The document is a comprehensive guide on business process improvement (BPI), detailing its importance, methodologies, and tools like Six Sigma and various process mapping techniques. It emphasizes the benefits of BPI for organizations, such as enhanced efficiency and customer satisfaction, while outlining steps to implement process improvements and build a culture of continuous improvement. Key methodologies discussed include the Five Whys and SIPOC diagrams, alongside practical advice for individuals looking to enhance their skills and contribute to their teams.

1. Improve Your Career
by Mastering
Business Process Improvement
Learn the process improvement tools and approaches that define success
1

2. Course Overview by Section
1. Introduction
2. Simulation Scenario
3. Process Improvement Foundation
4. Intro to Six Sigma
5. Process Mapping/Flow Charting
6. Fishbone
7. SIPOC
8. High Level Process Map
9. Detailed Process Map
10. Relationship Map
11. Five Whys
12. Reviewing the current process
13. Critical leadership qualities
14. Identifying areas for improvement
15. Redesigning the process and implementation
16. Kotter's 8-step change model
17.Tips& Advice
2

3. Introduction
 Business Process Improvement is
the analysis and redesign of an
existing process.
 This can be the fun part of
business; departure from the
status quo responsibilities and
a great way to differentiate
yourself and your team.
 Each step in this process is
important in order to be
successful.
 Valued by management, providing
solutions along with challenges.
3

4. Why Study Process Improvement?
Increased visibility and career momentum.
Learn new skills that will always be in demand.
Add to the bottom line by providing value to the company
in a way that reduces costs and improves operational
efficiency.
4

5. What is
Business
Process
Improvement?
Business Process Improvement (BPI) is a discipline
focused on delivering value through improving
quality, enhancing service, reducing costs, and/or
increasing productivity of an existing activity or
business process.
BPI is the tool used to identify the need for change,
analyze current processes, gain organizational
support, create new processes, and eventually
maintain those processes.
5

6. Why Does It Matter?
 BPI projects enable your business to:
 Enhance customer experience
 Increase productivity and efficiency
 Increase capacity from the existing footprint
 Improve the customer service and teamwork
 Reduce rework and over processing
 Improve internal and external communications
 Standardize end-to-end business processes
6

7. Why Start Now?
 Advances in technology are
creating unprecedented
opportunities to automate tasks,
and the firms/individuals that take
advantage of these opportunities
first will reap the rewards.
 Best–in-class processes can become
a strategic advantage in the
marketplace.
 Every business process in every
organization, whether human or
technological, has an opportunity
to function in a better, smarter,
more efficient fashion.
7

8.  There is no “Correct” path!
 A Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or any other
business field is a great start.
 An MBA (Master’s in Business Administration) would
provide an additional foundation for specializing in
process improvements.
 Go online to pursue specific business courses from any
number of education resources. (traditional schools,
Udemy.com, YouTube)
 While a college education in the field of business is
great, real life experience and personal experiences can
more than make up for any real or perceived
educational gaps.
How Do I Start
Learning About
Process
Improvement?
8

9. Personal
Preparation
Love
Learning
Become a lover of knowledge.
•Always look for new topics to read up on, new areas
to specialize in.
•Don’t be afraid to go down those rabbit holes with no
direction in mind when you follow a thread of
intrigue.
Be
Serious
Treat your plans to learn as a serious goal
and put a reasonable plan together than
includes actionable short, mid-range goals,
and long term goals.
•Put a realistic plan in place to achieve them.
9

10. Test the Waters
Seek out opportunities in
your own role, team, or
department to apply the
Business Process
Improvement
methodologies to start
making an impact.
Create a list of possibilities
where you think processes
can be improved and
discuss it with a co-worker
or friend to get honest
feedback on whether your
ideas are practical.
10

11. Establish
Yourself
Extend
Extend your services free of
charge to local organizations who
can later recommend you for paid
jobs.
Become Become active online; participate
regularly.
Create
If you don’t have one, create and
actively contribute to
LinkedIn/Twitter/Business forums.
Develop
Develop an online personality
through social media outlets where
you focus on a consistent message
or theme.
11

12. How Does a Process Improvement Initiative Benefit an Organization?
Deliver tangible and
intangible benefits
to your company.
Tangible benefits
are easier to see
and measure.
Coincidentally, they
often take center
stage in the process
improvement
arena.
12

13. How Does a
Process
Improvement
Initiative
Benefit an
Organization?
Intangible benefits are
difficult to measure
but are important for
an organization’s
image.
Organizations should
keep these benefits in
mind as they begin
investing their
resources in process
improvement.
13

14. Application of Six-Sigma Methodologies
This construct is an approach to figure out the defects in the processes and how
they are caused and classified.
There are five phases in Six-Sigma:
Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC).
Six-Sigma is a quality measure that seeks to remove defects, errors, and
redundancies through concentration on outputs.
14

15. Cost Accounting: How to
control your costs and
increase profitability.
The-Numbers-Guys.com
Accounting | Finance | For the Real World
15

16. Initial Assumptions
 You are an owner of a hot dog stand in New York City.
 You want to understand the costs of selling hot dogs and how much you need
to sell in order to reach a certain amount of operating profit.
 You intend to hire staff for the cart, advertisement, and salaries for staff.
 You intend to have all extra earnings stay in the business to fund future
growth.
 One product will be sold which is a hot dog meal deal, “The Best Deal in the
City,” that includes a hot dog with all the condiments, chips, a candy bar, and
a drink.
16

17. The Players: New York Hot Dog Stand
17

18. The Players: Street Hawker
18

19. The Players: The Hot Dog Man
19

20. The Scenario
 Problem: Sales are declining. The preparation time to cook, prepare, and
serve hotdogs to customers is too slow and inefficient.
 Effect: Customers are unhappy and going elsewhere for their purchases as the
line is too long to wait in.
20

21. Launching a
Process
Improvement
Initiative
21

22. Consider Your Stakeholders
 A successful process
improvement initiative
requires the participation of
all stakeholders in the
particular business area
affected.
 Internal stakeholder groups
may include:
 Process Owners
 Staff Management
 Finance
 Facilities management
 Compliance
 Etc....
22

23. Improve the Company Culture
There is a huge difference between implementing a process
improvement program and a process improvement culture.
Building a culture that values process improvement requires you
to identify the behaviors that you would like employees to exhibit on
a daily basis.
Successfully crafting a culture of
ongoing process improvement
involves the following:
Employees remain engaged by proposing ideas and
discussing suggestions
All employees understand their roles and how their
performance helps the company move forward
Every employee is focused on continually improving their
job processes
23

24. Use the
Carrot and
Not the Stick
to Motivate
Stakeholders should be rewarded for adopting work behaviors
that reflect their commitment to process improvement.
Offer Rewards.
Sell the benefits of how each stakeholder group will benefit.
Tie the initiatives to company themes.
Use “We” not “I”
24

25. Request Employee Feedback
The process owners who
do the work each day are
the best resources to
utilize to help
understand where the
biggest opportunities are
at.
Feedback can be used to
understand the
company’s current
culture as it relates to
change.
25

26. Optimize
Everyday
Operations
Start small by working to create an
environment where optimized
processes are the norm and are
expected.
Require
documentation of a
process for every
process done.
Avoid restrictive
requirements
and formatting
26

27. The Snow Ball Effect
Spend Extra Time To Solve a Small
problem.
Normal workload is reduced by
amount of time saved. Extra time is
spent investing in other projects.
Structured workload continues to
decrease and process improvement
work increases.
27

28. Setting Up the
Framework
CREATE A SYSTEM FOR SUCCESS
28

29. DMAIC- Overview (pronounced
Duh-May-Ick)
Define
Define the problem,
improvement
activity, opportunity
for improvement,
the project goals,
and customer
(internal and
external)
requirements.
Measure
Measure process
performance.
Analyze
Analyze the process
to determine root
causes of variation,
poor performance
(defects).
Improve
Improve process
performance by
addressing and
eliminating the root
causes.
Control
Control the
improved process
and future process
performance.
29

30. Key Notes on Six Sigma
Leadership is critical to Six Sigma projects.
Six Sigma must be supported from the highest
levels of the company.
Make or break a project.
30

31. Six Sigma
Learning
Levels
Master Black belt: Highest
Black Belt:
Green Belt:
Master Black Belt:
Yellow Belt:
White Belt: Lowest
31

32. Diagramming
Tools
 Six Sigma is a data based
approach to documenting and
solving issues.
 A set of management
techniques intended to improve
business processes by greatly
reducing the probability that an
error or defect will occur.
32

33. Diagramming
Tools
 1. Cause & Effect Diagrams (Fishbone
diagrams)
 2. SIPOC Diagrams
 3. High Level Process Map
 4. Detailed Process Map
 5. Relationship map
 6. 5 Why’s
33

34. The Scenario
 Problem: Sales are declining. The Preparation time to cook, prepare, and serve
hotdogs to customers is too slow and inefficient.
 Effect: Customers are unhappy and going elsewhere for their purchases as the line
is too long to wait in.
 The Solution: ??? That’s what we will work through together!
34

35. 1. Fishbone Diagram
35

36. Fishbone Diagram- The What
 A fishbone diagram organizes the possible causes of a problem into a visual
format that can be quickly understood. This is also known as a cause and
effect diagram.
 You can see that the problem looks like the head of a fish and each branch a
fin.
 The fishbone diagram is most useful when you are identifying possible causes
for a problem.
 It is especially useful when a team’s thinking tends to fall into a rut. This can
help you rethink the problem in a different way.
36

37. Fishbone Diagram- The What
 Brainstorming tool
 List the 4-6 main possible causes of the problem
 Brainstorm all the possible causes of the problem.
 Ask: “Why does this happen?” As each idea is given, the facilitator writes it
as a branch from the appropriate category. Causes can be written in several
places if they relate to several categories.
 Again ask “why does this happen?” about each cause. Write sub–causes
branching off the causes. Continue to ask “Why?” and generate deeper levels
of causes. Layers of branches indicate causal relationships.
 When the group runs out of ideas, focus attention to places on the chart
where ideas are few.
37

38. Fishbone Diagram- You Try
 Stop here and try filling in the Fishbone Diagram yourself.
 Then test your knowledge by continuing to the next lecture.
38

39. Fishbone Diagram- Completed
39

40. 2. SIPOC
40

41. SIPOC Diagram- The What
 Brainstorming tool
 A SIPOC diagram is a tool used by a team to identify all relevant elements of a
process improvement project before work begins.
 This helps to define a complex project that may not be well scoped and is
typically employed at the Measure phase of the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology.
 The team begins by considering the suppliers (the ‘S’ in SIPOC) of your
process, the inputs (the ‘I’) to the process, the process (the ‘P’) your team is
improving, the outputs (the ‘O’) of the process, and the customers (the ‘C’)
that receive the process outputs.
41

42. 2. SIPOC- You Try
 Stop here and try filling in the SIPOC yourself.
 Then test your knowledge by continuing to the next lecture.
42

43. 2. SIPOC- Completed
43

44. 3. High
Level
Process
Map
44

45. High Level Process Map- The What
 What the High-Level Process Map should be is a visual representation of the
sequence of steps and decisions needed to perform a process that represents
the process as it is. Each step in the sequence is noted within a diagram
shape.
 Steps are linked by connecting lines and directional arrows. This allows
anyone to view the diagram and logically follow the process from beginning to
end.
 With proper design and construction, it communicates the steps in a process
very effectively and efficiently.
 The Uses of Swimlane Diagrams
 Most often, Swimlane diagrams are used by multi-department organizations to
illustrate cooperative business processes.
45

46. 3. High Level Process Map- You Try
 Stop here and try filling in the High Level Process Map yourself.
 Then test your knowledge by continuing to the next lecture.
46

47. 3. High Level Process Map-Completed
47

48. 4. Detailed Process Map
48

49. Detailed Process Map- The What
 Not practical in most real-world scenarios
 Who has time to remember all of these shapes and constantly
reference a guidebook?
 More shapes for specific scenarios and interactions
 Use rectangles for events and diamonds for decision points
 Both the Detailed & High Level Process Map can utilize swim
lanes
49

50. 5. Relationship Map
50

51. Relationship Map: The What
 Relationship Maps are technically not process maps since they don’t detail the work
that is done, but what they do is show the participants involved and how materials,
paper or information flows between them.
 The steps to create a relationship map are the following:
 1. List out all the parties involved in the process
 2. Write them all down in a clear area. Draw arrows that connect the participants
and document the nature and direction of the relationships.
 3. Once you have completed a rough draft, redesigning your notes into an
organized graph like the one depicted above.
51

52. 5. Relationship Map- You Try
 Stop here and try filling in the High Level Process Map yourself.
 Then test your knowledge by continuing to the next lecture.
52

53. 5.Relationship
Map
53

54. 6. Five Why’s
54

55. The Five Whys- Origins
Kiichiro Toyoda- founder of Toyota
Motor Corporation.
"Observe the production floor without
preconceptions.“
Go directly to the source and keep
asking, "Why?"
55

56. Five Whys:
The What
The 5 Whys technique
can be a very useful in
day to day life (Things
involving human
interactions or factors.
There are 4 main
benefits to the use of
Five Whys:
1st; this approach lets
us quickly determine
the root cause of the
problem
2nd; there are no
additional costs
incurred under its
usage
3rd; this approach
helps in determining
the relationship
between various
problem causes
4th; simplicity. We just
keep asking why and
drilling into deeper
levels of
understanding.
56

57. Five Whys-> Seven Steps to
Understanding
Step 1.
Assemble a
Team
1
Step 2. Define
the Problem
2
Step 3. Ask the
First "Why?“
3
Step 4. Ask
"Why?" Four
More Times
4
Step 5. Know
When to Stop
Asking
5
Step 6.
Implement a
solution
6
Step 7.Monitor
Your Measures
7
57

58. Step 1.
Assemble a
Team
 Meet and discuss the problem.
 Designate someone as a leader if one is not
already present.
 They can help provide guidance and refocus
the group when necessary.
58

59. Step 2. Define
the Problem
 Watch the problem in action.
 Create a clear problem statement.
 Write the problem statement down.
59

60. Step 3. Ask
the First
"Why?"
 Brainstorm the root cause of the problem.
 Don’t guess and do challenge ideas.
 Record answers succinctly.
60

61. Step 3. Ask the First "Why?"
61

62. Step 4. Ask
"Why?" Four
More Times
 Build off of the first answer.
 Rephrase the inquiry each time to respond to
the answer that we just recorded and then
continue to repeat until you reach the end of
the process.
62

63. Step 4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times
63

64. Step 4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times
64

65. Step 4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times
65

66. Step 4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times
66

67. Step 5. Know
When to Stop
Asking
 The process is finished when the team cannot
come up with any further root causes to the
problem.
 If the answers collected aren’t sufficient,
consider a different approach.
67

68. Step 6.
Implement a
solution
 Assign responsibility.
 Educate.
 Follow up.
68

69. Step 4. Ask "Why?" Four More Times
69

70. Step 7.Monitor
Your Measures
 Use effective KPI’s (Key
Performance Indicator)
 Assign the process owner to
collect and monitor the results.
 Celebrate your successes!
70

71. Choosing the Right Tool for Your Project
71

72. Reviewing,
Understanding, and
Documenting the
Current Process
72

73. Process
Mapping
Steps
Walk Through the Process.
Identify, Organize, and Document the
Steps in the Process.
Ask Clarifying Questions and Gather
Metrics.
Complete the Process Charts/Diagrams.
73

74. The
Importance
of Process
Reviews
Review
Get a full review of the
process from the people most
involved and knowledgeable.
Avoid Avoid making assumptions.
Avoid Avoid using faulty
assumptions.
Get Get buy in for your
improvement effort.
74

75. Documenting
the Process
Reviews
Use a legal pad.
Always type up the handwritten
notes.
Re-confirm your notes taken
with the process owner.
75

76. Process
Review
Questions
Do simple tasks take a long time to complete?
Do miscommunications occur?
Is there a checklist of tasks that are followed and
completed in order each month?
Do people have an understanding on why they
may do a certain task?
Are reports being generated and sent out but are
not being used?
76

77. Process
Review
Questions
Do people take
advantage of the
functionality of
Excel or are they
manually keying
data into
spreadsheets?
Are people
utilizing Excel
lookup formulas
to complete
data
analysis/entry?
Do people
complain that
their work is
cumbersome and
arduous?
Does a backlog
of work exist?
77

78. Process Review Questions
Was a process
inherited from
someone else and
has never been
reviewed?
Are there frequent
and urgent requests
for data (known as
fire drill exercises).
Are there many
people do similar
things across the
organization but in
different ways?
Are there external
databases, 3rd party
web tools, and
home-grown
solutions in place?
Are deadlines
frequently missed or
delayed?
Are people working
late hours or through
their lunch breaks
consistently?
Have the same
people been in the
same role for a long
period of time?
78

79. Process
Review
Questions
Does it add value?
Can it be
eliminated?
Can it be
automated?
Why is this process
being done on a
piece of paper?
79

80. Ask Effective Questions
Thinking about a problem in the shoes of
another person or stake holder can help
to reveal new questions.
Questions are most productive when they
are open-ended vs closed, concise vs
lengthy, and simple vs complex.
80

81. Identifying Process Metrics
Number Number of invoices requiring adjustment after being input in the system
Number Number of incoming voucher errors
Number Number of recurring payments
Number Number of A/P checks issued
Number Number of lines of data entered into the system
Number Number of check requests processed
Number Number of invoices processed
81

82. Identifying Process Metrics
Cycle Time –
number of days
Invoice date to
approval date
Approval date
to receipt by
A/P
Receipt by A/P
to payment
Number of
payment
templates setup
in the system
Number of
invoices
received
electronically
Number of
payments made
electronically
Number of
vendors listed in
the vendor
master file
Number of
manually
processed A/P
checks
Number of
voided A/P
checks
Number of
checks requiring
a manual
signature
82

83. Considerations
to Keep in Mind
While
Conducting
Process Reviews
Ask Ask “Stupid Questions.”
Challenge Challenge every process step, every piece
of paper, every input and every output.
Keep Keep it Simple.
83

84. Critical Leadership
Qualities
84

85. Who Wants
to Change?
85

86. How to Lead an Improvement
Initiative
Lead Lead in an authentic, direct and matter of fact way.
Challenge and Empower Challenge and empower your team to achieve the goals set forth.
Engage Engage cross functional teams formed of employees a diverse background.
Focus Focus on addressing a clear, shared, business frustration.
86

87. Communicate,
Communicate,
Communicate
Articulate the concerns of those who resist
change.
Explain the likely consequences of not changing.
Explain the possibilities the future holds.
Describe the transition plan you have developed
to support the shift from the current to the future
state.
87

88. Perspective MAINTAIN AN OPEN MIND
88

89. LEAD BY
EXAMPLE
89
RESPECT

90. Active
Listening
LISTEN TO WHAT IS SAID AND WHAT
SOMEONE MEANS TO SAY
90

91. Identifying Process
Improvement
Opportunities
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND
91

92. Focus on
addressing a
clear, shared,
business
frustration
 What do opportunities look like?
 Redundant data entry
 Slow administrative processes
 Sub-optimized tools
 Key team members overloaded
 Time-consuming methodologies
 Highly labor intensive processes
92

93. How Should
Things Work?
REPORTING
93

94. How Should Things Work?
USER MANUALS, POLICIES & PROCEDURES
94

95. How Should
Things Work?
INTEGRATION
95

96. Identifying
Areas for
Improvement
Ask for Feedback
Work with the experts
96

97. “I’ll Know it
When I See
It”
TRUST YOUR GUT
97

98. Use Your Diagramming
Tool to Identify
Opportunities
 Analyze your diagramming tool
to identify the weak spots and
highlight them.
98

99. Redesigning the
Process &
Implementation
99

100. The Process
Improvement
Recipe
100

101. Why Do Business
Process
Improvement
Projects Fail?
 The most common reasons that
projects fail:
 Lack of support from the top
 The organizational culture
 Non-cooperative team members
 Project team is not representative
101

102. The Four Stages of
Implementation
 Role model
 Show them
 Let them
 Help them
102

103. Redesigning the Process
and Implementation
Fundamentals
 Make it mandatory
 Be data driven
 Employees take ownership
 Measure improvement
103

104. Redesigning the Process
and Implementation
Fundamentals
 Build alliances
 Provide the resources
 Create the right environment
104

105. Redesigning the Process
and Implementation
Fundamentals
 Answer, “What’s in it For Me?”
 Provide Training on
Improvement Tools and
Techniques
 Update the Procedures
105

106. Devise the Improvement Strategy
Bring all of the past
lessons together.
Be SMART: specific,
measurable,
attainable, realistic,
and time-bound.
Follow the “10
Essential Elements
for the Perfect
Project Plan”
Create a step-by-
step process plan.
Once again,
communication is
key.
106

107. Your First Projects Should
Deliver Quick Wins
 Deliver quick wins
107

108. Implement  Take action on your ideas
108

109. Control- Set the
Process up for Success
 DMAIC
 Use metrics to measure and
control
 Document and train
 Periodically revisit
109

110. Celebrate
 Reward performance
 Recognize each team member’s
impact
 Gather lessons learned
110

111. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 1: CREATE URGENCY
111

112. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 2: FORM A POWERFUL COALITION
112

113. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 3: CREATE A VISION FOR CHANGE
113

114. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 4: COMMUNICATE THE VISION
114

115. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 5: REMOVE OBSTACLES
115

116. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 6: CREATE SHORT-TERM WINS
116

117. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 7: BUILD ON THE CHANGE
117

118. Kotter's 8-Step
Change Model
STEP 8: ANCHOR THE CHANGES IN CORPORATE
CULTURE
118

119. PDAC (Plan-Do-Check-Act)
A simple description of the PDCA cycle is:
Plan: Identify an opportunity and create a plan for improvement.
Do: Test the change on a small scale where results can easily be observed and
measured.
Check: Evaluate the results of the test and summarize the lessons learned.
Act: If the test worked, implement the change on a slightly larger scale and monitor
results.
.
119

120. Tips and
Advice
120

121. Using the 80/20 Rule
to Achieve Efficiency
 The Pareto rule states that roughly
80% of the effects come from 20% of
the causes.
 This applies to Business Process
Improvement because as we
investigate issues, we should only look
to solve the biggest problems and do
not need to worry about every last
detail.
121

122. Document Your
Accomplishments
Use the documentation tool
that works for you.
Create an ongoing “Brag” sheet
122

123. Lessons Learned
LEARN A NEW PROCESS IN IT’S
ENTIRETY BEFORE TRYING TO RE-
WRITE IT.
MAKE SURE THAT THE NEW
PROCESS CAN REPLICATE THE
OLD.
UNDERSTAND WHICH PROCESSES
ARE INTERDEPENDENT AND
WHICH ARE DEPENDENT.
123

124. Lessons Learned
Do not submit an
underdeveloped
solution.
This will undercut
your trust and
credibility within
your organization.
Do not improve a
process without
management buy
in.
Time/effort will be
spent on a solution
that is never used.
124

125. Lessons Learned
Be
Always Be Learning. Being on the razor’s
edge can help you understand the newest
tools and opportunities that you can help
your firm exploit.
Talk
Talk to other experts. Share war stories.
Most of the learning comes through real life
experiences and not text book knowledge.
125

126. Frequent Roadblocks & FAQs
Why would I stop doing what
works for me now?
Share best practices in your field. Share the
benefits of the change and the reason for
doing so. Spend time with a user to quash
all concerns. This can be something as easy
as showing someone how to use Excel more
efficiently and store files on a shared
server.
You don’t have the authority
to tell me what to do!
Explain your role as a business partner. With
the support of management behind you,
hint that you do have explicit authority to
proceed. But focus on using implicit
authority and fly under the radar.
126

127. The
Importance of
Relationships
to Process
Improvements
Think of your business partners as customers
whom you want to delight.
They will spread word of how you have made their
work and life easier and more people will head in
your direction.
Projects will only be improved if people think
that you are competent and that you are liked.
The alternative is subterfuge to your work and then
a disregard for your solution.
127

128. The 10
Commandments
To Continuous
Improvement
128

129. Excel Skills That You Must Have
 List of common Excel functions/formulas/tools used to optimize processes:
 IndexMatch(Match)
 CountIf
 Sumif(s)
 Advanced Pivot Table/Chart techniques
 Offset
 Indirect
 If
 Sumproduct
 Use of Named Ranges
 Bonus: VBA Visual Basic for Applications(code directs Excel what to do)
129

130. Technology
and Business
Process
Management
 Technology is a crucial part of any BPI
initiative. This is especially true when
the processes being targeted for
improvement include technology that is
being implemented or upgraded.
 However, experts recommend that the
organization’s strategic goals, rather
than technology, should drive BPI.
 Process changes should come before
implementation of new technology, to
decrease any negative impact.
 Additionally, process changes and
technology changes should not be
performed simultaneously.
130

131. The BPI
Toolkit
 Application of advanced Excel
functionality
 Application of VBA (Visual Basics for
Applications) to automate an Excel
based task. (Or a task that runs on any
of the MS suite products.
 On the job training and re-training.
 Frequent job rotations- new eyes see
things differently vs “this is just the
way that I have always done it”
 ERP upgrades/replacements
131

132. The BPI
Toolkit
 Redeployment of talent. The wrong people might be in
jobs that they do not have the skills for.
 Job documentation
 If someone writes down what they do, it may be apparent to
the process owner that the current method does not make
logical sense.
 Avoid high degrees of detail and standardization in
documenting processes. This will discourage users to make
changes regularly.
 RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
132