Definition: What is a Process?

A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end result.

The next question that comes up is, what are some of key attributes of a Process. 

So, here are four key aspects of a process: 

1. Clear definition of tasks (i.e. performed actions)
2. Detailed sequence of how these tasks take place, i.e. in what order
3. Identification of all the resources that perform these tasks/actions (these could be people or technology-applications)
4. And finally, the Business Objectives which we are looking to achieve by conducting and completing that process.

​At the very minimum, an individual process should show WHO is doing WHAT and in WHICH sequence to accomplish a particular aim or goal- which is the objective of the process.

If we need to make a decision which determined further course of action, then it needs to be included within the process. Any reasoning for choosing a particular action-path should be indicated as reference details within the Process documentation.
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Also, it is important that we “normalize” Processes that are too complex, so that they are represented in a simplified, easy to understand manner. This will help in properly adopting the documented processes; as not all action-players are going to be comfortable with long-winded and complex process maps!! 

​More on normalization in another post…

​Sandhya 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.

​#processarchitecture #processmapping #processdocumentation #businessprocessimprovement #BPI #BPR #BusinessProcessReengineering #normalization #decisionpoints

Interdependency of the People, Process and Technology triangle is fairly well-known. If you are not familiar with this concept, then you can read more about it here. 

​The overlapping areas of the People, Process and Technology triangle indicates that all three i.e. People, Process and Technology flow together where technology empowers the functioning of a group (people) by following well-defined processes. 

But when we are developing business processes, there is one more dependency we need to consider- and that is between the given business group, rest of the business of that organization and of course technology applications. This becomes even more important for Corporate Functions, since unlike line divisions, these Function teams service all of the organization in their respective areas.

​For e.g. the Human Resource division will provide HR services to the entire organization. It is similar with other Functions such as IT, Facilities, Supply Chain and so on. 

Such an interdependency diagram will look like this​:

Any given team or group cannot and should not be working in silo. Teams within an organization are supposed to work in a collaborative manner so that all other teams that conduct any preceding or succeeding task are well informed of what is coming into their work pipeline. 

Organizational Business, Core Team and Technology helps to identify these dependencies.

Key benefits of conducting such a core analysis is to:

1. Identify dependencies between a certain group and other activities conducted by a bigger group or by rest of the organization.
2. Identify dependencies on various technology applications- these could be applications used by the core team under consideration or by the organization at large such as their internal employee portal, external website, exchange network (email) and so on.

​Sandhya 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.

​#processarchitecture #processmapping #processdocumentation #businessprocessimprovement #BPI #BPR #BusinessProcessReengineering #organizationaldevelopment #technologyinterdependency #processanalysis #organizationaleffectiveness

​Many organizations spend tens of thousands even millions to conduct detailed Process documentation, only to have them catch dust. Nobody seems to utilize them. There are several reasons why process documentation ventures can fail or at the very least not provide the full extent of their extensive benefits. Here are five key reasons…

Sandhya 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.

​#processarchitecture #processmapping #processdocumentation #businessprocessimprovement #BPI #BPR #BusinessProcessReengineering #ROI #ValueforMoney