In my varied career, I’ve seen a variety of business processes between businesses, functions, departments and even teams. Building seamless processes that users can both understand and follow can be a challenge.
End users follow their nuance, often choosing the path of least resistance in today’s hectic world, getting their job done as efficiently as they see fit. What isn’t often taken into account is how their interpretation of the process impacts the rest of the business and, more importantly, customers to boot. This can cost businesses thousands each year in time and money and can also affect their reputation.
Defining business process isn’t always an easy task, however, if you have elements of compliance that must be adhered to from a legal or contractual point of view, this can help drive your decisions. Spending time with the end-users that are involved with the process and seeing how each team manages its responsibilities can also help form and define better processes.
Being able to see the process in action from an outsider’s perspective may even prompt ideas on how to improve efficiency and make cost savings in the process. It will also encourage buy-in if new business processes are implemented and are a far cry from their previous way of working.
Once the business processes are defined, it’s easy, using process automation within database software to lead an end-user through the end to end process.
That is not to say that all business process is automated. For example, in an ERP system where a batch number is automatically added to a build and it is found that this was the last item for this batch and it is defective, you will need to be able to over-ride the system and pick another batch number.
From spending time with your end-users, you will know where the main pitfalls lie, and you will be aware of the most repetitive tasks. It will allow you to determine where you will notice the most benefit from process automation.
In a recruitment system with a variety of spreadsheets to track candidates through the recruitment cycle, it would be useful to have everyone accessing one system. The system needs to allow the recruiter to see a clear workflow diagram of where the candidate is; what documents they have provided; the ability to book interviews at the right time; automatically send an email invite; log a candidate as a ‘no show’, ‘job offered’ or ‘hired’, and all of this functionality at the click of a button available only once the candidate has been marked off the criteria for that stage in the workflow. A business process of this nature not only saves the recruiter time and effort but also allows the efficient processing of the candidate from application to hire.
In today’s business world, opportunities are required to speed up business processes. Maintaining accuracy, meeting customers’ expectations, and efficiently following the defined business processes can be easily achieved through process automation at the click of a button. It can also save businesses costs in the process, as long as the business processes have been clearly defined, with the end-user in mind.
Sarah Orton
Consultancy Manager, Excelpoint
