MBS e-Courses:

Synergistic Processes

Business Processes

A Set of Collaborative Activities that Deliver Value to Customers

Process Defined

Process is "an organized group of related activities that together create a result of value to customers."¹

Each word in this definition is important:

• A process is a group of activities, not just one. Value is created not by single activities, but by the entire process in which all these tasks merge in a systematic way for a clear purpose.

• Activities are related and organized. They present a stream of relevant, interconnected activities that must be performed in sequence – the right things in the right way – to produce the desired outcome.

• All the activities in the process work together toward a common goal. "People performing different steps of a process must all be aligned around a single purpose, instead of focusing on their individual tasks in isolation."¹

• Process are not ends in themselves. They have a purpose, they create and deliver  results that customers care about.

"A business process is the complete and dynamically coordinated set of collaborative and transactional activities that deliver value to customers."⁴

6Ws of Corporate Growth

5. Know HOW: know how compete, innovate, organize business processes, win and retain customers... More

Business Process (BP): Functional View

"A process is a specific ordering of work activities across time and place, with a beginning, and end, and clearly identified inputs and outputs: a structure for action."³

This definition is easy to apply in the context of the work activities and tasks within a single department or functional group.² If the employees of different functional groups lack a common purpose and direction, each one will inevitably work at cross-purpose with the others.

The Tao of Business Process Innovation

• Yin: Adapt your processes  to the needs of your customers; Make it easy for your customers to do business with you.

• Yang: Innovate to exceed expectations of your customers; Help your customers and suppliers to benefit from your innovation.

Enterprise Business Process (EBP): Systems View

Enterprise business process (EBP) is "the end-to-end (cross-departmental, and often, cross-company) coordination of work activities that create and deliver ultimate value to customers."²

Enterprise-wide Business Process Management (EBPM)

EBPM, representing the third-wave of Business Process Management, is "a deliberate and collaborative approach to systematically – and systemically – managing all of a company's business processes," says Andrew Spanyi.

EBPM addresses the pressing need of the new knowledge-driven economy to integrate business process thinking with strategy, organizational structure and people issues. It requires that your executive team lead and manage differently and think more systemically about your business... More

8 Essential Principles of EBPM

1. Look at your business from the outside-in, from the customer's perspective, as well as from the inside-out... More

Kaizen – Continuous Improvement Strategy

Kaizen means "improvement". Kaizen strategy calls for never-ending efforts for improvement involving everyone in the organization – managers and workers alike... More

Kaizen Mindset

Emphasis on process – establish a way of thinking oriented at improving processes, and a management system that supports and acknowledges people's process-oriented efforts for improvement... More

Integrating E-business

Business processes must not only incorporate timely company information – for improved customer relationship management, supply chain management, and beyond, they must also be kept up-to-date with fast-changing business needs. E-business facilitating these processes is the way most business soon will be transacted. Whether or not you ever plan to sell products or services over the Web, your most important customer or supplier may one day insist upon using Web for all transaction... More

4 Phases of IT/Business Alignment

1. Plan: Translating business objectives into measurable IT services. The plan phase helps close the gap between what business managers need and expect and what IT delivers... More

 Case in Point  

Using the Best Practice at GE: The Trotter Scorecard

Many GE business units employ a tool called the Trotter Matrix to check on their use of best practices. The scorecard was developed by Lloyd Trotter, who ran the Electrical Distribution and Controls side at GE. He listed six desirable attributes for each of his plants and then scored each attribute... More

TPS-Lean Six Sigma

TPS-Lean Six Sigma is like a ‘turbo-charged’ Lean Six Sigma program.

TPS-Lean Six Sigma is a revolutionary, holistic concept. It actively has human capital embedded in Lean Six Sigma in a manner that not only stimulates commitment, integrity, work-life balance, passion, enjoyment at work and employee engagement but also stimulates individual and team learning in order to develop a motivated workforce and sustainable performance improvement and quality enhancement for the organization... More

Cross-functional management (CFM) manages business processes across the traditional boundaries of the functional areas. CFM relates to coordinating and synergizing the activities of different units for realizing the superordinate cross-functional goals and policy deployment. It is concerned with building a better system for achieving such cross-functional goals as innovation, quality, cost, and delivery... More

Bibliography:

1. "Agenda," Michael Hammer

2. "Business Process Management (BPM) is a Team Sport: Play it to Win!," Andrew Spanyi

3. "Putting the Enterprise into the Enterprise System", Thomas H. Davenport

4. "Business Process Management: The Third Wave", Howard Smith and Peter Fingar

5. "Synergizing Business Processes," Vadim Kotelnikov

6. "Synergizing Value Chain," Vadim Kotelnikov

7. "SMART Business Architect," Vadim Kotelnikov

8. "More For Less," Andrew Spanyi

9. "Lean Six Sigma : Combining Six Sigma Quality with Lean Production Speed," Michael L. George