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Unit 6 Business Process Change Overview Erica R Williams GB560 Designing, Improving and Implementing Processes Professor Jerry Haenisch January 28, 2014

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Abstract Change is inevitable. It is going to happen whether it be in a personal or professional environment. Implementing change is where it gets difficult. Creating a Business Change Plan can help one develop a plan for change. It is very important that everyone at some points work toward change and thus helping the process work out successfully. Understanding the processes can help to create better plans and ultimately businesses. We have learned from the different processes that organizations can use that companies can benefit from these organizational changes. Lowes is implementing the new recruitment process that will help the company gain the talent it needs by incorporating more managers to help recruit and train.

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1. The importance of understanding Business Process Change as it relates to your future employment plans.

The importance of understanding Business Process Change as it relates to future employment plans is essential because it will allow me to be able to make better decisions. I will be more capable moving forward. By my understanding of the Process Change, I am able to realize how important it is for an organization to have a well-organized plan that all employees are with and cooperative with. As I think about my future an what I want to do professionally I have come to the conclusion that I must my plans as though it is a business and that will allow me to implement some process changes that one would most likely see in an organization. Having a vision of my future and what I want to do is vital. Having a vision will lead to a mission which will then help me focus on and create new strategies that will deliver guidelines for my goals to be applied and measured for effectiveness. For instance, key performance indicators can be used and are important in a personal plan just like in a business or professional plan. The same tools that are used to create business process changes within an organization can be used for personal and professional growth, thus applying all that I have learned about the Business Process Change. Methods and theories such as the Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma and ISO9000/9001 can be used in order to help me grow personally and professionally. For example, using this methods and theories can help me to improve my resume and skills. When there is organization and control most things can be accomplished if I stay focused and work hard. Since I now have a better understanding of the Business Process Changes, I now feel as though I am better prepared to move forward in my professional career with more challenging adventures.
2. Is a formal process change necessary for all organizational changes? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not?

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In order to be successful and even competitive in todays world a formal process change is necessary. This allows companies the opportunity to find more complex ways of managing their businesses. Much of the current corporate interest in business process change can be dated from the business process eeengineering (BPR) movement that began in 1990 (Harmon, 2008). With advancements in technology including computers and software, organizations have tried to incorporate these into their systems in order to facilitate the processes. The processes are now more systematic and the workflow systems have improved the applications. Most organizations focus is on the customer and ensuring that they are taken care of. If the customer is taken care of then they will typically come back to that company to spend more. Dr. Harold S. Resnick created a system to which he explains that it is vital for organizations to have a vision and a clear understanding of the market in which the company serves. They also need to fully have an understanding of the desired customer profile. Once these two elements are defined, the elements in the middle of the diagram is the organizational system. This system exists for only one purpose - to deliver the power of the organizations vision to its customers. Every element needs to be examined and re-designed to make sure that it is "fit for purpose" to deliver the vision to customers (Resnick, 2014). Each business strategy can have different theories and ideas. Some would advocate that a formal process approaches strategic analysis very systematically. Whereas others would support less formal processes. A few may argue that the world is changing fast and companies need to depend on the instincts of their senior executives as well as evolve new positions on the fly in order to move rapidly (Harmon, 2008). Having a formal process change for organizations work. There have been many professionals that have been able to experiment and study these systems as proof. Harvard professor Michael Porter defined and explained the terms competitive

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strategy. Organizations also need to understand and apply the systems and strategies such as the Balanced Scorecard and Six Sigma along with others to stay in line with other, larger organizations. The larger organizations have been able to implement these systems into their business processes and have become successful. Since this has occurred, it should be said that all organizations need to use a formal process change in their business.
3. Review the Business Process Change document you submitted in Unit 5 and describe in detail whether the information contained within sufficiently addressed issues related to the suggested change (made in Unit 1).

Business Process Change methods have been around for a while and today many organizations use them. These processes help companies improve in several ways and they involve different departments from IT and Human Resources to other managerial duties. At Lowes Home Centers, Inc., the process change conducted was not any different from what other organizations might use whether they be smaller or larger than Lowes. As the company grows, Lowes has to change the way it does business not only for its customers but for its employees and shareholders as well. The Business Process Change that was submitted in unit 5 described what needed to be done to make recruiting talent for the Lowes stores better for the employees, customers and the company. The business change process stated that Lowes needed to be able to have managers other than the Human Resources Manager be responsible for each stores recruitment needs. It is evident that one person is not able to be the sole recruiter for all positions within a location. Thus implementing the change that allows the Assistant store managers to go out to competitors and recruit as well. When a Human Resources Manager posts a job to fill for whichever location they are working in they are most of the time going in blind and hoping to get qualified candidates. With not having a full understanding of what is needed they sometimes missed the

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ball on their candidates, which cost the company money in the recruitment process, the hiring process as well as the training process. Lowes would most likely use the balanced scorecard and some key performance indicators in order to successfully implement a business process change such as the one proposed. They can also be open to looking at how other companies may have implemented such plans in order to be successful. Having the Assistant Store Managers assist with the recruiting needs will be more beneficial to the company overall and if other companies have succeeded with this approach then Lowes would have more of an advantage from the beginning.
3a. What additional information should be included in your specific change document for the process(es) identified? Why would those items need to be included? If no additional items or information is necessary explain why your document, as written, is thorough and complete as a process change plan.

Ultimately, there are several different methods that can be used by an organization in order to implement a process change. The Business Process Change that Lowes is working on implementing with their new recruitment policy would not need a different process than the ones identified. The document submitted included all necessary information on how the process currently runs and how the process would run after the Business Process Change was implemented. It seems to be a smooth process and other than trial and error, there is not much to change. Moving forward with the plan submitted would be more beneficial to Lowes as a company and they would be able to go ahead and get started in order to fully have a better understanding of what they need to do and how to accomplish each step.

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References Harmon, P. (2008). Business Process Change (2nd ed.) Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers/Elsevier. Resnick, H. (n.d.). Organizational change management process. Retrieved from
http://worksystems.com/services/organizational_change.html