GETTING STARTED WITHBUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

WHITE PAPER BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

6 WAYS TO PROCESS IMPROVEMENT SUCCESSSo you’ve been given the go-ahead on your shiny

new business process improvement initiative. The

champagne corks have been popped, you’ve given

yourself a big pat on the back then suddenly the eyes of

the business are on you – asking how you are going to

make it a success.

Here are six ways to improve your chances of Process

Improvement Success:

1. Get The Project Team RightGetting the interpersonal dynamics and skills of the

project team right is absolutely critical.

y Hire doers, not delegators.

y Hire people who have the same attitude to work.

Don’t hire bureaucrats or people who think having

meetings equates to getting things done.

y Hire people who are passionate.

y Hire great communicators.

y Hire people who are sociable.

y Hire great writers (who are great thinkers).

y Hire people with flexible attitudes.

y Hire people who are down to earth.

y Hire experts.

2. Pick The Right TechnologyJust because it’s in the Gartner Magic Quadrant doesn’t

mean it’s the right solution to your business problem.

It’s also likely to also be the most costly solution to your

business problem. There is an almost overwhelming range

of software on the market to suit every business need so

selecting a vendor should be more about fit with needs

rather than who is winning the most deals and who is less

risky.

Big software companies often have the same painful process

issues you are trying to fix, so why should you try to fix your

problems with the same kind of thinking that created them?

3. Start with The CustomerToo many organisations have a myopic view which focuses

firstly on internal processes prior to looking at the customer.

Focusing on what the customer needs and looking at end-to-

end process from a customer experience perspective stops

wasted time and effort improving processes and tasks which

shouldn’t actually exist in the first place.

Start with the customer, define what they need and align

your organisational processes to that need and you can’t go

far wrong.

4. Implement Change Management (Properly!)Change Management.

That’s that warm and fuzzy feel-good stuff, puffed up with

words like “engagement” and “actualisation”, right? Wrong.

It’s time everyone started to take Change Management

more seriously – studies have shown that projects are six

times more likely to succeed if they have good change

management.

Get a change manager on board and on-board early.

A good change manager is worth their weight in gold – it’s

a specialised skill that requires experience, expertise and a

structured approach.

5. Bring The Business into the Project (Fully!)Part-time business commitment is the first sure-fire sign of a

delivery disconnect.

If the business are unwilling to commit at least one full-time

resource to a process improvement project then stop the

bus and let everyone off.

Not only is the business’s expertise essential to progressing

the project, but a lack of commitment on a project that is

designed to improve the business itself shows that they

either do not adequately understand or appreciate the

benefits that the initiative will bring or have no faith in your

ability to deliver!

Either way, business commitment is another critical step on

the path to success.

6. Prove The ConceptStart small. Never go “big bang”.

Prove the concept.

It’s far too risky in this day and age to start with a huge

transformational implementation of software if you have

never implemented the software before. Start with a small

project that can prove the benefits of your business case and

ramp it up from there.

It will also help you to confirm that you have the right project

team skills and that your cost estimates are correct before

you sign a big cheque that may have you throwing yourself

on your own sword come the end of financial year.

There are many other ways to improve the success of a

process improvement initiative but getting these six right at

the start will take you a long way towards the goal of a happy

business, and most importantly, happy customers.

More than searching for a vendor that offers x, y, or z it is

important to look for a solution that can solve your business

problems. In many cases, an organization will task an

employee for identifying and cataloguing multiple vendors

without understanding the overall need or push for this type

of solution.

OVERCOMING THE TOP CHALLENGESTaking on the task of implementing any new

business solution is often daunting and time

consuming. Even the best laid plans are going to

come with potential roadblocks, so facing them head

on and steering clear of the most common ones

means you will have a far greater chance of success.

Process improvement solutions have the potential

to help a company cut costs and improve processes,

but poorly planned and implemented rollouts can

result in financial and productivity losses, and a

project failure.

According to a recent industry survey, the

following are the top obstacles encountered by

firms while implementing new technology, be it

Business Process Management, Enterprise Content

Management or Process Automation. In this paper,

we cover these primary challenges and identify the

ways an organization can avoid or overcome them

to successfully achieve process improvement that

lasts.

CHALLENGE #1

Underestimated process and organizational issuesIn general, the initial engagement between vendor and client

should follow a clearly defined process, which is a best-practice

for success in the adoption and use of technology. The first step

within an organization should be a discovery process to explore

the organization’s flows and processes and provide suggestions

for process improvement and efficiency maximization.

The Solution: This first step is not complete until both the vendor

and the client are clear on the architecture of their business

processes. If your provider does not offer this assessment, it

may be a red flag, and time to find a new solution.

“As an IT Director, I like things that just work and leave me alone. I don’t have to fight it, and I get good support from my vendor, every time.”

Chris Devous

IT Director, The Antigua Group

CHALLENGE #2

Lack of training and supportIf you don’t know how to use the solution, or if it’s hard

to use, then chances are that your implementation will

fail. Time and time again, expensive software purchases

go under-utilized because of lack of training and support

material. There may be elements to the software that you

are not be taking full advantage of, or features that are not

being utilized correctly due to improper training.

When working with any new technology, especially an out

of the box solution that doesn’t come with training or an

implementation team, chances are there are features that

your staff either doesn’t know exist or doesn’t know how to

use.

Without an in-house expert, how can your organization be

sure they are taking full advantage of the technology?

The Solution: To safeguard against this problem, choose a

vendor that offers continued services, support, education

and product enrichment to ensure that the software

investment is paying off.

While an out-of-the-box approach is often appealing initially

due to the lower price, the costs quickly begin to rise as your

business realizes that in-house experts must be hired, you

are responsible for properly training the staff, and additional

personnel must be brought on to properly implement,

manage and support the system.

SharePoint is an excellent example of this exact scenario.

Unfortunately, too many organizations underestimate the

long term costs of such solutions. As Tony Byrne, founder of

CMS Watch, states on Search CIO, “you cannot overestimate

the need for SharePoint training among your own staff.”

CHALLENGE #3

Project derailed by internal politicsThe ubiquitous Achilles’ heel of every implementation

project: internal politics, which govern and decide the fate of

many software investments.

The Solution: To avoid confusion and disagreements during

the implementation phase, after discovering the needs

and flows of the organization, your provider should offer a

customized strategy and expected ROI. A well detailed and

thorough plan will avoid any surprises and reduce potential

disruptions to the process.

Proven ResultsBefore ClosetMaid found DocuPhase,

the company committed over 8,000

A/P invoices each month to microfiche.

Retrieving archived data could take a

week or more.

With an ECM system, AP professionals

now scan incoming invoices right away.

ClosetMaid saved over $100,000 in labor

costs and equipment in just their first

year using document management and

workflow solutions from DocuPhase - a

great example of a quickly and efficiently

completed project.

CHALLENGE #4

Uneven usage due to poor procedures and lack of enforcementOngoing process improvement and ensuring enterprise

adoption are among the requirements to consider an

implementation successful.

The Solution: Your system should be designed to ensure

compliance with internal and external policies, keep

change management efficient and reduce downtime during

operation optimization.

CHALLENGE #5

Underestimated the effort to distill and migrate contentWhether its scanning reams and reams of paper documents

or importing gigabytes of files, the migration of your mission-

critical documents shouldn’t be a hassle or a reason to derail

an implementation. Come to think of it, your commitment

to migrate the content was the reason you probably looked

for a solution in the first place. The implementation plan and

strategy should ensure that your company feels comfortable

with the procedure as you move forward with your solution.

The Solution: Be sure to choose a provider that can assist

and provide support to overcome this challenge.

CHALLENGE #6

Poor planningThorough planning is absolutely necessary if a program is to

succeed. Close to 70% of all process improvement projects

fail, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Chances

are it was not a hasty decision when your organization

decided to take on a process improvement project; the

planning stages should not be hasty, either. Yet, in the rush

to get the new system up and running, too many companies

do not spend enough time in the pre-planning phase.

In fact, part of the problem is that businesses are not

properly trained or equipped to effectively dissect their own

processes in the manner required for optimal success. Also,

similar to the old adage “can’t see the forest for the tress,”

businesses can get derailed by (often insignificant) details

and can struggle to stay focused on the big picture.

The Solution: When selecting the right technology for your

business, choose a vendor that will be your partner, not

just your provider. An ideal solution will provide technology

and services to ensure you get the solutions you are

seeking. Thus, make sure your provider offers a trained and

competent staff, not just an IT team, but process experts

who can assist your business in the planning stages. Another

option is to bring in a third party business consultant that is

experienced in implementations similar to your own project.

CHALLENGE #7

Lack of Goals & PrioritiesPriorities and goals need to be established before starting

any new system.

Without priorities, there could be delays and more time

taken than necessary on any given project, but with the

proper priority system in place, tasks can be completed in an

orderly fashion and big issues can be solved. This will allow

companies to get to the most important, pressing tasks first

and go from there.

Without goals, there is not way to measure success.

How will your company know if your implementation and

overall system is successful or not?

The Solution: Set objectives and priorities early. Work with

your vendor to ensure that goals are aligned with overall

business plans and that the are being met at specific points

along the way.

Don’t wait until 6 months after roll out to evaluate if goals

were met, be conscientious along the way and evaluate early

and often. Don’t be so invested that you cannot be flexible

and adaptable, as this is the best way to ensure long term

success.

Proven ResultsAntigua Shirts manufactures on-demand

custom sports shirts. Orders arrive in

many formats—via third-party websites,

paper order forms, and retail stores.

There was an average turnaround of 3

days to fulfill orders.

Antigua Shirts used DocuPhase ECM

solutions to transform a three day

order process into a 24-hour automated

workflow. After a two week software

implementation, the savings in labor

dropped straight to the bottom line.

This project, once DocuPhase was

involved, had years-old problems solved

DocuPhase delivers process automation, document

management, and capture tools designed to help your

enterprise stay organized and meet evolving technology

and business needs.

When you use our integrated platform to manage all of

your core business functions, you work more effectively,

automate service delivery, and provide top-tier customer

experiences.

We solve your most challenging problems, including

access to information, burdensome approval processes,

high transaction volumes, and complex compliance issues.

www.DocuPhase.com