Companies often face a major challenge when implementing business process management plans because processes are often uniqueacross departmental and corporate boundaries. Because of this, it is often difficult to pin down a standardized way of getting the job done. However, the right combination of software and strategic process change implementation can help organizations overcome these issues and develop innovative process strategies intuitively.
Why processes tend to be unique
According to a recent BPM Leader report, many processes may look similar on the surface, but they end up becoming different because the corporate cultures and people vary so much from one company to another.
To illustrate this, the report's author turned to personal experience. At one time, he was asked to look a firm, analyze its engineering change process and recommend adjustments. Though a sales worker, he had already analyzed a number of similar companies, and the entire setup was designed to provide a full solution for process change control for engineering clients. At the outset, he believed he would be able to go into the client company and tell workers the best process setup possible and help them implement it. This was not the case.
Instead of appearing to be a process luminary, the author of the BPM leader article found himself being told that his past insights were not relevant because thecompany's processes wereunique. Thissurprised him, as his experience told himthat most engineering change processes were the same. After a few observations, the nuances of the situation clicked into place - the underlying processes were fairly common, but the organizational culture altered them just enough to make them unique.
This is often the case in many business sectors, the report said. As a result, any efforts to alter processes dependnot only on having the right solutions and technologies in place, but also on listening to workers and keeping their attitudes and opinions in mind.
Streamlining process change
Getting employees involved in process strategies can enable organizations to smooth any difficulties that come in new process-management strategies. By having multiple people from each department in the decision-making discussions, organizations can establish a few champions who can help their co-workers understand that the new operational functions being thrust upon them are not just a top-down initiative, but instead something that can make their lives easier.
Ben Farrell
Director of Corporate Communications
