Normal people do not understand what business process modelling is, much less business process architecture. Well, its basically drawing an active picture that represents real life activity in an abstract fashion that is stored in a repository.............its ART in an Art Gallery
The real thing to focus on is “why” they are made, and my answer is that they act as signposts for what comes next. Because it’s what comes next is the real reason we work and play. For we have all been drilled with the questions from an early age “what are you doing” what are you up to” “where are you going” – and then when we reach the age of responsibility we get asked “what’s next” “how are you going to achieve that” – it all comes down to direction.
Everything we have been to school to learn was about equipping us to decide what direction we should take and what decisions we should make. We do not always have to do these independently, the most important ones we follow are the ones we do as part of a group. Our choices are critical, our ability to follow a path is critical, and for all of this, we do need a map to help lead us on that path. In business terms, the creation of a process map is called business process modelling.
So follow the business process model to perform your task in the way the company considers to be the most efficient and productive way of doing something. However, the real need for the map is not for the population that would follow instinctively, it’s for the hyperactive few that often have trouble staying on task – they twitter all over the place, and I don’t mean that in mini blogging terms. High level maps with scant detail do not work here as it allows them to jump from strategy to tactic and back again until they hit on what works for them, which may not necessarily work for the business. The ultimate truth is, twitterers will never settle into a groove unless it is clearly laid out to them, they are erratic, because being erratic is fun.
It also works at the opposite end of the spectrum, where unmotivated staff are involved. A poor process map allows them to sink back into a comfort zone of doing little or even nothing. Such staff need clear direction or they will not only make themselves useless, but they may take other “off task”, bringing havoc to the entire process chain.
A well modelled business process will produce a good process map. And a good process map gives proper direction, is considerate of all process resources, is authentic to real life, and crystallises the capacity of your staff to fulfil the process in an enjoyable, patient and passionate way – in other words, it is a process map that everyone can be confident in.
I cannot state clearly enough that good business process modelling is an absolute necessity for any CEO who wants to achieve overwhelming performance from his vision – because the vision is his, and it is the organisations process maps that encompass the “how” of how to achieve it.
But “how” is only good enough for what we need to do today – it is the most important position, but not the only one, for there is always a better future.
“How” is the fully documented best current way of doing a job. “How” is our standard operating procedure, our modus operandi, our reason d’être – it defines us.
But we can always improve “how” with a little bit of “why”.
Turning Good into Better is a function of business process modelling. What we are looking to model is the process in such a way as to improve on the way we already do it. For if I can clean up the way I do something, I can probably extract more productivity. In human terms, a clean desk is known to be a more productive place to work than a messy one – and it’s more fun to work at.
Improve = more = more fun = more joy = Better
If I get to the station five minutes before the train arrives in the morning, then I have to stand all the way to work. If I get there ten minutes early, then I get a seat and can work, so a five minute cost can give me back 35 minutes productivity gain – a clear demonstration of how business process modelling leads to process reengineering, giving new standard operating procedures, delivering greater business benefits.
If the business process is not modelled fully, then you may end up with a group of employees having to bring their own intuition to work, which may lead to stressed workers and stressed managers – and if it is a worldwide business, a simple fact of not having the best paperwork possible can allow occurrences (sick days, employee turnover) that hurt the business. After all, a high-paying job within a poorly organized process area that delivers a screaming boss, no job security and a home life fraught with tension isn't a stable place for most people. Not because the money for the job isn't there, but because basic "hygiene" needs aren't being met.
And meeting those “hygiene” issues in each process improvement project requires a reasonable level of decision making competency. You need to be able to make decisions about decisions.
I recently read a process done by a graduate on how to make the perfect cup of tea – he had decided to fill the kettle, pick Darjeeling tea, use sugar and milk, drink it from a mug and remembered to include the wait time to allow the kettle to boil. However, he missed some basic point of what to do if any component was missing, and his start point assumed he was even in the kitchen. It may seem trivial, but many of us govern or perform processes that are familiar to us, but would be alien to someone coming in cold to the process area.
I recently looked at an internal process that pertains to how we launch a new version of our product (version 3.0 is soon to be released). One of the activities is “get new version logo”. There’s a logo? there’s a design of a logo? There’s a designer? The process documentation did not say where, or what spec it should be, and as our last graphic designer has retired and is yet to be replaced, it was a shortfall in our own documentation. Which is bad enough at this stage, but considering the growth rate, Heaven only knows what bottle neck would surface when we get to V4.0 and have ten times the staff we have today, in treble the number of countries.
And this little activity of “get new version logo” seems basic – but when you are doing a launch of the most profound change to the market, which all the analysts are aware of, and all of the competitors will be watching – you can be very sure that any slip up or delay could have catastrophic consequences.
And yes, you guessed it, this new V3.0 of Process Master is the nirvana of business process modelling – because it breaks the rules of where the responsibility of modelling sits – in the business.
We came up with the idea three years ago and the Analyst told us that no one would use it.
We said we would launch in 2007, but we did not make the market until October 2008, and the Analyst said we had no clue how to launch a product
Our initial design was very basic, and the analyst said “see, I told you”
Process Master is pretty cool, non techies like it
We stopped selling after getting our first three clients – to focus on embedding our software into their operations successfully – and the Analyst said we could not scale well
Process Master is outselling any other product in the market, more that even our ambitious business plan predicted
Process Master is going to end up with 60% market share from a standing start
Process Master is now part of the business strategy for a number of the world’s biggest companies…………….See!!
So why is Process Master being successful, and why has business process capture software emerged from the corporate underbelly? (HINT, click on the link)
Every person I meet has a stand point when it comes to what I’m selling. It might be, "I don't care about that," or it might be, "all big companies are evil" or it might be, "I love new stuff." When that persons stand point is aligned with my message, we have something to build on. If their stand point doesn’t reflect mine, I get ignored. The truth is, I get ignored 80% of the time because it is essentially impossible to tell a story to an entire population and have everyone to take notice.
For instance, we are all effected by climate change but the global warming story, for example, has influenced some people a great deal and been dismissed out of hand by others.
Process Master is good because it is pertinent, it is now, and it is about getting better. When I meet people I do not talk about myself, that’s politics. I also do not spend my time talking negatively about my competition, that’s political. What I do talk about is being listened to. Because if I can get your company to listen to you, follow your lead and hang on your every word, you may be strong enough to want that to happen, and if that is the case, then we are aligned.
