What is Process design ?
Process design is activities that involves creating specification for new and modified business processes within the context of business goals, process performance objectives, workflows,business applications, technology platforms, data resources, financial and operational controls, and integration with other internal and external processes. Both a logical design (what activities are performed) and a physical design (how the activities are performed) are included as deliverables
The most common initiatives behind business process design projects are:
• customer and supply chain management
• operational performance improvement
• business process integration and automation
• cost reduction
• new business opportunities.
the process design activities can range from modest (e.g. change the existing processes and look for some quick wins) to aggressive (e.g. identify major opportunities to increase value or decreased costs through radical process improvement or outsourcing).
The following are roles that play a critical part in the definition of process design :
• Executive Leadership
• Process Design Team
• Subject Matter Experts
• Customer
• Stakeholders
The role of executive leadership during the design of a process is to ensure that the process designed will correctly meet the needs of the organization.
• Facilitator
plays a key role in the design stage of process improvement. Thisindividual (or team of individuals) leads the team through the development of the future
design of the processes. It is usually best that this individual or team be process professionals with knowledge in both business processes and the needs of the organization.
• Process Owners
During the design of the process, the process owners help ensure that the new design meets the required objectives while remaining within the assigned budget
Before beginning any process design the process professional will review those deliverables from the analysis stage.There are some way to prepare :
1. Key Activities/Roadmap for Design
• Designing the new process
• Defining activities within the new process
• Defining rules that control the activities
• Defining handoffs of process between functional groups
• Defining desired metrics in the new process
• Gap and comparisons to existing analysis
• Creating the physical design
• IT infrastructure analysis and design
• Model simulation, testing and acceptance
• Creating an implementation plan
2. Designing the New Process
There are many ways to design the new process from using simple white boards through sophisticated software modeling tools that allow the storage and retrieval of
processes.there are also many different informational gathering activities (brain storming, story creation, etc.) that can be used to facilitate the creation of the model.All of the tools or methods used have their various strengths and weaknesses. The correct tool, methodology, and activity to define the process depend on the project goal, the culture of the organization and the current infrastructure
3. Defining Activities within the New Process
Activities are a series of steps that are performed to execute a process. During an order fulfillment process, for example, the activities would include entering the order, packing the order, shipping the order, and billing for the order. Each one must be performed for the order process to be complete and often the steps depend on one another and so must be completed in sequence.
4. Comparison to Existing Process
The new processes should also be compared to the existing state. Benefits of the comparison analysis are:
-Allows a gap analysis to be performed which will show the level and scope of the change
-Provides important information that can allow the process improvement team to demonstrate the savings that can be
generated by the new process once the process is implemented
-The information also helps build the case for the new process which will assist in managing resistance to
change
-Through the documentation of the gap between the old and new process, the information provides weight to
the need for the organization to manage by process
-The gap between the old and new can also show the degree of the savings that can be achieved via process improvements
in other areas of the organization.
Finally, a comparison analysis also allows the process design team to revisit the existing state and ensures that the new
design does, in fact, meet the expected goals and resolve the issues discovered in the analysis stage.
5. Creating a Physical Design
-This physical design determines HOW each activity or task is to be performed.
-Small projects may only require a brief, but accurate statement for changing existing processes or activities.
-The larger or more transformational projects will require significant detail before moving forward to actual
implementation.
6. IT Infrastructure Analysis and Design
When involving the IT organization, here are some key concerns that should be addressed:
• What software or systems best match the needs of the process?
• Are there limitations in the current infrastructure that limit the design?
• Can the design be implemented quickly?
• What will be the impact to the organization?
• Can a staged approach be employed?
• What will the new implementation cost (including training, technology, etc.)?
• Are there vendors that can assist in the implementation?
7. Creating an Implementation Plan
Once the new process has been designed, the concerns can be reviewed using an implementation plan created to appropriately
address those concerns.
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