Business Process Improvement
Business Process Improvement (BPI) as the term implies, is an approach or methodology employed in an organization to transform its systems, processes and operations to achieve optimum results. Business process improvement techniques were first employed in the manufacturing environment, then further developed and enhanced. Business process improvement soon was adopted in the service and other industries to improve business processes for greater efficiency and profitability. The challenges in each industry differ; however the core principles of business process improvement are fundamentally the same, and thus can be applied to any industry.
The benefits of business process improvement include reduction of wastage in processes, improved productivity and output, optimum utilization of resources and more. The ultimate objective is overall improved organizational performance. To ensure the success of business process improvement, it must engage the commitment of the whole organization. Fundamental business process improvement steps involve aligning business processes to organizational objectives, establishing measurements and appointing process leaders to manage and monitor the implementation stages.
There are various business process improvement software solutions from HP, IBM, Microsoft and others to support organizations in their business process improvement efforts. The SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) software solutions, a design and implementation methodology is often employed to help in information analysis and organization for business process improvement. There are a range of business process improvement tools to utilize, such as process maps, data checklists, Pareto charts, histograms, scatter plots, Ishikawa Diagrams and SPC charts. These tools help the process owner understand and analyze the process flow, identify problems and work out improvements during a process improvement exercise.
There are various categories of business process improvement training courses. The short Sales Team Training courses are usually one-day workshops, and provide overviews of business process improvement, business process management or modules of business architecture or SOA. Longer courses such as Business Process Management training, is a four-day program, covers Business Process Improvement, Business Process Mapping and Analysis. The participants are exposed to business improvement tools such as Six Sigma and others.