Technology is a powerful force for improvement. Innovative technology solutions may offer organizations increased efficiency, more user-friendly systems, or opportunities to look at their business from a completely different perspective.
With all the new technologies available, it can be tempting to jump straight into adding new tools and functionality to your organization. However, technology is only one piece of the puzzle and it is important to have a thorough understanding of your business to understand how technology can allow your business to be successful.
Business process analysis is a fantastic tool for evaluating current processes within your organization, identifying opportunities for improvement, and building a vision for the future state.
Here are the top five reasons to undergo a business process analysis exercise before adding more technology to your company:
- You can’t improve what you don’t understand
To introduce new technology into your business processes, you need to understand what the business process looks like today. Even organizations with well documented policies and procedures are often surprised to find disconnect between a business process as defined by policy and the process the exists in the real-world. It is important to work with the staff who are carrying out work on a day-to-day basis to understand the real workarounds and gaps that exist today.
- Technology won’t fix bad process
Introducing technology to automate bad process results in missed opportunities. If new technology is brought in to fix a small problem only, changes that could potentially benefit the wider organization are missed.
- Quick wins can give your initiative momentum
Participation in business process mapping activities is a great opportunity to build momentum and buy-in from your core project team. As you build your business process mapping team, consider including staff from across the business to build a cross-functional group. This allows staff to interact with and learn about other areas of the business. Typically, these meetings are a good opportunity for communication and result in new ideas and small process changes which can be implemented immediately. These quick wins can build excitement and enthusiasm for larger changes later on.
- Business process mapping results in better requirements
Undergoing a business process management activity will help your organization write better requirements. The business process maps created or updated in advance of requirements gathering will ensure that all process functionality is accounted for in the new solution.
- Sometimes new technology isn’t the answer
Although technology is exciting and can provide many benefits, there are some issues that cannot be fixed by new technology alone. By undergoing a business process management exercise, organizations can evaluate a broad range of potential issues including not only technology but also people, process, and policy.
In some cases, your current technology may meet business needs and you may discover additional opportunities elsewhere. For example, perhaps your staff need additional training. The best solution available will not be effective for your business unless your staff know how to use the system effectively. Similarly, if current policy is ambiguous, staff may not know what the appropriate action is in a specific situation.
Finding and resolving these issues is crucial to moving your business forward.
If you are interested in learning more about netlogx Business Process Analysis services, please contact us.
