| onder if the latest greatest technology can help you? | | | | - Office - your office operations are driven by a set |
| Do you wonder what would happen if you step back | | | | of business processes that whether formally |
| and took a look at your business process workflow | | | | designed, inherited or grew out of spontaneous |
| in an end to end manner? Would you learn how to | | | | interaction due to day to day demands, they are the |
| be more efficient and more profitable? When you | | | | heart beat of your operation, which means they |
| hear business process improvement (BPI) and | | | | drive the efficiency of your operation. |
| business process management (BPM), do you know | | | | - Voice - people talking to people ensure services, |
| the difference between the two? If you do know, | | | | problems and solutions are handled in a timely and |
| then are you like most business owners, wondering | | | | accurate manner. Your telephone system must |
| what problems could be solved and what | | | | provide more then just voice communication, it |
| components are part of a BPI/BPM Assessment and | | | | should provide value added mobility services that |
| if your business could benefit by a business process | | | | sets you apart from your competition. |
| impact study? | | | | - CRM - Customers contact you/your people to buy |
| To do this we first need to look at your business | | | | products and services and to rectify a problem. This |
| process workflow in an end to end manner. Consider | | | | customer interaction should be used to build a strong |
| that a task is a collection of organized processes that | | | | customer relationship. Your people, using your |
| you the business owner or manager organized to | | | | customer interaction process will make all the |
| complete one of your business activities. It does not | | | | difference in retaining or losing customers. |
| matter the size of your business, your workflow | | | | Understanding the architecture, the technology and |
| tasks include processes that will occur in a sequential | | | | the IOVC components, you can now make a fair |
| or parallel manner. Your sequential processes operate | | | | assessment about the benefits of learning whether a |
| and are linked/worked one after the other. Your | | | | business process improvement (BPI) and business |
| parallel processes occur simultaneously and reflect the | | | | process management (BPM) assessment can help |
| way you operate daily. Large or small, your business | | | | you. |
| process workflow contains many of these tasks, | | | | If you train yourself, you would learn what a business |
| subtasks and steps. | | | | process is and you would learn how to define your |
| After your business has been operating for a while, | | | | key business processes. You and your team would |
| business process become out of sync because the | | | | be able to define what tools are used in identifying |
| normal execution and interaction of your team with | | | | your business processes. The team would learn how |
| customers and suppliers means unknowns occur and | | | | to document the existing business process by |
| business workflow by their nature become complex, | | | | developing process maps. More importantly, they |
| disjointed and out of sync. The ability to manage | | | | would be able to identify which workflow tasks or |
| your processes and keep them operating at peak | | | | steps add value. Then the team would identify and |
| efficiency becomes harder and it then becomes | | | | work to eliminate those business steps that fail to |
| harder to keep your business healthy. Trying to keep | | | | add value. At this point in the assessment, the team |
| your personnel in sync with your business processes | | | | starts to transition from identifying and knowing |
| and their supporting technologies is even harder. | | | | what steps to improve and moves to working on a |
| To understand this more, you need to understand | | | | deployment solution. |
| the makeup or architecture of your business and | | | | In deployment the team collectively understands and |
| what tools would be considered. This architecture and | | | | discusses what to do when the identified solution |
| tools are in use everyday and hence drive your | | | | conflicts with business policy or a current external |
| efficiencies. The architecture consists of the following: | | | | process. The goal of the team is to make it |
| - Communications Tools - Your communication tools | | | | functional within your organization. The solution then |
| consist of the processes, methodologies and | | | | gets implemented and becomes operational. |
| workflow software applications that your organization | | | | On an ongoing basis the team needs to ensure |
| uses on a daily basis to conduct your business. This | | | | continued success, the group must manage the |
| layer is used by your personnel daily and your | | | | business process. This requires a complete |
| customers experience the results daily. This layer | | | | understanding of current routines, future goals and |
| drives your business and your workflow | | | | the gaps in between. This is considered business |
| management. | | | | process management or BPM. |
| - Support Technologies - Your technology supports | | | | Another factor to consider, when learning about BPI |
| your business communication tools and provides | | | | and BPM is you should consider how you should |
| specific capabilities that individually, hinder or enable | | | | learn? You should learn in the manner that is related |
| your business operation at a system or computer | | | | to how you work. For BPI/BPM assessments to be |
| level. Support technologies consist of your vendor | | | | effective, the best way to learn is in a situational |
| products, their proprietary or open source capabilities. | | | | manner which enables you to identify and manage |
| Included at this layer are the standards that may | | | | your specific business processes. You may want to |
| drive your business. This layer supports and drives | | | | consider having customized courses or consulting that |
| your communication tools and your business | | | | can be defined to target your specific situation. |
| environment. | | | | In summary, implementation of a business process |
| - Integration Collaboration - The integration and | | | | workflow management system with proper |
| collaboration of your communication tools across your | | | | understanding, people, education and learning in a |
| supported technologies has the potential to provide | | | | situational environment, one can first identify the |
| your business with a major positive impact. This | | | | process, and then analyze the process, move on to |
| integrated layer, BPM workflow, SOA, service | | | | improving and deploying the process. Finally, you |
| oriented application as examples, drives and delivers | | | | monitor and manage the process to make radical |
| the business benefits. This would be considered the | | | | improvements within your business. |
| new end to end business process. | | | | Will you benefit? Consider that your personnel work |
| This end to end business process is supported by | | | | daily to complete specific business processes using |
| four key technologies that are installed in your | | | | business process technology that you have within |
| business and should be evaluated to ensure synergy. | | | | your business. You learn to better utilize what you do |
| These four key communications technologies, | | | | and therefore can gain tremendous benefits. You |
| internet, office, voice and CRM, make up an end to | | | | should become intimately involved and learn about |
| end business process and are considered to be the | | | | managing business processes that are a part of your |
| IOVC layer. | | | | day. In today's business environment, we |
| - Internet - arguable every thing runs through the | | | | continuously strive for a more effective business |
| internet. The internet consist of more then a | | | | process operation and a firm with actual hands on |
| website, it is also web services and your email | | | | experience can help you learn and apply these |
| strategy. Your customers may only come through | | | | strategies. That is because business process |
| the internet. Today if you are not on the internet, | | | | improvement and business process management |
| you are missing business exposure, revenue and your | | | | have become essential tools to just about any |
| potential customers are missing you. | | | | organization. |