Business Process Improvement
Do you ever ask yourself the following questions when working in your business?
"There has to be an easier way to do this!”
“This process seems inefficient, but I don’t have the time to change it.”
“Why do we enter the same information into different systems?”
“If I stopped doing this task, this would it make any difference to the business?”
“I don’t know how to do this, and I don’t have anyone to ask.”
If you said, "Yes" to one or more of these, then you should introduce Business Process Improvement (BPI) into your business.
It’s often said that our daily work is made up of “10% inspiration and 90% perspiration”!
With this in mind, it makes sense the 90% of our work that is done day in and day out is performed as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Procedures and processes often grow organically in a business, depending on who’s doing the work and what their own requirements are. Such processes can get handed down from one staff member to another without any real consideration of what the business actually needs to achieve its strategic objectives. This results in business processes that are inefficient and no longer fit for purpose.
What is Business Process Improvement?
Simply put, the purpose of Business Process Improvement is to embed business efficiency across people, processes, and technologies so they all work in a consistent and coordinated manner – all of the time.
Implementing BPI in your business will bring cost savings, add value to your business, and ultimately help you to serve your customers better
How to implement BPI in your business
If you wish to maximise the benefits of BPI in your organisation, then you must approach your project in a methodical and objective manner. Here are the steps involved:
Information gathering
Pull together all of the existing information about the existing policies and procedures.
Then build a library of forms and documents etc. and identify:
- What is their purpose?
- Who uses them?
- What happens to the recorded information?
- Is the information recorded in a computer system?
Workshop meeting
- Meet with each team to review current policies and procedures and how they currently operate.
Follow-up interviews
- Meet with each team member to review their role in operating processes and their understanding of the organisation's polices.
Documenting processes
- Build a library of new documents and processes
Review
- Review the documentation and information gathered with management.
Planning
- Agree next steps with management regarding the ‘who, what, why, when, where and how’ of the proposed changes to business process management.
Implementation
- Implement the changes agreed at the planning stage. Meet with management to review progress and provide feedback.
This is a significant project for a business and it pays to do it properly. Using an external Project Manager who will be objective and focused on completing each stage of the business process improvement project will ensure it is completed on time and with the expected benefits.
Contact us now to discuss how Empower Business could help you reap the benefits of Business Process Improvement
As part of your project, we strongly recommend you implement software where you can store your valuable business knowledge. The software turns your static documents into active, dynamic workflows that will drive your business operations.
Ask us for a free demonstration of our preferred process mapping software solution, Process.St.
Business Process Improvement is an investment in your business that will reap financial rewards for years to come – every day!
Take the next step: contact us!
Drop us a line and we'll be in touch or call directly on:
Empower Business & Accounting Solutions are business advisors and consultants specialising in strategy development, business systems and processes, and management accounting.
We are based in the Bay of Islands and covering Northland, from Whangarei to Kaitaia, including Dargaville, Kaikohe, Paihia, Kerikeri, Mangonui, and beyond.
Empower Business & Accounting Solutions
Kerikeri, Northland