IT Architects™ Process Redesign

Process Redesign alters or re-defines how a business process is conducted to increase efficiency in terms of time and performance, increase customer value, reduce cost, or meet some other process objective. IT Architects uses the term ‘Process Redesign’ to refer to both Business Process Improvement (BPI) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR):

Business Process Improvement
The improvement of existing work activities to increase efficiency or reduce costs.

Business Process Re-engineering
The complete transformation of a business process to meet new organizational objectives. We refer to this as re-inventing the business process to meet new or changing business requirements.

The IT Architects™ Process Redesign  framework is based on a conceptually new business model and an associated set of techniques pioneered by Michael Hammer. The framework is premised on helping an organization understand why it does a specific business process and why it does it that way. Furthermore, the framework idealizes process development by eliminating process fragmentation.

Processes in a company correspond to natural business activities, but they are often fragmented and obscured by the organizational structures. Processes are invisible and unnamed because people think about the individual departments, not about the process with which all of them are involved. Processes also tend to be unmanaged while people are put in charge of their departments or work units, and no one is given the responsibility for getting the whole job – the process – done. Thus, processes lack ownership and only partial responsibility is assigned where individuals are responsible for completing only part of the process. This is typical of business processes that cross functional boundaries and require individuals from multiple departments to complete them. This lack of responsibility or streamlining is even more pronounced when a business process requires the involvement of external entities such as suppliers, vendors and other business partners.

The  IT Architects™ Process Redesign framework is based on a 5 stage approach:

Stage 1: Project Ramp-up – establish objectives, scope, workplan;
identify Steering Committee, participants

Stage 2: “As-Is” Process Evaluation – collect data; model current work
processes; develop current performance metrics

Stage 3: “To-Be” Process Design – conduct re-engineering
workshop(s); identify target performance levels; model
new work processes

Stage 4: “To-Be” Implementation Roll-out – conduct cost/benefit
analysis; develop migration strategy, including a change
management plan

Stage 5: “To-Be” Process Renewal – staged implementation;
continuous improvement

The IT Architects™ Process Redesign  framework is “implementized”. This means that the framework provides the methods and templates to aid the organization in redesigning their business processes and developing deliverables that are pragmatic with focus on implementation. Since most business processes are supported by systems, applications, and technology, it is important to consider automation of business processes using various technology alternatives during redesign efforts. Without an implementation plan to support the redesigned processes, the organization runs the risk of not knowing if it can implement what it has redesigned because of “unknown” implementation obstacles – whether they be organizational, technology or external constraints. Our consultants have worked with other firms specializing in BPR but lacking an implementation focus to know that many of their re-engineering efforts have been put in a binder and still collect dust in some back room office.