METHODOLOGY
SELECTION GUIDELINES
The following excerpt is from the "Best Practices in
Business Process Reengineering" benchmarking report and the "Project Planning
Toolkit for Business Process Reengineering."
Good reengineering projects design and implement solutions that:
are
customer focused
capitalize
on best practices and learning from others
are
designed for the future
produce
significant bottom-line improvements for the business
The methodology selected for your project impacts the size of the
improvement and how fast the improvement will be realized.
These guidelines present an approach shown to be effective in other
companies. Research results from 248 projects are included. Ultimately, the best framework
is one you select based on this information, knowledge of your project, and any internal
practices at your company.
If you are trying to decide whether to use a continuous-
improvement methodology or a business process reengineering approach for your project,
review the decision matrix at the end of this tutorial.
Recommended Approach
The recommended approach for a business process reengineering project
includes the following phases:
- Project Planning and Launch (team selection, objective setting, scope definition,
methodology selection, schedule development, consultant selection, sponsor negotiations,
change management planning, team preparation)
- Current State Assessment and Learning from Others (high-level process definition, benchmarking,
customer focus groups, employee focus groups, technology assessment)
- Solution Design (process design, enabling technology architecture,
organizational design, job design)
- Business Case Development (cost and benefit analysis, business case preparation,
presentation to key business leaders)
- Solution Development (detailed process definition, system requirements
writing and system development, training development, implementation planning, operational
transition plan, pilots and trials)
- Implementation (larger-scale pilots and phased implementation,
measurement systems, full implementation)
- Continuous Improvement (on-going improvement and measurement of new processes
and systems)
What BPR teams would do differently next time
When asked what they would do differently next time,
participants in Prosci’s benchmarking research stated:
1. Spend more time planning. Many
participants would extend the overall interval, if necessary, to ensure that planning is
comprehensive. Planning activities that should receive more focus include:
·
learn about BPR and best
practices before starting the project
·
establish clear objectives
and scope
·
carefully select a
reengineering methodology
·
clarify roles and
contributions from managers and team members
·
prepare the team for
reengineering
2. Increase
team training on reengineering and change management.
3. More
carefully select team members who have the competencies to ensure a successful
reengineering project (“best and brightest," respected and well-networked in the
organization). Seek team members who can be dedicated to the project (more than 80% of
their time is devoted to the project).
Most important startup activities
Overall, the most important startup activities ranked from most
important to least important in Prosci’s research were:
1.
Secure executive management support and sponsorship.
2. Communicate
the need for change throughout the organization.
3. Define
the scope and boundaries of the project clearly.
4. Establish
measurable objectives for the project.
5. Select
team members with:
·
experience
·
skills
·
leadership abilities
·
full-time availability
6. Train
the team on business process reengineering techniques and tools.
Summary
The figure below summarizes this process and shows decision points
and deliverables. This is a key diagram to use with executive sponsors and stakeholders.
The business process design steps are easy to explain, decision points for managers are
clearly shown and deliverables for the project team are identified at each phase.
Process improvement or reengineering?
Many project teams struggle between using a continuous-improvement
methodology and business process reengineering (BPR) approach for their project. The
matrix below provides guidelines to help you make this selection.
For more guidelines, templates and tools to help with these project steps, select:
Training in
Business Process Reengineering
Resources and Toolkits
for Business Process Reengineering teams
