Business Process Optimization
Fix how the work moves before you automate it
Slow turnaround, repeated data entry and unclear responsibility usually come from the process, not the people. We map how work really moves, remove what is not needed and redesign the rest.
Signs this is the problem
Does this sound familiar?
- Simple requests need several signatures, and nobody remembers why.
- Work waits at the same desk or department every time.
- The same details are entered more than once by different people.
- When something goes wrong it is unclear who was responsible.
- Work is often sent back to be corrected.
- Customers or internal users complain about how long things take.
- Procedures are written down but nobody follows them, or they are not written down at all.
What we do
Work that moves through the organisation without delay or rework.
- Mapping a process as it actually runs, from request to completion.
- Measuring where time goes and where work waits or comes back.
- Removing unnecessary approvals, handoffs and duplicated steps.
- Clarifying who is responsible for each step and decision.
- Redesigning the workflow and writing clear standard operating procedures.
- Identifying which steps of the improved process are suitable for automation.
Often today
- Request raised
- Sales sign-off
- Finance sign-off
- Director sign-off
- Details re-entered
- Dispatch
After the work
- Request raised
- One sign-off within agreed limits
- Dispatch
How an engagement runs
Four steps, starting small
- 01Understand
The process review. We map one process with the people who carry it out and gather what data exists on volume and time.
- 02Diagnose
We identify the bottlenecks, duplication and unclear responsibilities, and what each costs in time.
- 03Implement
We redesign the process with your staff, write the procedures and support the change.
- 04Hand over
We agree a small set of measures so you can see whether the improvement holds.
What you receive
Concrete deliverables
- A map of the current process and a written summary of findings from the review.
- A redesigned process with responsibilities stated for each step.
- Standard operating procedures staff can follow.
- A short list of measures for monitoring turnaround and rework.
- Recommendations on which steps, if any, to automate next.
Illustrative scenario: Distribution company
Routine credit orders approved once, not three times.
At a distribution company every credit order needs sign-off from sales, finance and a director, whatever its size. Orders wait for signatures, customers call to ask where their goods are, and sales staff re-enter order details that finance has already captured.
A process review would map the order-to-dispatch process and measure where orders wait. We would expect to propose approval limits so that routine orders within a customer's credit terms need one sign-off, a single point of data entry and a named owner for each stage, written up as a procedure staff can follow.
Connected services
Where this work leads
Questions
Asked before a first meeting
Why not automate the process straight away?
Automating an inefficient process makes the inefficiency permanent and faster. It costs less to remove unnecessary steps first.
Will this disrupt day-to-day operations?
The review is done through short conversations and observation. Changes are introduced in stages agreed with the managers responsible.
Do you only produce a report?
No. We help put the redesigned process into use, including the written procedures and the handover to staff.
Which process should we start with?
Usually the one with the most complaints or the longest delays. The first conversation helps settle this.
Request a process review
Start with one problem
Tell us which process is slow, error-prone or unclear. We will reply to explain what a process review involves.
Every enquiry gets a considered reply from a senior person, not a sales sequence