Navigator Capital Group

business process optimization

business process optimization

The topic of business process optimization is currently gaining importance. Due to the current situation and continuing uncertainty on global markets, maximizing the efficiency of their business is becoming a priority for many entrepreneurs.

An enterprise is a set of interrelated processes. Each area of ​​a company’s operations is characterized by different processes, but what they have in common is the provision of products and services to customers, both inside and outside the organization. The final result generated by the company depends on the effectiveness of individual processes.

Navigator Business Consulting will optimize business processes, analyzing problems and opportunities, proposing improvements individually tailored to the specificity of the company, which will fit into the company’s strategy and long-term plans, and will also meet the expectations of the owners.

Business process automation

usprawnianie procesów biznesowych

1. Process identification - identifying the processes currently occurring in the organization

Precisely defined goals of individual processes along with a description of the current state allow for the necessary understanding of the characteristics of the company’s operations. Understanding the state of the current process involves recognizing its individual elements. In the context of their further optimization, it is extremely important to identify processes that may potentially cause business problems. For each process, the following should be distinguished:

  • Beginning of a process – a process may be triggered by a certain event or have a beginning in another process;
  • End of the process – the process should end with a specific action and the effect of this action, it may thus start another process;
  • Activities – individual activities that make up the process;
  • Project participants – people (not only employees) carrying out given process activities;
  • Products – most activities cause a specific effect or result in the creation of a product, e.g. a document, decision, service;

2. Preparation of "AS IS" maps - mapping, visualization of the process in accordance with the actual situation

The purpose of mapping is to clearly and completely present the process. It is important that the process is presented as it actually is, avoiding any kind of colorization of reality.

3. Analysis and identification of inefficiencies - analysis of business problems, identification of their sources, defining expectations for improvements

The basis for undertaking optimization activities is a business problem, the nature of which may vary, but most often the problem comes down to ineffectiveness – not bringing the expected results and costliness – bringing the expected results, but at too high a cost. In our opinion, a comprehensive approach is recommended in process optimization projects – searching for the causes of inefficiency in the entire organization, because our experience shows that, after analysis, seemingly efficient processes often turn out to be the cause of a business problem in the organization.

Analysis of the current state is usually done by:

  • Workshops/working interviews with process participants;
  • Analysis of process documentation (if any exists in the company);
  • Actual follow-up of the process step by step;
  • Analysis of source data, defining the business problem;
  • Discussion on the actual course of the previously prepared process map - validation of the process with its participants;
  • Discussion on the causes of the current state, rationale for action and applied solutions;

4. Defining improvements - verification of solutions with participants, prioritization

Each business process optimization project should have a defined business goal that the company wants to achieve after the project is completed. Our experience shows that in large companies the number of processes may exceed even 500, so in practice it is not possible to optimize all of them at the same time, which makes prioritization necessary. The proposed improvements should always be subject to evaluation of their individual variants, as well as verification of the proposed solutions with the process participants.

5. Creating a "TO BE" map and refining the details of improvements - detailed design of improvements, analysis of the impact of improvements on the process

Process optimization should not be considered an “off-the-shelf product” that can be used in every company. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that will provide the best results, so depending on the identified inefficiencies and their causes, various improvements should be applied. It should also be borne in mind that starting process optimization usually requires investment in time, funds for new tools and training. At this stage, it is important to analyze the impact of the proposed improvement on the course of individual processes.

6. Development of a plan and implementation - schedule, assignment of responsibility, training

Without a doubt, the most difficult stage of optimization is the stage of implementing the developed changes. It is at this stage that most mistakes are usually made. The selection of appropriate tools at the implementation stage is a function of the goal of the entire optimization process. The activities carried out when developing an implementation plan vary depending on the specificity of the project, but can usually be distinguished:

  • Implementation plan - preparation of a design and implementation work plan including a schedule of activities with designated milestones and assigning responsibility to specific people;
  • Appointing an implementation team - appointing a dedicated team allows for clear assignment of responsibility to specific people, which increases motivation to act and allows you to maintain control over the change implementation process;
  • Implementation of procedures - process changes often affect the work rules of people who are not directly involved in their planning, therefore communicating changes and documenting procedures is necessary for effective and lasting implementation of changes;
  • Training - new standards and procedures require appropriate adaptation of the organization, therefore it is important to conduct training that will allow the team to adapt to the new situation;
  • Communication to employees - communication of individual stages of the optimization process is extremely important both at the planning stage - announcing possible changes, demonstrating initiative, and at the implementation stage - discussing changes, emphasizing their purpose and benefits obtained;
  • Testing - for larger organizations, staged implementation is recommended, which allows testing new solutions on the example of individual organizational units within the enterprise, which allows for minimizing risk and verifying project assumptions.

Process optimization projects often significantly change the current way an enterprise operates, so it should be borne in mind that this is not a task that can be performed easily and quickly. You should not expect immediate effects, because change always takes time, and the foundation of any change is a proper understanding of the current state and actual course of processes in the organization. It is worth remembering that every change in the organization should be supported by business reasons and should have a precisely defined goal – change for the sake of the idea itself is pointless. At each stage of project implementation, it is also important to listen to employees’ suggestions and observations. Communication and convincing the environment to change is extremely important to maintain the appropriate level of motivation in striving to achieve the expected effects of process optimization.

Thanks to the multi-area support of professionals, you will be able to effectively optimize business processes in line with your expectations and the strategy of the company you manage. We are characterized by flexibility and, at the same time, knowledge of the highest standards for improving the functioning of companies.

Robotization of business processes - Case study

review and optimization of operational processes

Project background
  • The client (a leading logistics operator operating on the domestic market) was unable to achieve the expected level of profitability on its own.
  • The company’s management suspected that a significant reason was the lack of a unified operating model for various branches of the organization. An independent attempt to carry out a project to unify operational processes in branches ended in failure.
Project goal
  • Unification of the method of implementing operational processes in various departments of the organization.
  • Determining the organization’s development potential by changing/improving the operating model.
Our approach
  • Information about the current state was collected during visits to selected branches of the organization and during meetings in centralized departments. Knowledge was expanded through a survey conducted on the entire population of the departments.
  • We developed a model unifying the operational processes of the branches and optimization recommendations based on conclusions from workshop meetings of the project team.
    For the recommendations, we conducted a comparative assessment in terms of their importance for the organization, time consumption, expected impact on the financial result and implementation difficulties.
Results
  • Developed a unified model for the implementation of tasks included in operational processes.
  • Developed a unified model of response to crisis situations.
  • A developed list of positions with their characteristics adapted to the unified operating model.
  • Developed list of 20+ strategic initiatives assessed based on 4 criteria:
  • Materiality for the organization.
  • Implementation difficulties.
  • Expected profit.
  • Time-consuming.

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