As businesses develop and build for the future, they are constantly changing the ways they operate and communicate. The emergence of new technologies, and new customer demands through new channels, mean that true effectiveness in business process management (BPM) is essential to how enterprises innovate and compete.
Whether businesses are driven by the need to keep up with digital advances, the desire to protect themselves from new challengers or the need to meet new models, business transformation is typically complex. Processes need to be carefully crafted and employees need to be able to collaborate - with easy access to the right information.
Not so long ago, BPM issues were commonly addressed from an inside-out perspective based on a company’s preferred methodology. Today, they are increasingly guided and defined by what customers want and how a business can become better at meeting those needs.
Reputational risk is also driving process change. There are instances such as the Equifax data breach, in which confidence was damaged when over 145 million consumers had their personal data exposed through a large security breach.
This reputational damage is often just as harmful to an organisation as the damage caused from the financial impact of fines or compensation, for example in the UK’s mis-sold payment protection insurance, in which banks have had to pay back over £27 billion to consumers.
Management have often struggled to communicate the vision
In spite of the need for this transformation, change can be difficult to implement. Even the most viable strategies can be held up by practical concerns if processes are not managed well. Cutting edge platforms, such as Signavio’s Business Transformation Suite (BTS), can make transformation significantly easier.
Signavio’s BTS enables companies to transform their operations with precision, when customer demands and the industry environment are in constant flux. Equally, it enables companies to harness the highly lucrative benefits of effective processes, eliminating any business-blocking divide between IT innovation and business leadership, and improving the speed of system and process implementation.
Too often in the past, senior management figures have had a clear understanding of how a transformation process was intended to unfold, but struggled to communicate those ideas and the requisite changes with the same clarity, failing to garner employee support. With a simple means of modelling, analyzing, optimizing and executing processes and decisions across departments and at all levels, silos can be eliminated. The BTS suite is simple enough for people without a process management degree to achieve this, and yet powerful enough for the most demanding professionals.
Businesses that choose to implement such a transformation platform can avoid decisions being made in a departmental vacuum, ensuring more people are on the same page as processes unfold and issues are tackled. This means that more staff at all levels are well placed to engage with what is happening, and to have an input on the strategic direction. They can also react better to unpredictable circumstances.
Business transformation platforms can help break down silos
A number of firms demonstrate this approach well. One is fruit giant Zespri Kiwifruit, which has established BPM at the heart of its operations to underpin strategic projects of all sizes, from concept to completion.
Zespri, the world’s largest marketer of kiwi fruit, sells to more than 50 countries worldwide. Using Signavio’s BTS it has been able to overhaul its international supply chain management processes and the way it trains employees. Its excellent process modelling and collaboration - based on Signavio’s QuickModel and Collaboration Portal modules - have enabled staff to ensure its fruit reaches customers all year round, sustainably and in top condition. It can now work very reliably, to high efficiency.
Then there is Taifun-Tofu, a large maker of tofu products that is based in Germany. Signavio’s suite, including the Process Editor, has enabled the company to maintain and demonstrate its excellent quality management - crucial in meeting ISO quality and organic standards. The company has also been able to simplify internal communications across departments and disparate locations, using the Collaboration Portal module of BTS.
Businesses need ever clearer and more defined processes, alongside more streamlined communications. New technologies are changing the way they operate and new demands are constantly emerging. By focusing firmly on collaborative process excellence, they can ensure that their transformations are speedy, successful and sustainable. They can meet myriad outside demands, while ensuring a cohesive company approach and empowering staff to be highly-motivated and effective.
Mark McGregor is an author and business transformation consultant.
Start your transformation today. Check out Signavio’s 7 Step Guide To Effective Business Transformation
