BUSINESS PROCESS MODELLING & TRANSFORMATION
Establishing an accurate understanding of how a business operates and then how to reshape it to meet the demands of an evolving business strategy is a very complex matter. The key to success is building a highly structured model: asserting a firm grip on the big picture of how the processes interact while cascading a detailed perception of the business (in bite sized modules) to a sufficiently low level to reflect realistically the full scope of its operational activity. MMA offers much experience in doing this, in a large scale and fastmoving business environment - also of the change management that is required to turn well laid plans into reality.
Many companies have perhaps begun to realise the value of IP as a unique differentiator in terms of product design and patents. But 'know how', in a more general sense, embraces all forms of corporate knowledge and intellect and this includes unique process: which often is seriously overlooked. MMA believes unique processes must be regarded as 'secret recipes' to (accordingly) be meticulously characterised and guarded with vigour. Continual process improvement necessary to stay one step ahead of the competition is a given, as is the need to ensure corporate processes continue to fit with evolving strategy and the inherent competencies of those employees enacting them.
Modelling a business as a basis for its transformation demands attention from an operational level perspective. This links into the strategic analysis, providing a means to connect the competitive strategy of an organisation to its people and processes - a linkage enhanced by the IS/IT systems available now and into the future.
The approach begins by identifying and/or redefining the key top level business processes in various categories which mirror the existing or future business model and organisational structure in a strategic context. Typically these comprise: strategic overview (formulation) including key resources/capabilities (tangible/intangible), governance & compliance, project/risk management, value chain (full product lifecycle): interfaces top down/bottom up; internal and external - exploiting a multi disciplined and/or collaborative approach but recognising functional expertise within the supporting infrastructure. These high level processes may then be disaggregated into sub level processes forming a cascade. Necessary links to embedded processes/lower level procedures perhaps 'hard wired' within say an Enterprise Resource planning system must also be considered as will those to key external collaborative partners' processes (customer/supply chain) forming what is usually called the 'extended enterprise'.
The model provides a practical tool for understanding the detail of the companies' activities and the linkages between them, and an ability to 'pan in and out' to a greater and lesser degree of overview of the business. This is typically (in the experience of MMA's practitioners) facilitated by the use of a graphics-based representation of the processes: which starts from the high level processes and provides hyperlinks down to an ever-more detailed picture, right down to the lowest level necessary to establish a clear understanding of how the business operates.
MMA believes that 'Lean' must be the watchword of modelling: ie the removal of those activities which don't add value or at least directly support the adding of value. Key also is a keen appreciation of the change management implications of process change, which sometimes constrain the 'art of the possible' and which must always be planned for.
Coherence across all of the identified processes and at all levels is vital. Inputs and outputs within and across processes need to match if system integrity is to be maintained. Key outputs will also be defined which again may be 'hard' (eg product) or soft (information) from which performance measures and specifically KPIs may be hung. Wrapped around the approach is also the means to continually evolve and maintain a viable business system (suite of processes) to meet the evolving strategic objectives as well as full compliance with any necessary accreditations eg ISO.
© MM Associates Ltd 2012