Don’t let your investment send your team to sleep
You’ve taken the time to get someone in to document your processes and now you’re sitting in a meeting trying to convince the senior managers to engage with the model that has been produced. You’ve noticed some deep yawning and lots of sneaky phone use. How can you get this team to get behind the value of what lies in this diagram?
Start right
For a process model to be more than a picture in your organisation it is important to be certain about two keys things before you start;
- That the right amount of information is documented. Too little and you limit its value, too much and it will just be ignored.
- That the type of model developed uses the correct standard of documentation. Using a standard that is open to interpretation will just cause confusion.
A ‘good’ process model should clearly set out what it is the business area or team does, who does it and the tools (that is technology) required to carry the process out. This means in practice that a process model must capture more than just process steps, it also needs supporting information.
Gather your supporting information
The supporting information is:
- Applications;
- Information(the data); and
- Technology
When deciding where to start documenting and how much information to document, you must ask yourself: “What is the business problem that needs to be solved by documenting the process?”Be clear about the problem that needs solving.
The process model will very quickly become nothing more than a very expensive picture when information is captured for the sake of capturing it and the business is not clear about why it is process modelling or which process state is important to document, that is current state, improved as-is or future state. Your reason for process modelling may be driven by:
- A need to provide training on the process
- A need to address changes in policy or to manage risk
- A need to change systems
- A need to identify areas for improvement
Ensure you have your team behind you
Once you’re clear about all of the above, you may want to get your team on board. Often its useful to have the CEO or an executive as your champion. The majority of managers simply don’t have the time for the potential change you are about to bring in as a result of process documentation – it’s not the document, it’s the next steps which they have to execute that they’re worried about.
Make communication part of your plan
Consider planning to communicate with them on this on a regular basis. Ensure they understand along the way not only what will be produced but the net effect of the change. You may want to identify that with them once the processes have been mapped. Not only will you take your audience with you, which should make the next step easier, but you may also save some time and money by avoiding any double up in mapping previously mapped processes.
Today one of the most widely used process standards is BPMN 2.0 and BPM Masters can provide your staff with training in this standard and work with you to ensure you’re not the only one trying to get the process mapped and change delivered.
Need help mapping process? Contact us and we’ll start you on the right track.
