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How Do BPI Tools Provide Business Visibility and Agility?

      By: Alex De Mostafa

New terminology is born every time a new management approach, philosophy, system or tool debuts, whether it's original or yet another rehash of existing ideas under a fancy new name. There are now sets of tools that go by the group name Business Process Improvement (BPI), and seek to do what other toolsets before it have attempted, namely, help make significant, measurable changes in the way an organization operates. The tools and techniques will work for various kinds of organizations, from government agencies and non-profits to every sort of business in every sort of industry, and are more focused on measurable, demonstrable improvement than some less exacting predecessors.

The BPI tools have the advantage of a focused name, as well, and they simply attempt to help managers define strategies, visions and purpose. With consideration given to all of an organization's stakeholders - employees, vendors, customers, investors - the BPI approach will revise and realign the various processes that are used to "do business" and achieve the stated goals.

Basic toolsets for visibility
There are about a dozen fundamental tools (used by various management systems in addition to the BPI approach) that organizations can call upon to assess their status, devise their plans and make the necessary improvements. Among the most important of these in a BPI approach are the methods used make the organization's concepts, goals and the roadmap that gets it there visible to stakeholders. Various flowcharting approaches can combine these elements in a single environment. Also of prime importance are methods for eliminating bureaucracy and bottlenecks, and creating a more streamlined workflow with efficient processes replacing unnecessary tasks, authorizations and paperwork. Visibility, you see, also applies to those things that that you need to see to root out and remove.

Other components of this basic toolkit eliminate activities that have zero "value added" and simplify the processes and paperwork of those that do. Cost and cycle time analyses are basic tools, as are a variety of different, customizable "process walk-through" methods. There is also a very effective approach to improving business processes that relies on "simple language analysis" and other ways of communicating clearly, something that should be done broadly throughout an organization. The days of jargon are gone, as jargon is not efficient - clarity is efficient.

Additional BPI tools for agility
It is important to maintain a healthy skepticism when you encounter statements about there being "10 fundamental BPI tools" and then some specific number of secondary tools, as if there is some kind of overarching consensus about management methods. There is no consensus, just a growing body of accepted and basic knowledge. Some management specialists create their "New, Improved Business Method" and start circulating more buzzwords. The best thing to do is take a step back from all the acronyms (BPI, BPM, ERP) and simply acknowledge both that there are some great business profit improvement tools that can be used to take your organization forward, and that the main thing you want is the agility to redirect energies when needed and focus on what really needs to be done.

Additional tools include: benchmarking, information engineering, Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) charting, Business Systems Planning (BSP), value analysis and value control, process analysis technique, quality function deployment and structured analysis and design (SA/SD).

Benchmarking is first in the list because it is essential for defining and implementing the best possible procedures and systems in an evidentiary manner. It is also a powerful weapon against what is called "paradigm blindness," the mentality that asserts "the best way to do things how we've always done them." This kind of willful blindness can only lead to eventual failure as organizations become wholly resistant to doing anything new.

Information engineering is another potent tool that is brought to bear on systems and procedures - as well as people - to help bring the corporate vision to life, and its plans to fruition. Information engineering supports many other processes throughout an organization, such as business re-engineering, systems re-engineering, information systems planning and application development. Again, agility accrues to the organization that does an honest assessment of its operations, and institutes changes based on strategic plans.

Each of these tools has the potential of eliciting resistance from some organization employees, as business improvement initiatives correlate in some people's minds with layoffs, mergers and plant closings. The only thing that can be said to allay those kinds of fears is, "Excellence always survives." In fact, if your firm is considering some sort of BPI approach, remember than one requirement should be the intimate involvement of your organization's stakeholders, particularly management and other key employees. As these improvement projects get underway, it becomes easier all the time to see who is working for the good of the firm, and who is not. No one who works hard, strives for excellence, and has solid character need ever fear BPI.

Article Source: http://www.dollarchurn.com/articles

As the business process improvement (BPM) trailblazer, Savvion.com moves enterprises beyond ordinary BPM with groundbreaking business-critical software, solutions, and services that make them more competitive, agile and cost-efficient in today's tough economic times. Visit online today.

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