Initiating processes improvements that add value.

By Jean Minka

What is a process improvement?

A business process improvement, also called process redesign or reengineering, is simply reducing the
pain of doing a particular task, while achieving a better outcome.
At home or at work, Process Improvement seems to be the ideal situation, because it has everything to
gain from: on the one hand, your pain to accomplish your objective is reduced, and on the other hand, you
are achieving a better outcome.
That being said, processes improvement, particularly in a business setting, can be very hard to initiate, as
these calls for change face strong opposition, from colleagues to top management. Process improvement
sponsors often discover the hard fact that at a superb idea that might reduce pain, save money and
increase profits, may not necessarily receive the organizations support that it needs to be carried out.

Process improvement involves change

When I told my mother ten years ago that digital telephony will allow a voicemail destined to a home
telephone to be read, rewind, paused or deleted from a TV set in another room, she said: "That's just
too much. First, I will refuse to change my phone to digital. And if I had no choice, then I will stop using
the telephone altogether. I dont need the telephone that much anyways." In reality, my mother, isnt alone
to resist change; similar behavioral patterns are observed regularly in school boards, congress and
parliaments, military, the United Nations, and even in the best run companies in the world. Apparently,
mankind, in general, has always have the tendency to resist change, even when the latter may make our
life better.

Three criteria to succeed at initiating business process improvement

A business process improvement includes 3 main steps. First the idea must be initiated by someone,
usually the sponsor; the idea is then approved by management. Second, the idea approved is
implemented, and finally its results are measured against the objectives.
Initiating a process improvement is perhaps the most important of all phases. More often than not,
skimping through this critical step will lead to less than expected outcomes, or total failure and a waste of
resources. Because initiating is a process improvement is a process of its own, it demands careful
planning and execution. The following 3 factors would help a business process improvement initiating.

1- Rely on facts based on hard data to support the need to improve a particular
process
First, mindful of the fact that people are likely to resist any idea of change, the basic idea of ever
changing a system must be based on facts rather than opinions. Often times process improvement
sponsors find it difficult to initiate the idea of change within an organization, particularly when the
change in question is centered on opinions rather than facts that are supported by hard data. Edwards

Deming, the pioneer of process improvement once said: "In God we trust; all other must bring data". It is
critical that the change in question be strictly supported by facts.
For example, if you believe the implementation of a new programming methodology will reduce the
number of bugs and the time to write program codes than the current system, then present vivid data to
both the decision makers and your team of software engineers. Show to them that the last 10 projects have
slipped by an average of 50%, and that 5 out of 10 customers have reported at least one new bug within 7
days of every new release. Demonstrate using data, how customer satisfaction has been affected by these
slippage and bugs, and prove how these delays have impacted sales forecast, and undermined the
marketing efforts. Remember no matter how great the case for a change may be, you will still face
reluctance and opposing voices. In those instances, only hard facts will strengthen your business case.
2- Build support from the business unit directly involved in the process change
Prior to seeking approval from management, build support not a compromise among the direct
beneficiaries of the process to be implemented.
Ultimately, management authority guarantees that the change will be implemented. However, success
may never follow, without the buy-in of the business units directly affected by the process change. It is
therefore critical during the imitating phase, to communicate clearly the vision of the change about to be
undertaken, and to assure that teams implicated are empowered to carry out that vision and implement the
necessary change.

3- Obtain top management approval and continual support throughout

Using the term approval and support may seem redundant in this context. The point here is that
management not only must give the financial blessing to go on with the project, but must also become a
principal agent of this change. Using vehicles such as all-hands meetings, business unit tours, Presidents
message to employees, webcasts, etc., top management must continue to drive the vision of change and
justify the common benefits that it brings to the organization.

Conclusion
Processes improvement bring about change in people's way of doing things. Whether a process
reengineering reduces our pain in accomplishing some of our daily goals or improves the organizations
bottom line, the fact remains that it implies to change, and sometimes in a profound manner, our "old
way" of doing things. That "change", or disruption of our routine, is often one of the main hurdle that
process improvement projects must overcome.
Before any push for a particular business process improvement, the new idea must first be fact-based and
data driven. Second, the idea must be accepted and adopted more so than anyone else, by those directly
affected by the system or process to be reengineered. Finally the idea must obtain approval and continual
support throughout its implementation from top management. Failing to meeting these three criteria will
ultimately lead to a significant waste of resources (engineering exercise, people's time, money) that could
have been used to pursue other business opportunities.
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