Home
>
Team Building
>
Designing and Deploying Human Centric Processes

Designing and Deploying Human Centric Processes

A lot of effort has been carried out in the last years to re engineer processes in order to automate all or parts of them. A great number of companies have changed their processes as a result of the introduction of new software systems, aimed to streamline the management of the back and front office. Companies have even taken care of processes crossing the company boundaries in order to optimize communications with clients, providers and partners. A characteristic of this interest is that is has been driven by technology.

In the last years we have seen the introduction of ERP and CRM systems, Content and Document Management systems, Workflow Automation Applications, etc... that have (or hopefully will) help companies achieve a more efficient use of their resources. It seemed that CIOs believed that an impressive IT portfolio would directly result in better processes.

However less interest has been directed at the human side of process optimization. A lot of money is spent on paying a team from a world class consultancy firm, best of breed software products licenses, etc... and it is usual that the importance of deploying the new processes effectively is underestimated. Designing and documenting enhanced processes does not create value for the company. It is only when these new processes are carried out in the real world that value is created.

If we use the popular metaphor that compares a business with an orchestra, you can have the best musicians (employees) playing the best instruments (software systems) with the music scores (processes) in order. Value appears when they start playing together in a coordinated manner.

The objective of most Business Process Reengineering (BPR) projects is to increase the quality of products and services produced, to lower costs, to reduce development time, to increase client satisfaction, etc... At the bottom line what you need to achieve is that people work in a new and more efficient way.

The success of a BPR effort, specially when process are carried out by people, is therefore highly dependent on people's understanding of the following concepts:

"Who does what, how, when and where"

Who. The person in charge of each task in the process must be clear. It must be clear who is accountable for each activity.

What. The characteristics that the output of the activity must conform to. The value it adds to the process object.

How. The way in which the task must be performed must be clearly known and made explicit (documented) with the necessary level of detail. It is important that this set of descriptions and instructions are easy to update, so best practices and lessons learned can be incorporated and widely employed.

When. Which activities precede and follow the task.

Where the activity is carried out.

The importance of efficiently deploying a process is also dependant on the number of persons that will be following the procedure. The greater the number is, the more value that an efficient deployment provides. Think of the claim processing department of an insurance company, people analyzing mortgage requests in a commercial bank or a big call center. These units normally have a great number of people executing the same process.

The objective is that people executing the process perform it as close as possible to the new version of the process, in the shortest possible period of time. These two variables are extremely important to generate value and to recover the resources invested in reengineering the process.

Some of the practices that can contribute to this objective include making the procedures easily available in a format that facilitates its look up, training, controlling, incentivating process compliance, etc... But applying this techniques alone is not a synonym for success.

The real challenge is to get participant buy in. These is were social and cultural factors must be taken in to account, and change management, knowledge management, management of expectations, etc... come into play.

Experience has shown, especially with knowledge workers, that involving process participants in decisions that affect them, ensuring that they are well informed and making them feel that their opinion is being taken into account, is more effective than forcing them to follow the new processes. Although there are some cases were strict discipline must be used to enforce compliance with the process, it is usually better to reward good attitudes than to punish non compliance.

Once the process is being carried out following the new process it is also very important to enable feedback to the system. Process participants' opinions are extremely important to enhance the process and it is likely that they have some good ideas to improve it. For example, performing a specific task in a way that can be institutionalized as a best practice, incorporated to the procedure and deployed to every participant in the process.

Lucas Rodr?guez Cervera is founder of Nevant} ? Methodology & Process a company specialized in human-centric knowledge intensive business process technologies. They pioneered this concept with metoCube. nevant methodology & process

tidy up service Glenview ..

In The News:

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.

New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

FDA approves first human trial for Paradromics' brain-computer interface that could restore speech for paralyzed patients through neural technology.

New phishing platform QRR targets Microsoft 365 users across 1,000 domains in 90 countries. Learn how to spot fake login pages and protect your accounts.

OpenTable now uses AI to track your dining habits and share insights with restaurants. Learn what data they collect and how to protect your privacy.

Google's discontinued Nest thermostats still secretly upload home data to company servers despite losing smart features, raising serious privacy concerns.

New Android malware NGate steals NFC payment codes in real-time, allowing criminals to withdraw cash from ATMs without your card. Learn protection tips.

DoorDash confirms data breach exposing customer names, emails, addresses after social engineering attack. Learn how to protect yourself from scams.

Concerned about Google's AI scanning your Gmail? Learn how to disable Gemini features that access your emails, Drive files and Chat messages for privacy.

Google warns Android users about dangerous fake VPN apps hiding malware that steals passwords, banking details and personal data from phones and tablets.

Apple's digital passport feature lets iPhone users breeze through TSA checkpoints this holiday season using Digital ID technology at 250+ airports.

A new phishing scam targets family photos with fake "Cloud Storage Full" alerts. Criminals steal credit card information through fake sites. Learn protection tips.

South Korean scientists create ultra-thin fabric muscles that turn clothes into robotic assistants, lifting 33 pounds while weighing under half an ounce.

Archer Aviation has acquired Hawthorne Airport for $126M to launch an LA air taxi network ahead of the 2028 Olympics, featuring AI-powered eVTOL operations and next-gen aviation tech.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Fake AI apps disguised as "ChatGPT" and "DALL·E" are flooding app stores with dangerous malware that steals data and monitors users without detection.

Fake buyers demand specific vehicle reports from unknown sites to steal credit card information from car sellers, but warning signs can help identify these scams before paying.

Android users can now manage apps across multiple devices more easily with Google Play Store's updated remote uninstall button in the latest update.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovers shiny metallic rock on Mars that could be a meteorite from an ancient asteroid, containing high levels of iron and nickel.

Holiday scams spike during Black Friday and Cyber Monday as criminals exploit your leaked personal data. Learn how to protect yourself from fake stores and phishing.

Commerce Department proposes TP-Link router ban over Chinese security risks. Learn how this potential prohibition could affect your home network and devices.

Hyundai AutoEver America suffered a data breach affecting 2,000 current and former employees, exposing names, Social Security numbers and driver's license information.

Washington court rules automated license plate reader images are public records, even when stored by vendors like Flock Safety, setting precedent for transparency.

Fake airline texts claiming flight cancellations are targeting travelers with convincing scams. Learn how cybercriminals steal personal data and credit card info.

Designing and Deploying Human Centric Processes

Team Building