Optimizing business processes is at the heart of a company's digital transformation strategy. It requires constant monitoring in order to create and maintain a decisive competitive advantage. Developing an improvement roadmap thus ensures that all members of the team concerned know the objectives of the project, its schedule and their responsibilities. The various steps detailed in this article will help you correct inefficient processes to increase employee engagement and customer satisfaction.

Step #1: map the current process

Before we start, there is a simple question that we answered in a previous article: What processes should be automated? Once you've identified a candidate process, you need to understand exactly how it works. Mapping each stage from end to end allows you to have a clear vision of the inputs and outputs at each stage. This modeling also called “diagram” or “organization chart” Business processes require time and rigor, but the visual description is sometimes clearer than a textual explanation. In particular, it goes through a phase of documenting push where you will have to identify the role of each of the actors and prioritize your indicators.

Step #2: Analyze the process

Mapping is a tool for interpretation and collaboration. Our technological partner BPM Bizagi then offers the analysis tool Business Process Simulation to measure the effectiveness of your current process and identify the origins of its shortcomings at each stage. During this stage, it may also be appropriate to consult the members of the teams concerned in order to answer some simple questions.

• What are the causes of delays in the process?
• Are there bottlenecks in the process?
• Where are additional resources needed?
• What are the sources of errors?
• What could be automated?

Step #3: model an optimized process

Now is the time to tackle the problems identified earlier. This phase of redefining the process is surely the one that will require the most time and thought. It is therefore once again essential to rely on the expertise of those who will make daily use of it.

Step #4: Test the process

The test phase is a prerequisite for implementation. It allows you to simulate the process in a real scenario andEvaluate ROI changes made. This gives you the opportunity to bring additional adjustments in case of defects found. You can also compare your process being optimized with the “coming” process in terms of execution time, resource usage, and costs. The results of this analysis will highlight future benefits for users.

Step #5: communicate with your teams

An aversion to change can be a major impediment to implementing a new process. It is therefore necessary to inform your teams of the changes made during the preliminary phases of the project. Pedagogy, training and organizational alignmentThey are key factors in convincing management and facilitating adoption.

Step #6: Implement the new process

The implementation phase is the culmination of the previous steps. Nevertheless, it should be approached carefully and methodically. The key to a successful implementation cycle is to develop a structured plan that includes regular demonstrations And a User feedback of the process. By doing so, you will ensure that the implementation is in line with their expectations and can bring real added value to the business.

Step #7: monitor results and continue optimizing

After deploying the new process, it is important to Measuring its adoption and to collect any comments from its users. They will guide you to new opportunities for improvement to address the issues raised. You can also assess performance of the new process by comparing its results with those of the old one and with the objectives set at the beginning of the project. This continuous improvement process will strengthen the productivity of your employees and will allow you to permanently maintain a advantage over your competitors.

About StoryShaper:

StoryShaper is an innovative start-up that supports its customers in defining their digital strategy and the development of automation solutions tailor-made.

Sources: StoryShaper, Bizagi