The work of the company is built on clear algorithms. Each department and each employee follows a certain plan, which ultimately leads to the desired result. Dozens of business processes accompany the activity of the company. They should be planned and structured in advance, so that it is possible to control the work of the organization at all levels.
Let’s consider the definition of business process and project management within the organization, peculiarities of model building, its implementation and optimization.
What Are Business Processes
Business process is a sequence of activities using resources, technical means, materials, controlling techniques, which is constantly repeated to create a product for the consumer.
A company may have dozens of interrelated business processes, each of which has a specific purpose in the form of production and realization of a product.
History of the Term
The term “business process” was first described in the 1970s. The need for clear notations of business processes arose during the transition to informatization and the development of information systems. The use of the latter greatly complicated the organization of labor and management in enterprises. From the usual verbal form of instructing employees began to move to descriptions of interaction processes on the model “man – man” and “man – machine”.
Standardization was required. A special command language was used to draw up clear sequences of actions that could be recognized by both machines and people. The first official creators of notations were the U.S. military, already feeling the need to describe the interaction of digital systems and people.
Why We Need Business Processes
Without the development of business processes in the organization to create such a system is not possible. With their help, companies can solve other problems:
- Set uniform requirements for finished products, adopt standards and regulations.
- Produce higher quality products.
- Reduce production costs and expenses.
- Increase the speed of production.
- Automate processes.
- Provide efficient management and coordination.
- Provide complex information in an accessible form (visibility, graphics).
- Ensure transparency at all stages of projects.
- Understand the specifics of each stage, consider process improvement options.
- Find possible channels for increased costs.
- Implement strategies.
- Enhance the company’s image and investment appeal.
- Allocate responsibilities and management responsibilities among line managers, avoiding total centralized control.
- Design new lines of business, expansion, and entry into new markets.
- Eliminate the risk of losing competencies if a valuable employee quits his job or goes on vacation.
- Quickly onboard and train new employees.
- Motivate employees.
Key Concepts of the Process Approach
Like Woo Casino slots, the business process includes a number of characteristics, among which there are basic and additional ones. Each tool has:
- A title and purpose – clear and understandable to everyone involved in the business process, more often than not combined.
- The owners of the tool or the performers are the persons who are responsible for the result, directing and controlling the activities of the employees involved in the business process.
- Resources – tools that are required at any of the stages of product creation and remain unchanged.
- Inputs – resources, more often raw materials, that are required to create a product and are eventually transformed into something new.
- Output – the finished product. Must meet the original requirements. Can serve as an input to another business process.
The structure of a business process may include other characteristics. They are not mandatory, so they are optional:
- Resource providers.
- The sequence of activities.
- The end user.
- Other participants.
- Risks.
- Performance measures.
Rules of Business Process Description
Considering the differences in the specifics of companies, peculiarities of production or provision of services, it may seem that describing business processes is up to your discretion. This is partly true, but there are a number of modern rules which the description should meet.
Completeness or the Answer to the Key Question
A business process description should outline all of the actions to be performed to get the desired result. In fact, the final goal may change, but this fact can be omitted at the initial stage.
Conciseness and Brevity
The main task is to provide the specialists with all the information necessary for correct, fast, coordinated work. It is a kind of instruction. The document includes a set of data in a large volume, but it is important to set them out briefly, with an emphasis on the main points. Superfluous details and detached wording are distracting.
Using Standard Notations
There are generally accepted international notations that should be used in the descriptions. The standards allow anyone to read and correctly interpret the business process. The use of personal invented notations is inadmissible.
Comprehensibility
The document should be written in a way that is understandable. If you show it to any employee of the company without knowledge in the field of analytics, he should read and understand what he is talking about.