Business processes should be formally described to convey the way we work in the company. Such process descriptions are typically found in the company’s management system.
Figure 1
There are different policies regarding granularity and how to break down high level processes to lower level processes with activities. A rule of thumb is that there should not be much more than 3 levels from a high level process until you find what activities you actually need to perform to fulfill the overall process.
Activities or tasks that need to be performed in a process must have clear descriptions of what the required input is to successfully complete the activity, what tasks need to be performed within the activity, by what role and discipline and what the expected outcome or output is from the activity (figure 2).
There are different policies regarding granularity and how to break down high level processes to lower level processes with activities. A rule of thumb is that there should not be much more than 3 levels from a high level process until you find what activities you actually need to perform to fulfill the overall process.
Activities or tasks that need to be performed in a process must have clear descriptions of what the required input is to successfully complete the activity, what tasks need to be performed within the activity, by what role and discipline and what the expected outcome or output is from the activity (figure 2).
Figure 2
Furthermore, it must be clearly specified who should receive the output of the activity and why (figure 3).
Furthermore, it must be clearly specified who should receive the output of the activity and why (figure 3).
Figure 3
When I interview organizations, especially during different elicitation activities, I very often hear that there are missing or insufficient feedback loops between different disciplines. Such feedback loops are easy to draw in a process, like the figure 4 below, but it is a whole lot more difficult in reality as it involves.............. People, departments (which is even more difficult as it involves a different "tribe of people" ) and possibly even other companies.
When I interview organizations, especially during different elicitation activities, I very often hear that there are missing or insufficient feedback loops between different disciplines. Such feedback loops are easy to draw in a process, like the figure 4 below, but it is a whole lot more difficult in reality as it involves.............. People, departments (which is even more difficult as it involves a different "tribe of people" ) and possibly even other companies.
Figure 4
Hard as it may be, feedback loops are crucial for continuous improvement and learning, especially as the company grows to a size where it is hard to know what everyone is doing.
In my view, trying to measure or at least monitor that feedback activities are performed is of the utmost importance.
Bjorn Fidjeland
Hard as it may be, feedback loops are crucial for continuous improvement and learning, especially as the company grows to a size where it is hard to know what everyone is doing.
In my view, trying to measure or at least monitor that feedback activities are performed is of the utmost importance.
Bjorn Fidjeland
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