here.
Of course there is never a “finished” process. How often do you typically use a playback session to fine-tune a process that is up and running? How often do you do this, once a quarter? Twice a year? Can you give us a few examples?
We have a customer in Dallas that is unique because they have a very wide sales force who are all remote and need a number of approvals before they can close any business. We finished a project with them just a little over a year ago, and we’ve since done a number of other engagements on top of that original project, so the work is more or less constant. They’re a good example of fine-tuning and building on top of a first project.
The way that I always start off the new work with them is by having them do a playback for us to see where we are, and then have that segue into a talking session around what it is that they want to see or what new work they want to have done for them. So, we start with what we have already, instead of starting with what we ultimately want. This helps to create that delta between what they have today and what they’re looking for down the road. They’re a very active customer and good to work with for this reason - each new project flows naturally and organically from the ones that have preceded it. I’d recommend this way of working from one process to the next for everyone.
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