Change · Process redesign
Process redesign
Automating a muddled process just produces the same mistakes, faster. First, sort it out.
- Map of the real process
- Steps and rules
- Defined exceptions
- Software change
The challenge
In many companies the real process isn't the written one: everyone does it their own way, there are inherited steps nobody questions and exceptions are handled from memory. And sometimes the problem is the software itself, which forces workarounds or leaves spreadsheets to cover what it can't do.
Automate it as it stands and the automation inherits all of that. Exceptions multiply, mistakes reach more places sooner and nobody really understands what's going on.
The solution
We walk through the process with the people who do it every day and put it in writing as it really is. Then we remove the steps that add nothing, set the rules and decide what to do with each exception.
If the software is the bottleneck, we say so and help you weigh up alternatives and make the switch. With the process sorted out, automating is simpler, cheaper and more reliable.
Automate as is, or sort it out first
The mess, faster
Pointless steps run on their own, exceptions pile up and every change in the business breaks something.
Fewer steps, clear rules
Only what makes sense gets automated, every exception has someone to resolve it and the system is easy to maintain.
How we do it
- 1
Map of the real process
How it's really done, step by step, with the people who do it every day.
- 2
What's surplus and what's missing
Steps that add nothing, rules nobody has written down and exceptions nobody owns.
- 3
Redesigned process
The new step-by-step, with owners, rules and what to do when something doesn't add up.
- 4
The right tool
Keep the software, change it or build to measure. And then, automate.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same old process consulting?
Partly, but with a specific goal: getting the process ready to be automated properly. We don't hand over a manual that ends up in a drawer, but a process that then gets implemented.
Will you make me change software?
No. We only suggest it when the software is the bottleneck, and we explain why. If it works, it's kept and connected to everything else.
What if the software change is a big one?
It's done in phases, starting with whatever frees up the most time. The decision is always yours, with the alternatives and what each involves in writing.
Does the company have to stop?
No. The analysis is done while the team keeps working, and changes are introduced bit by bit.