Managing business process improvement initiatives is not always easy for a project manager. There are so many moving parts and it is difficult to get the right people on the team just when you need them. Additionally, the stress alone over managing a project that could affect the entire business if it goes wrong is just enough to get any project manager running in the other direction!
These 10 tips will help to ensure that the next business process improvement project you run is less stressful and a success!
- Don’t shortchange the planning process! Spend significant time up front in planning out the project with the entire team and your stakeholders. Think about every possible detail – for example, who will be affected by the change and how you will manage any risks that occur.
- Communicate, communicate, and communicate again! Even when you think you have communicated enough…communicate some more! You can’t over-communicate in process improvement initiatives.
- Get the right people on the team. You’ll need process analysts, business analysts, process redesign specialists, change management experts, quality assurance experts and others who are needed to ensure the success of the project.
- Consider a process advisory team to help you and the project team. This team should include individuals who represent the perspective of a particular department/business unit affected to be the pilot test group in testing out the new process. Individuals you can bounce ideas off of to get their input on how something might work for them. They will not be involved in day-to-day tasks related to the project. These individuals may also help you to socialize the project within the company or the particular business unit.
- Include a checkpoint review team. Checkpoint review teams are of help in such projects to make recommendations on whether to proceed with aspects of the project – your go/no go decision points. These team members may be separate from your day-to-day team and can help with quality testing, communications, risk identification and management guidance, and providing general guidance to you as the project manager.
- Bring on a facilitator for important meetings with stakeholders. An experienced facilitator can help you to ensure you get the information you need to make decisions. Experienced facilitators know the right questions to ask and how to ensure everyone provides input into the process.
- Get others involved in the design processes. Make sure stakeholders – those will be using the process and will be most affected – are involved in the “as is,” “could be” and “to be” design processes. In the “as is” process, they are helping you to map out exactly how the process is today. In the “could be” designs, they are helping you to visualize options for redesigning the process. In the “to be” process redesign, they are helping you to combine the best of the “could be’s” into a “to be” that meets the needs of the organization, the project objective, and, certainly, of key importance, enabling them to better perform their roles.
- Map process designs to criteria. Make sure that any “could be” process designs you undertake map to the criteria selected for the project. For example, if you want customer service calls answered by the second ring, or to ensure that all packages are delivered to the correct address 100% of the time, any process redesign initiative must meet those criteria to move forward.
- Develop a detailed business case. Make sure the business case you develop includes all the details needed to make go/no go decisions at various stages of the project. Get the right people involved at the right time to ensure you capture what is needed to make the best decisions for the project.
- Are there quick wins? Ask the individuals who are doing the job now what ways they have thought of to improve how they work. The smallest idea able to be implemented is a quick win that provides you the buy-in to keep on going with the project – and the champions you need for project success!
Your thoughts? What ideas do you have for ensuring process improvement initiatives are a success? Share your thoughts in the Comments field below. Thanks!
More tips to follow in a future post.
