Research on business process management (BPM) suggests that more than 40% of employees spend at least a quarter of the week on manual and repetitive tasks, such as emailing, collecting and entering data. Implementing a technological change or a customized application can automate these repetitive tasks and employees can reallocate time to fundamental aspects of their work. Business process improvement is an essential part of any organization's success. It helps to streamline processes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.
But how do you go about improving your business processes? Here are 10 of the best techniques for starting your process improvement initiative.
1.Agile Methodology
Rather than defining the project with strict deadlines, an agile approach requires more iterations. Incorporate feedback from the team, highlighting problems and successes to make additional improvements. An agile methodology improves communication and collaboration between stakeholders and facilitates adaptation to change.2.Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a well-known technique for reducing variability and defects to less than 3.4 per million units.Its objective is to minimize errors and maximize value in all sectors by taking advantage of data and statistics. Within this methodology, process engineers use two techniques DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve & control) and DMADV (define, measure, analyze, design & verify), to achieve the desired results. A notable aspect is that organizations tend to overlook the first three steps and go directly to the improvement or design stage, which leads to project failure. For example, the American multinational General Electric strived to improve the service quality of its product by 26%, even after hiring experienced professionals. However, after incorporating Six Sigma, they simplified their processes, which resulted in increased revenues.
3.Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing aims to reduce costs by eliminating waste.Although the name suggests that this methodology is specific to the manufacturing industry, its fundamental principle can also be applied to other sectors. To use this technique effectively, the process improvement team must map the value stream to understand the perceptions of buyers, which will allow teams to successfully eliminate waste and redundancy from business processes. For example, Intel adopted lean manufacturing technology to provide higher-quality processors in a short time. By implementing quality control factors and waste reduction techniques, Intel reduced the time needed to bring a microchip to the factory from more than three months to less than ten days.
4.Just-in-Time Manufacturing
Just-in-time manufacturing, also known as the Toyota Production System, aims to minimize inventory costs and increase efficiency by producing products according to requirements. Toyota executives invented this concept with the vision of adapting quickly and efficiently to changes in model demand and reducing losses by keeping the inventory that was needed immediately in the store.5.Theory of Constraints
The Theory of Constraints methodology is a highly focused technique for creating rapid improvement.Identify any obstacles in the process and improve that bottleneck or restriction until it is eliminated. For example, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America (MHIA) initially created tailor-made (design-to-order) chemical environmental plant designs with a percentage of 26%. However, after incorporating the principles of the Kaizen methodology, it made small, continuous changes to its design process to establish a standardized module package. As a result, errors were reduced in the design phase and costs for the customer were reduced by 5 to 10%.
6.Simulation
A simulation is essentially a model that works to mimic the operation of a proposed or real system.The simulation will be based on time and will take into account resources and restrictions, as well as interactions. Such software could be used, for example, to represent the operations of a normal day in a bank. Simulation is a powerful tool because you can easily and quickly check and test process changes. You can quickly get information to make improvements in your organization. The great thing about simulation is that it also helps to involve staff in the process of developing process improvements.
Simulation allows those involved in projects to visualize and determine the benefits, along with the limitations that need to be resolved.
7.Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing is a process that works to eliminate business waste and, in doing so, increase production. Overall, there are seven different types of waste that lean manufacturing will aim to reduce.8.Process Mapping
Process mapping consists of creating a diagram to represent the most detailed details of your process. Some examples of this could be flowcharts, value flow mapping, or BPMN.9.Total Quality Management (TQM)
TQM stands for Total Quality Management. In general, companies that use TQM will follow guidelines that involve a systematic approach to achieving their objectives and goals.All employees will work together to achieve the same objectives and customers will determine the level of quality. Companies that use TQM will define the steps of a process and then monitor performance. Companies will use TQM diagrams to solve quality problems.
10. Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
(PDCA). After identifying processes that require significant improvement, organizations use PDCA to make those processes much more efficient.Business process management combines documentation and process improvement; performance management; organizational change management; with technological change; all with an aim towards ensuring success; sustainability; excellence; while enabling a process culture. Each process improvement methodology works towards helping organizations identify various challenges; solve each one in an outstanding way; then analyze absolute success or failure of changes implemented. This saves lots of time; ultimately improving your process by eliminating manual; highly repetitive tasks or activities. The continuous nature of this improvement is because improving particular process within bottleneck area will only expose another bottleneck; which ends up being next one significantly improved.
. SweetProcess is a process improvement software that allows you efficiently optimize all your business processes by documenting or recording in detail all standard operating procedures; collaborating; keeping track each task with ease. Process improvement techniques were actually invented complement each other easily; not compete with.
