This value chain of services forms the backbone of our consulting process. It fits many customers, and is very beneficial. Whether it will suit you, or we start elsewhere depends on what the pressing need is in your business world.
Please note: these services can be provided internationally via web conferencing, document sharing and other useful technologies; or I can come on-site for a period of time to work more closely with your team. Please ask me about your situation and what we can do to assist your business with efficiency, product and service quality and customer service.
Analyse & Document Your Business
AIM: Get your business figured out! Documenting your main processes will really help you get control of your operations and focus on what's really productive and important!
I document your business through holistic business process, organisation and information modelling. I use the world standard for process modelling, Business Process Modelling and Notation (BPMN), which i am expert in. There are two approaches to documenting your business, and almost two axis too; so read on…
Approach #1: Tactical
The tactical approach tackles a specific process or area in your business. Some examples are the tendering process in construction, the planning process in local authorities or the marketing process for a business coach. Business pain can hopefully be turned into business gain with a bit of attention to people, processes and technology!
Approach #2: Strategic
The strategic approach fits with the Business By Design ethos. It’s about linking your strategy with your operations. This can be done in business processes, but often branches out into other areas like organisational structure and roles; information models and databases, locations etc. This leads into the axis I mentioned…
Axis #1: Focused on Process
Efforts focused on process try to keep process as the main stream of inquiry. This takes place where a business says “Don’t touch the organisation!” or “We have all our systems set in concrete”. The more constraints, the more I focus on the process itself.
Sometimes a process focus is very productive. I can generally see within a few days of a longer assignment if a process focus will achieve the outcomes the business is after. If not, I recommend a ‘Business Architecture’ approach.
Axis #2: Business Architecture
A Business Architecture approach means we consider not just the process, but also Information, Locations, Organisation and Events. Strategic initiatives lean toward a Business Architecture approach simply because strategy involves all these elements.
When I consult using a Busienss Architecture approach, i often use a holistic business modelling tool like ADONIS. (https://www.adonis-community.com)
Train Your Team
AIM: get your team unified and productive using the latest diagrams and methods.
Setting, Methods & Communication
A Business Architecture approach means we consider not just the process, but also Information, Locations, Organisation and Events. Strategic initiatives lean toward a Business Architecture approach simply because strategy involves all these elements.
When I consult using a Busienss Architecture approach, i often use a holistic business modelling tool like ADONIS. (https://www.adonis-community.com)
BPMN: THE Method!
BPMN is the world standard for business process modelling. I have many years experience in this amazing communication medium. The great thing is that although it concentrates mainly on PROCESS, it also provides for modellin of the other dimensions: ORGANISATION, LOCATION, INFORMATION and EVENTS. Good mdoelling tools let me capture more information about each artefact on the diagram, which gives a great way to represent your business, and a really cool way to train your staff. I always recommend that BPMN business process diagrams are displayed for all involved staff to see, providing wonderful context for any written procedure. AS a visual reference, understanding is almost immediate, and their use boosts staff confidence and productivity in every setting I’ve used them in.
Training Sessions
Training sessions can be held where and where you want. Digital communication even makes it possible for me to train via web conferences.
I’ve run training in Business Process Analysis, Process Modelling and Automation, Enterprise Business Architecture and People Management all round the Australia and New Zealand and further afield.
Ask me about your training needs. You can call me on (+61) 0423 311 839 or use the contact form below.
Improve Your Act
AIM: business process improvement gives you real benefit in areas of Operational Efficiency, Product and Service Quality and Customer Service Excellence. You direct the effort, preferably within a strategic context with definitive goals which I can assist you in defining. This is no poke around in the woods; but a serious effort to solve known and nagging problems.
An important component of business improvement is information gathering. In modern terms, it’s part of DISCOVERY. Interviewing individuals provides a totally different dynamic to facilitating workshops; which is why I recommend both.
Modelling organisation, processes, information, locations and events with links to strategy demands a multi-faceted modelling framework. John Zachman was the trail blazer in this respect, and many frameworks have emerged since his multi-dimensional view emerged. My personal favourite, which fits so well with Zachman’s work is The Open Group Framework (TOGAF).
The important thing here is to model processes well using BPMN, but integrate other kinds of models to provide more substance and context, allowing problems and opportunities to be noted where they really have the strongest context.
Unify Your Systems
AIM: business process automation in the cloud is very cool and productive technology. It enables your business to hand around tasks to in boxes quickly and efficiently. But it’s more than document and information workflow. Business process automation enables decision making based on business rules. It can facilitate escalation of important matters and also integrate with your existing applications *
It’s very tempting to take on board point to point integration, ewhicjh provides interfaces between applications. There are however a few problems with this practice that compromise the value of investment and organisational agility. I published a white paper on systems integration back in 2001, which looked at abstraction, application wrappers and caches, SOA service discovery and more. Within a year of that paper, Web Services were announced. There are however some things that companies miss when rushing in to use modern systems that can impact agility and performance. There is much that can be done from a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) perspective to capitalise on your efforts at integration.
The biggest gain probably comes from taking a business process based approach to integration. This means choosing a process integration platform that can automate your document workflows and business processes, queuing tasks for human participants and reaching out to application participants to realise the entire process across your organisation and technologies.
Get Your Eagle's Eyes
AIM: get visibility your operations, know when there are incidents; when things are running late; or you’re not producing enough
A business dashboard is sort of like a car dashboard. It gives you vital feedback to help drive the machine.
Where does the dashboard get its information from though? You’re in danger of bad dashboard data if:
- you have an inconsistent baseline, which can arise from inconsistent usage of systems by staff with good intentions!
- it’s getting data from applications rather than processes – especially if the applications don’t really match the strategic measure directly
These two in my experience are the first places I look to start delving in to dashboard territory. I’ve been dealing with executive data on many occasions, going way back to the first dashboard I was involved in way back at K-Mart, perhaps in 1990! Life and experience are good teachers in this area.