I wasn’t completely right (not the first time that happened).

To make a very long story short and tie it back to another favorite topic – process transformation – let me share a few things I’ve learned. These lessons are courtesy of the many hours I’ve spent making brick oven pizzas from scratch.

1. The Right Environmental Conditions are Essential

It took longer than I care to admit to learn how to create a proper fire, as well as how to heat up the oven. These factors, as you can imagine, are essential to the process. Apologies to any of you who may have been victimized by our early undercooked, bland experimental pizzas. Likewise – during process transformation – the stakeholders, capacity to change, self-awareness, case for change, and other factors are 100% essential. Trying to change, without any one of these is like trying to bake a pizza on a cold pizza slab. Take a look at our Change Readiness Survey for a more detailed look at these factors.

2. Preparation results in a better experience and outcome

As illustrated both above and below, having the right ingredients and proper tools that are organized in a logical order will make all the difference in the output you deliver. The methodology one uses to map, analyze, and improve the process is critical. While the organizational culture and other factors that change are sought, if the facilitator/practitioner knows his or her approach well, they can get the analytical and creative input needed to transform the process. To that end, TSI’s 6-Step Methodology is a solid framework. Yet, depending on circumstances, it can be adapted. Those of us who use it on projects may also adapt it to fit each of our styles.  But in the end, we know which tools and techniques work. This way we can leverage these and deliver a meaningful project to our clients.

3. Pizza (& Process) Is Best Consumed When You are Starving

In the early days of our pizza making, when our oven needed an extra hour or more to be at the right temperature, some of our guests got quite hungry (maybe even hangry) while they waited. Then, when the amateur pizza finally came out and was instantly devoured, I was amazed to hear how much folks enjoyed it.

Obviously, the product was not stellar, but the reaction to an average pizza was.

In terms of transformation, this reaction makes me wonder how a better way of process transformation may be considered.  

Are your constituents starving for improvement, or they relatively fulfilled?  Is the impetus to change being forced upon a group or is there a “pull” for change?

Give that some thought when fashioning your approach or selecting your next area to transform.

If you are ready to transform an area within your organization, let’s connect! If you are still selecting your next area to transform, learn more about how we serve our current clients.

The post What Making Pizza has Taught Me about Process Transformation (and organizational change management) appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

Transforming Solutions has worked with some of the fastest growing and progressive organizations across the corporate and higher education sector. Throughout our experience, we have taken deep looks at how to best focus on efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction, and profitability. While these staples have not changed, other business process improvement principles have evolved to ‘match the times.’

Our top 5 business process improvement principles

Below we take a look at 5 process improvement principles that apply to the current landscape:

1. Incorporate User Experience (UX), Customer Experience (CX), and Organizational Change Management

When performing the definition and analysis of processes it is important to consider the total experience. There are plenty of examples where this was not done and the result was a catastrophic failure like this one where leadership inadvertently created an opportunity for competitors. For those that truly embrace this principle, they may take the truly holistic approach and explore people, culture, technology, strategy, and metrics in addition to operations.

2. Don’t assume a change in technology will change your processes

Many organizations assume that a change in their CRM or ERP will inherently fix the processes. There are 2 shortcomings with this thinking:

1. Technology is not generally designed to drive processes- in fact, it should follow the other direction. Technology is the tool that enables processes to be completed effectively and efficiently.

2. Performing a ‘lift and shift’ of applying the same processes in a new technology will not properly extract the value of that investment. You’ll simply be exchanging a legacy system for a new system and failing to effectively utilize the technology that no doubt was accompanied by a heavy price tag.

3. Improve and then renovate

Apply your favorite continuous improvement methodology here and recognize that just improving your processes isn’t enough. They need to be monitored, evaluated, adjusted, and improved on a regular basis to continue to reap the benefits of the exercise. Consider this: Moore’s Law observes that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles every 2 years. Effectively, computing power doubles every 2 years while the cost of this power is halved over the same time. If computing power is doubling, what do you think is happening to data? Neglecting to account for these changes in your processes can have similar consequences to ‘lift and shift’, a reduction in the value gained from your investment. Process improvement principles and practices are only strengthened by this supporting consideration.

4. Employ continuous improvement from end to end

So you’ve been keeping an eye on a changing environment and adjusting your processes to match. But did you apply the thinking from the first principle to these adjustments? Internal factors will inherently drive change, but you must also remember the customer is changing too. They are becoming smarter, more discerning, and are constantly offered alternatives. Not considering their perspective as well as hiring, product development, management of vendor relationships, and all other factors of business will have dire consequences.

5. It’s never too late to act

Time and again, process improvement naysayers will say “we’ve always done it this way and it has worked so far” or “our processes and systems are highly customized, there isn’t a better solution for us.” Both cases neglect improvements in technology designed to enable improved processes, highly configurable systems, and the power of incorporating process improvement into software selection efforts. Even the slowest moving, most successful organizations can benefit from process improvement principles.

Conclusion

Overall, we see these process improvement principles as key components of a successful organizational strategy. Check out our services to learn more about how our process improvement consultants can transform your organization, or browse our industry expertise to find out how we would apply our methodology to your organization. When you’re ready, contact us to schedule some time to chat further.

The post 5 Guiding Process Improvement Principles appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

I wasn’t completely right (not the first time that happened).

To make a very long story short and tie it back to another favorite topic – process transformation – let me share a few things I’ve learned. These lessons are courtesy of the many hours I’ve spent making brick oven pizzas from scratch.

1. The Right Environmental Conditions are Essential

It took longer than I care to admit to learn how to create a proper fire, as well as how to heat up the oven. These factors, as you can imagine, are essential to the process. Apologies to any of you who may have been victimized by our early undercooked, bland experimental pizzas. Likewise – during process transformation – the stakeholders, capacity to change, self-awareness, case for change, and other factors are 100% essential. Trying to change, without any one of these is like trying to bake a pizza on a cold pizza slab. Take a look at our Change Readiness Survey for a more detailed look at these factors.

2. Preparation results in a better experience and outcome

As illustrated both above and below, having the right ingredients and proper tools that are organized in a logical order will make all the difference in the output you deliver. The methodology one uses to map, analyze, and improve the process is critical. While the organizational culture and other factors that change are sought, if the facilitator/practitioner knows his or her approach well, they can get the analytical and creative input needed to transform the process. To that end, TSI’s 6-Step Methodology is a solid framework. Yet, depending on circumstances, it can be adapted. Those of us who use it on projects may also adapt it to fit each of our styles.  But in the end, we know which tools and techniques work. This way we can leverage these and deliver a meaningful project to our clients.

3. Pizza (& Process) Is Best Consumed When You are Starving

In the early days of our pizza making, when our oven needed an extra hour or more to be at the right temperature, some of our guests got quite hungry (maybe even hangry) while they waited. Then, when the amateur pizza finally came out and was instantly devoured, I was amazed to hear how much folks enjoyed it.

Obviously, the product was not stellar, but the reaction to an average pizza was.

In terms of transformation, this reaction makes me wonder how a better way of process transformation may be considered.  

Are your constituents starving for improvement, or they relatively fulfilled?  Is the impetus to change being forced upon a group or is there a “pull” for change?

Give that some thought when fashioning your approach or selecting your next area to transform.

If you are ready to transform an area within your organization, let’s connect! If you are still selecting your next area to transform, learn more about how we serve our current clients.

The post What Making Pizza has Taught Me about Process Transformation (and organizational change management) appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..

Transforming Solutions has had the privilege to work with some of the fastest-growing and progressive organizations in both the corporate and higher education sectors. Throughout these experiences, we have taken a deep dive into efficiency, quality, customer satisfaction, and profitability. While the fundamentals have not changed, process improvement principles continue to adapt to the times.

Our Top 5 Process Improvement Principles

1. Incorporate User Experience (UX), Customer Experience (CX), and Organizational Change Management

As you define and analyze your processes, we encourage you to consider the experience as a whole. There are countless examples of organizations that did not do this and failed as a result. One thing that comes to mind is a leadership group inadvertently creating an opportunity for a competitor through neglecting a more holistic approach. However, for those who take the holistic approach, topics such as people, culture, technology, and strategy are considered in addition to operations.

2. Don’t Assume Technology Will Automatically Change Your Processes

Many organizations assume that a change in their CRM or ERP will inherently fix their processes. However, there are two shortcomings in this thinking that organizations do not consider:

1. Technology is generally not built to drive processes – Technology has a built-in process (best practices) that may not align with your organization’s current state. Adapting to the technologies processes will yield incredible benefits as you can take advantage of all the features your new tool/platform has to offer. This is why it’s important to pick the right tool.
2. The ‘Lift and Shift’ Mindset – Organizations who exchange a legacy system for a new system, and apply the same processes to the new technology, will not properly extract the value of the investment. You will switch the systems out, but miss out on all of the benefits.

3. Improve and Renovate

In addition to a holistic approach and the integration of technology, you need to continuously renovate your processes. You renovate your processes through monitoring, evaluating, adjusting, and improving on a regular basis. However, neglecting these adaptations will result in a similar effect as the ‘lift and shift’ mindset. As a result, there will be a reduction in the value gained from your investment. Process improvement principles and processes are only strengthened by their supporting considerations.

4. Employ Continuous Improvement From End-to-End

As you keep an eye on your organization’s consistently changing environment and focus on process improvement, be sure to apply the first principle – Incorporate User Experience (UX), Customer Experience (CX), and Organizational Change Management. In addition, organizations must remember that their customer is consistently changing as well, not just their organization’s environment. Your customers are becoming smarter, more discerning, and are constantly offered other alternative solutions. With this in mind, you must consider these factors from end to end.

5. It’s Never Too Late to Act

Many Individuals in functioning organizations say something along the lines of ‘we’ve always done it this way and it works. They also believe their highly customized processes mean that there cannot be a better solution for them. Both of these scenarios neglect the potential for technology to greatly improve processes, highly configured systems, and consider software selection efforts. You may be functioning with your current processes; however, process improvement principles enable organizations to thrive.

So What?

Overall, these five principles are key to a successful organizational strategy. To learn more about how our process improvement consultants transform businesses, check out our services. Visit our industry offerings to determine how our methodology could benefit your industry and organization.

Don’t know where to go from here? Contact us! We would love to set up a brief call to further understand your organization’s needs and walk you through how our processes work.

The post Our Top Five Secrets to Doing Process Improvement Right appeared first on Transforming Solutions Inc..