How do you balance business process improvement with agility and flexibility in a dynamic environment?

🤔 Improving processes in dynamic environments can be challenging. There are effective ways to drive changes when everything always seems to be in a state of flux. ‘Freeze’ a process. For a fixed period of time, for example 8 weeks, gain agreement that no other changes will be applied or requested to a process being targeted for improvement. This agreement must include the senior leadership team. This will give you time to analyze the process, then improve and monitor solutions implemented without additional factors influencing your results. If you found this insight useful, 💡"Upvote" 💡this contribution. Matt Rebeiro - Challenge the Status Quo #BusinessProcessImprovement #LeanSixSigma #ProjectManagement #process

É essencial alinhar o BPI com os objetivos estratégicos da organização. Isso significa identificar e priorizar os processos que têm o maior impacto nos objetivos estratégicos da empresa. Ao focar nesses processos-chave, é possível otimizá-los de forma a alcançar metas organizacionais enquanto mantém a flexibilidade necessária para se adaptar às mudanças do mercado e às demandas dos clientes.

Balancing business process improvement with agility and flexibility requires continuous assessment, agile methodologies, and a flexible approach. Empowering teams, embracing technology, and maintaining a customer-centric focus are essential. Robust performance monitoring and feedback mechanisms ensure data-driven decision-making for continuous optimization.

Prior to embarking on the Business Process Improvement (BPI) initiative, it's crucial to recognize that processes serve as a conduit for translating values from the overarching vision to specific objectives. Therefore, the formulation of BPI objectives should be a meticulous process aimed at aiding the organization in achieving its overarching goals, with a primary focus on sustainability and consistency. The initial steps involve analyzing the statement of direction, addressing pain points, and prioritizing process areas that wield the highest impact. This strategic approach allows for the identification and implementation of quick wins, fostering stakeholder buy-in and setting the foundation for the broader BPI journey.

When I started a new freight brokerage business, balancing business process improvement with agility was a challenge. The dynamic market demanded flexibility, yet processes needed to be built for us to be successful. To address this, my partner Mark aligned BPI with the company's strategic goals. Every improvement initiative was evaluated against core objectives. Agile teams were empowered to adapt processes on the fly, ensuring responsiveness to market changes. Regular strategy reviews ensured alignment. This approach allowed our company to streamline operations while remaining nimble, turning challenges into opportunities and driving sustained growth.

Business process improvement (BPI) and agility can go hand in hand if you align BPI with your strategic goals. This means regularly checking if your processes match what your business needs right now. In my experience, I once worked with a small company that was struggling to keep up with changes in the market. We took a step back and adjusted their processes to match their new goals. This made them more responsive, and they started growing again. Always remember to adapt your processes as your business changes. This helps you stay flexible while still improving efficiency.

Incorporating a structured methodology beyond the traditional yet effective PDCA cycle, we opt for a more systematic approach such as DMIAC to guide our Business Process Improvement (BPI) project. This decision is driven by the recognition of the need for agility and flexibility to align with the dynamic nature of our environment. This approach ensures a comprehensive framework for improvement while allowing for adaptability to changing circumstances.

Sou suspeito pra falar, pois adoro um PDCA (rs), mas... aplicar o ciclo PDCA pode ser uma estratégia eficaz. Esse ciclo permite que as melhorias sejam implementadas de forma iterativa e contínua, possibilitando ajustes conforme necessário ao longo do tempo. Ao seguir o ciclo PDCA, as organizações podem experimentar mudanças incrementais nos processos enquanto mantêm a flexibilidade para adaptar-se a novas condições e desafios do ambiente de negócios.

Using the PDCA cycle—Plan, Do, Check, Act—is a great way to balance business process improvement with flexibility. This method lets you test changes, see what works, and make adjustments as needed. Once, I implemented the PDCA cycle in a project that was facing delays. We planned new steps, tried them out, checked the results, and made changes based on feedback. This approach not only fixed our issues but also made the team feel more involved. By continuously cycling through these steps, you can keep improving while staying adaptable to new challenges.

É essencial usar a capacidade do processo e ferramentas de gerenciamento da qualidade. Isso envolve a análise cuidadosa da capacidade atual do processo para identificar áreas de melhoria e a aplicação de ferramentas de qualidade, como o Diagrama de Ishikawa e o Controle Estatístico de Processos, para otimizar o desempenho do processo de forma eficiente. Essas abordagens permitem melhorias contínuas, mantendo a flexibilidade para se adaptar às mudanças no ambiente de negócios.

Combining the DMAIC approach with carefully chosen process capability and quality management tools drawn from established frameworks such as CMMI, Six Sigma, TQM, Lean, etc., tailored to our system and cultural maturity level, can yield significant benefits. Concurrently, it is imperative to initiate structured change management and culture transformation efforts. These initiatives are crucial for nurturing sustained improvement and fostering a knowledge-based culture within the organization.

This is such an important step, maybe even the most important one. Collecting feedback from customers or team members is an excellent first step. Based on that feedback, we need to take action, which can often be challenging due to a lack of follow-through or clear processes. Here's what I do: Set a clear workflow for processing that feedback, including assigning responsibility for review, deciding which feedback to implement, and setting timelines for action. Use project management tools like Asana or Trello to track feedback from collection to implementation, keeping stakeholders updated on progress. I learned that it's important to celebrate wins, no matter how small, to show the impact of feedback and keep the team onboard. 🎉

Business process improvement transcends a mere process or isolated project; it embodies a culture and mindset essential for realizing tangible benefits, and this transformation is unattainable without the support of the people involved. Engage your team actively, provide them with empowerment, and guide your organization towards becoming a learning entity. Cultivate an environment of no-blame, promoting a culture where innovation is encouraged, risks are embraced, and the fear of change or experimentation is overcome.

I think a great idea is to ask your customers for feedback every time they buy. Just ask 1 question. You can change that question up as often as you feel you have enough feedback from your following questions. Its engaging to meet as a team and review the answers and data from the question you have been asking. It empowers teams to give their suggestions and really hear what the customers are saying and giving them a voice and understanding for how you can address this as a team. It can be hard to get feedback from clients, but I believe it you make it short and not ask too much, you'll be surprised by how generous people are and how valuable that feedback can be.

Empowering your teams and involving your customers is key to effective business process improvement. When employees feel trusted to make decisions, they are more likely to suggest improvements that enhance agility. In my own experience, I encouraged my team to share ideas for streamlining our processes. One suggestion from a team member led to a significant reduction in turnaround time. Involving customers also helps you understand their needs better. Their feedback can guide you in making changes that improve service while keeping your processes flexible. This teamwork creates a stronger foundation for success.