Why is it so difficult to improve processes across your business? Why, in particular when technology is involved, does it appear to be more frustrating and difficult?

‍

With so much written over the years on process improvement and "how to"- you might wonder why most processes across your businesses still need to be streamlined and made more efficient.

‍

Consider the possibility that while the optimal business process may be a logical sequence of rational steps, the "process to put that improvement into place" may not always be?

‍

When you sit back to look at the intersection of:

•  what you do

•  why you do it

•  how a particular process was created "way back when"

•  how you would do it if you were starting from scratch

•  different needs and expectations of the various functions’ stakeholders

•  reactions to change across your business and customer community,

the task of optimizing process can look daunting.

‍

This job can be challenging when the process primarily falls within the usage and implementation of a close-knit team with a common perspective. What happens when the primary usage and implementation cuts acrossmany people's, teams, products, and impacts many customers both internal and external?

‍

As you look at your business today, many realize that one key element to remaining competitive, is to use technology more effectively to reduce time to market and to save internal cost and confusion. So how can you insert more logic and reason into the "process to put the improvement into place"?

‍

Before you start that next process improvement project, take a few minutes to ask and answer a few basic questions:

•  Why are you considering these projects? Are they IT projects, or business projects? Does everyone agree? How do you know?

•  How difficult is "doing something different" for this group? Is it worth finding out before you start?

•  What is the relationship between your customers' ability and need to change and your business' need? An alignment disconnect here, will flow back into your process.

•  How is this improved process going to help the customer? Do they need to be invited to the table?

•  When someone says, "You want me to do what"? Find out why - there might be a logical reason for that reaction. A reason that will enhance the final outcome.

•  When you encounter "we all want to change" but leave my stuff alone - ask why. You might learn something very important that will help.

‍

Stakeholders frequently have very different needs and views. Taking the time to understand that diversity can be used as an asset in orderto create a more robust solution.

‍

The challenge to delivering products and services is typically not the service per se. It's the relationship of the people to the current offering as well as the new offering. The interface either enables people to be successful or frustrates them.

•  How does the proposed service meet their needs?

•  How long did it take to learn to be effective using the current process? This is key to understanding the emotional investment people have in today's solution.

•  How is the new process going to make life easier for the stakeholders?

‍

Frequently, it's not about the process and technology, it's about people's emotional investment in current state. Taking the time to understand it, respect it, and productively address it may in fact enable you to reap benefits far beyond your original goals!

‍