April 2010
Process Improvement
The current economic situation provides organisations with an excellent opportunity to examine current operational performance with a view to making changes and improvements. Process Improvement is a goal that all organisations should strive for - to constantly review the way they work in order to make improvements in the future.
Processes are the fundamental building blocks of all organisations. Understanding and improving processes are the keys to sustaining and growing organisational success. Processes are the steps by which we add value, and it should be the aim of customer focused, quality organisations, for these outputs to satisfy or exceed the needs and expectations of their customers.
Everything we do is a process, whether it is documented or not, and in each area or function of an organisation there are many processes taking place. Therefore, the opportunity to improve processes needs to be focused.
Six Steps to Process Improvement:
Process Selection - select an achievable number of processes which directly influence business objectives.
Process Understanding - scopes the process - what is included in the process, where it starts and where it ends. A Process Map is created.
Process Performance - involves recording and detailing the historical performance of the process and agreeing the required performance of the future improved process
Process Review - data is reviewed and recommendations for process improvement made. Identify the timescales for realising improvements and business benefits.
Process Change - transforms the process improvement into action to bring about the change. This will include detailed project plans with milestones, objectives, performance measures and targets and training required for all staff involved in the new process.
Capturing the Change - the process improvements are integrated into the business management system, ensuring the change is reviewed, managed and built upon. Procedures should be written for the improved process and the changes, improvements and benefits communicated to all stakeholders.
The above steps make up the process "footprint" -leading to business improvement and growth.
(Source: DTI - Process Understanding and Improvement)
For further information contact Barbara.jones@companymatters.co.uk
March 2010
Planning for success
If only we had a crystal ball then planning could be so much easier! But there's not many of them around that work so we need to set enough time aside to plan for success. Whether it is personal success or business success planning is essential.
What is your vision for the future? What objectives do you need to achieve? And what will success look like? Have you written it down?
In business, a lack of planning can be the quickest route to business failure. Do you have a business plan for the next year or, better still, the next three years?
Your business plan will clarify your vision for the future. It will set out the purpose of your business and the objectives you have for it. You need three or four business objectives which should be specific and able to be measured so that you can monitor progress.
Virtually every business has keys to success. These could be location, new customers, value for money or simply reliability. You need to know what will make you successful.
What does your business do? What skills and experience do you have? Who will buy your products or services? Who are your competitors? Have you researched your market? Do you want to enter a new market? Answer these questions and you are well on your way.
You need to know that your business is viable. Provide realistic financial forecasts which will show that you can generate enough cash to cover costs and become profitable. Cash is the lifeblood to any business and forecasting accurately can be a daunting task. Stick to facts and the use of subjective assessment / judgment.
Don't delay - start planning today.