Description and optimization of business processes. Optimization of business processes for one-two-three: educational program for managers

One of the ways to improve the efficiency of an enterprise is to optimize business processes. Efficiency is the ratio of the result to the effort expended. Optimization of business processes is, in turn, a set of measures aimed at increasing their efficiency. Despite the variety of optimization techniques, it is far from always possible to achieve the desired result.

Does the company need business process optimization

In any organization, there is a certain number of business processes that are performed by its employees. These include purchases and sales, management and production processes, office work and others. Having a company already automating existing processes helps it become more efficient. When a company has implemented a quality management system in accordance with ISO 9001, this is an indicator of a high business culture. It carries an approach to an organization as a large number of processes and implies that all business processes in it are highlighted and described.

Particular companies have automation specialists who take part in the process identification, characterization and optimization. After a certain amount of time, any ideally built process needs to be reorganized. It is necessary to take into account changes in working conditions, fresh jobs and new processes, any patterns. Without optimization, conflicts can arise that do not allow individual parts of the enterprise to function normally, which will affect the amount of money earned.

In order to find out whether a company needs to optimize business processes, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the classification of problems in the current business processes:

1. Duplication of job responsibilities. The functions of not only the employees of the organization, but also the departments of the enterprise overlap or repeat, creating chaos, unreasonable competition and unnecessary financial costs for unnecessary work.
2. The managers have experience in the field of management, but do not have basic economic knowledge, as well as competencies in the field of marketing and management.
3. The system of systematic professional development of employees has not been worked out. Usually the staff does not want to come up with anything to optimize business processes.
4. Sometimes the owners and management remember that they need to work more efficiently, and the company begins to urgently implement an IT system for managing finances, sales, and employees (the list is endless). But it is introduced either in complete isolation from the current business processes, adjusting it to the "best practice" (and driving the organization even more into the pit), or mindlessly copying, as a result of which a useless system is created, on which millions of rubles and a large amount have been spent man-hours, and there is practically no economic effect.

What changes does the optimization of business processes bring:

• Reduces operational and time costs.
• Increases the quality of customer service.
• Increases the manageability of the company.
• Allows to achieve target indicators.

In turn, this has a positive effect on reducing the cost of services or products, as well as on increasing the attractiveness of the company for customers. Additionally, the enterprise will become more mobile in its solutions, which increases the stability and competitiveness of the organization.

It is necessary to realize that in every company all business processes are interconnected. As a result, business process optimization technology can affect the flow of other business processes in an organization. It is better to start with a not particularly significant process, which does not require large financial and time costs. Then gradually optimize other processes. If you try to optimize everything at once, then this can lead to dire consequences and negative attitude towards all process adjustments in the future.

In this case, it is recommended first of all to rationalize records management. It is an indisputable fact that the optimization of the work of documentation within the company significantly improves the quality of processes. Also, after you learn how to catch potential improvements in your workflow, you can relay your experience to other areas of the organization.

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Where should the optimization of the company's business processes begin?

Almost all organizations (the only exception are state corporations) need to optimize their business processes, because there is no limit to perfection, and given that the market is a rather unstable phenomenon in constant dynamics, in which the rules are formed exclusively by the participating parties, there is a need for a quick response to changes. A company that is in continuous striving and development must necessarily have a department in its structure that is engaged in the optimization of business processes. The more successful will be the company that does not regret spending financial resources on the introduction of modern technologies, since it understands that the future lies behind them.

How to make a selection of the most paramount to optimize business processes? For this, it is necessary to select priority criteria. A list of such criteria has already been compiled and is actively being used in practice:

Criterion 1. The importance of the business process.

It is logical that in order to optimize business processes, it is necessary to select key processes, since their improvement will allow achieving the most effective results. What is the importance of the process? This criterion for the company is determined by the share of the contribution of this business process to the achievement of the key objectives of the organization. However, if this business process is the most important, but at the same time effective, then no way to optimize it, it will not be better. In some situations, it is possible to optimize a key business process, but why do it, why spend money and employee time if it is already effective? To identify these business processes, the problematic criterion is used.

Criterion 2. The problem of the business process.

It is necessary to find out what exactly we mean and understand by the word "problem". By this term, we mean the standard interpretation, that is, the problem is the difference between the desired and the actual state of business processes. Thus, the criteria of importance and problematicity characterize what result we will get after optimizing the business process.

Criterion 3. The ability to implement changes in the business process.

It is necessary to select those business processes in which the optimization will be the easiest. In this situation, we are considering the cost aspect: how much financial resources will have to be spent on optimizing business processes, how much labor resources, personal time will be required, etc. process.

Having clarified the degree / assessment of the criteria of importance, problematicity and reality of the optimization of business processes, we will be able to choose the most effective of them. It is logical that the main business processes of the company will become the highest priority, since they are, as a rule, the most costly and problematic.

Expert opinion

It is impossible to optimize all business processes

Sergey Pankin,

trainer-consultant of the "Center Orgprom" company, Yekaterinburg

It is impossible to optimize business processes and reduce losses to zero - this is a utopia. But you need to adjust the processes if they entail large losses of value for the client. You cannot put up with the disorder in the shops, under-production, consumer problems, a queue of orders.

Thanks to intensive work, many processes can be significantly optimized in a fairly short time. As a rule, such improvements are the results of assault breakthroughs. For example, at one Yekaterinburg enterprise that produces auto components, this method reduced the production time of a part by 1447 times. This, of course, did not make it possible to accelerate the release of the entire product by the same factor; however, it was found that the organization's tradition of locating processing equipment in a functional relationship was a significant waste of time. Based on the analysis, the production process was revised. Now the location of the machines is determined by the sequence of operations. This has significantly reduced the cycle time.

Here's another example. In a fairly simple process - packaging paint - it was possible to increase labor productivity by 50% (before the line was served by four workers, now - two). This result was achieved through a detailed calculation of the actions of the operators. The compiled process map revealed moments of loss. It turned out that a lot of time is spent on preparing the packaging, shifting, and unnecessary movements. Losses also entail inconsistency in the actions of operators, due to which they are forced to wait for each other. The optimization took four days. To eliminate losses, it was necessary to arrange the equipment differently, apply markings, increase the lighting in the working area, set up rhythmic music, etc.

Optimizing more complex processes requires not only mapping and identifying problems, but also experimentation, for which production has to be temporarily halted. Testing usually takes one to two days.

• Document flow in the organization: when everything is in place

Expert opinion

Three parameters for assessing the optimality of a business process

Mikhail Gordeev,

Chief Technology Officer, Euromanagement, Moscow

To understand what degree of relevance a certain business process has, you can use the following criteria:

1. The level of quality of the final product. Investigate the size of the formal claims of the customers, the dissatisfaction of the company executives and the claims of the executing party.

2. The workflow of each employee when performing a specific operation... A process works well if:

• the employee performs a minimum list of actions (from three to five) with a specifically negotiated execution schedule and extremely simple content. If any operation is an exception to the rule, then it is best to make a specific description of it;
• the time gap between the execution of actions differs by no more than 2-3 times. If the operation takes from 10 minutes to 2 hours to complete, then this action must be prescribed as an exception to the rule;
• the term intended for the execution of the operation exceeds the real working time by no more than one working day.

3. Simplicity and negotiation of the system of business processes. The following indicators are used for assessment:

• the number of so-called "entry" and "exit" processes. The fewer there are, the better for the company;
• the number of actions for performing one process, ideally - from seven to eleven;
• the number of possible exceptions, since each of them is a danger to the management of processes;
• the number of employees involved, departments of the organization.

The main principles of business process optimization

Principle 1. Business process optimization must have a foundation.

The meaning of this principle is that before starting the optimization of business processes, it is necessary to specifically isolate each business process of the company. To carry out the improvement of chaos is subject only to higher powers. A mere mortal first needs to figure out how business processes are going, that is, to consider them in the format of an "as is" scheme. If it is not possible to describe the business processes that are taking place in the company today, then there will simply be nothing to optimize.

Principle 2. When optimizing business processes, “the fish is cleaned from the tail”.

This principle is that it is necessary to assess the optimality according to the scheme from the particular to the general, finding individual errors, shortcomings, combining them into groups and quickly eliminating them.

Principle 3. Business process optimization solutions are controversial.

In other words, there is a high probability that the elimination of suboptimality in one indicator will lead to a decrease in the effectiveness of another process. In addition, it is not enough just to understand this, you also need to have the ability to find such consequences, evaluate the positive aspects and identify shortcomings, and then make a reasoned choice.

Principle 4. The company's specialists do not like optimal business processes.

The inevitable consequence of perfect optimization of business processes will be increased exploitation of the executing party, in this regard, there will be resistance from the employees of the enterprise. It can be both pronounced and unconscious.

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The editorial board of the magazine "Commercial Director" tells what are the ways to optimize production costs, which are best used. Learn about them from the article at the link ↓

What determines the optimization of the organization's business processes

The factors that affect the efficiency of business processes and their agility can be completely different. Whole groups of parameters are useful for understanding, most of which are usually controlled by the business with software support. However, some factors can be controlled and monitored with reliable measurement and interpretation of actions. These include:

• Ecosystem of a business project.

The ecosystem of a business project is a network of organizations, including partners, suppliers, customers, government agencies, distributors, who supply products or provide services both through a process of competition and partnership, where each party is involved to a certain extent. The ecosystem includes policies, regulations, legislation that regulates the relationship between providers and customers.

• Business context.

The context of a business is the position of a business project within its ecosystem: the context in which a significant business event has ended or is still taking place, an event that guarantees the creation of a background and maintenance of conditions. These conditions are used when evaluating business policies and business rules as a basis for taking corrective actions for business processes. It is a set of factors and 8 systems: process, information, event, rules, content, analytics, cooperation and monitoring, which are influenced by the optimization of business processes. In this regard, adjustments can be made competently and on the way of a business project to adapt to innovations and achieve the set goals in a consistent and predictable form, even in situations where the conditions of the circumstances are not entirely predictable.

• Business options and changes.

There are a large number of adjustments that occur systematically in a business context or are unpredictable. However, only a few of them are truly significant for optimizing business processes.

• Business condition.

The business state is the result of cardinal transformations of business processes that affect the parameters and structure of the efficiency, agility and productivity of innovations. State changes indicate that business results may differ as a transition occurs from one operational state to another.

• Business results.

Vision and shaping the desired business outcomes ensure transparency of initiatives and workflow. This gives each party a chance to fully participate and cooperate with the established and discussed objectives. The measurable outcome of a business project is considered to be a central focus on projects rather than workflow conditions.

• Business goals.

A business goal is the aspirations of a business project. It contains information about how the business leaders want to see it. This can be negotiated at the highest level, starting with the structure of the company and its strategy, or refined at a lower level - effective and measurable goals. As a rule, goals are set so that there is an exact date when they will be achieved.

• Key performance indicators.

KPI is a performance indicator, in other words, a measure of achieving the goals of a business project. For example, for the KPI “Raise the average income per customer by 10%”, the business goal might be “Raise the average income per customer”.

• Business policies and regulations.

Business policies are declarations or statements containing information about the principles for achieving the set goals. For example, “funds for a hotel room booked in advance will not be returned back”. Business rules are declarative in nature, thus limiting a number of aspects of a business project. They describe how a business project will behave under some set of circumstances.

• Business solutions.

Business solutions establish and anchor the decisions that the company makes within the business process.

• Business sensors.

Business KPI sensors and monitoring and tracking mechanisms modulate and regulate business change, just as a KPI monitors events and phenomena in a business context.

• Business events.

Business events are events that represent an important change in business processes. They are usually unintentional, non-specialized, and not part of the group of systematic workflow sequences in business.

• Business monitoring.

Monitoring performance based on a set of key indicators. It includes looking at business events and comparing against thresholds using rudimentary algorithms and reporting forms.

• Business development tools: a case that increased brand loyalty

At what levels is the optimization of business processes of the enterprise carried out?

All business processes have different levels of impact on the bottom line of the organization. They are called drivers of the company's revenue and profit. For example, administrative and managerial business processes are responsible for making competent decisions and actions of management, collecting data about the enterprise's workflow, which are involved in the main business processes. In this regard, with a decrease in financial costs, it is possible to achieve various levels of efficiency. Which of them your company will come to directly depends on the goal (to save money or achieve important results in the strategy), as well as on how the optimization of business processes is going on:

• First level.

At this stage, you are dealing with financial costs that are generated within each department / department of the enterprise. On the positive side: this is the fastest method to reduce material costs; such a decision will not affect the interests of other divisions of the organization, thus, no additional approvals will be required. The negative point is that there is no global economy at this stage: as a rule, it is up to 10%, ideally up to 20%. Do not forget also that some of the expenses incurred by the structural unit of the company are born from the needs of other departments as a result of their workflow. For example, one department orders information on analytical activities to another in the form of reports and calculations. In this situation, all costs will be borne by the executing department.

• Second level.

In order to achieve this type of cost reduction, it is necessary to rise to the second stage, which implies a joint workflow of "customers" and "executors" in the course of optimizing business processes. The activity of only one side is impossible. Cost savings can only be achieved when everyone involved in business process optimization has discussed how they want to change business processes and how they will work together. At this level, you can achieve savings of more than 20% and optimize business processes that support different functions, but have the same interest in achieving the final result.

• Third level.

This stage is considered the most effective - you can achieve 30% savings. At this stage, some difficulties arise: work with costs is based on an understanding of the entire system of the organization's business processes; optimization of business processes concerns a large number of activities.

Applied methods of business process optimization

Let's briefly discuss the most popular methods that are used to optimize business processes:

Method 1.SWOT analysis(study of the strengths and weaknesses of the business process).

SWOT analysis is a method of planning strategies that is used to assess the factors and phenomena that affect a business project or company. All existing parameters can be divided into four groups: strengths (strengths), weaknesses (weaknesses), opportunities (opportunities) and threats (threats).

The key principle of this method is called the search and elimination of the most vulnerable spots and the minimization of theoretical threats and risks.

Method 2.Method of cause and effect(Ishikawa diagram - Cause and Effect Diagram).

Ishikawa diagram - the so-called. a Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram, and a Root Cause Analysis diagram.

One of the 7 most famous tools for measuring, evaluating, controlling and improving the quality of production processes:

• control card;
• Pareto chart;
• bar graph;
• checklist;
• Ishikawa diagram;
• stratification (stratification);
• scatter diagram.

Using this method, you can find the main relationships between parameters and investigate the required business process as accurately as possible. The diagram helps to identify the main factors that have the most significant impact on the development of the problem under study.

Method 3.Benchmarking.

Benchmarking is a method of analyzing the advantages and assessing the advantages of competitive partners and competitors in the same or related area in order to identify the most productive factors. To some extent, this can be called industrial espionage, but there is a significant difference - this method is implemented using surface observations.

Method 4.Analysis and optimization of business processes based on indicators (KPI).

Key performance analysis method. This is the principle of setting the final goals for a business process, with the achievement of which the goal either increases, or, if it was not possible to approach it, the methods used for its implementation are analyzed.

Method 5.Brainstorm.

Brainstorming is a method, the essence of which is the active discussion of tasks, all possible solutions are voiced, and the most effective is selected on the basis of this.

Find out, how to properly organize a brainstorming session, from the article of the magazine "Commercial Director".

Method 6.Lean Techniques, 6 Sigma.

A method for detecting productivity gains by reducing errors in the manufacturing process.

Method 7.Calculation and modification of the fragmentation of the process.

A method of reducing or increasing the constituent parts of a business process.

Method 8.Analysis of the business logic of the process:

• elimination of ineffective procedures;
• distribution of responsibility for the implementation of business processes and delegation of decision-making authority;
• linking parallel jobs;
• fixing information at the source and including its processing in real work.

Method 9.Method of functional cost analysis (FSA-analysis).

The principle of the analysis is to achieve the maximum functionality of the object with minimal costs for both the seller and the buyer.

Method 10.The method of imitation (dynamic) BP modeling.

A technique that makes it possible to represent human actions and the application of technologies used in the studied reengineering processes within the framework of a dynamic computer model. Simulation involves the implementation of four main stages:

• building a model;
• launching it;
• analysis of the obtained performance indicators;
• assessment of alternative scenarios.

A very effective method, provided that all the quantities required to build the model are current and accurate.

Method 11.Calculation and analysis of the labor intensity and duration of the business process.

The technique was created to calculate the optimal number of employees in the enterprise and the load on them.

Method 12.Analysis of the matrix of distribution of responsibility.

The method of drawing up a visual functional table that strictly distributes the enterprise by organizational units, links, etc. In other words, the tasks are assigned to the structural divisions.

• Accounting for losses in production, causes and ways to eliminate them

Optimization of business processes in stages

Stage 1.Description of the company's business processes.

Always follow the basic rule: when starting the procedure for optimizing business processes, find out what and how it functions in your organization, and only after that start working. At first glance, this advice sounds simple, but few companies put it into practice. As a rule, everything happens completely differently: first, they optimize business processes, and then think about what they have done. Why does this happen? In order to understand the workflow of an enterprise, it is best to study it through the value chain: there are companies that supply resources or goods to your organization or perform an additional function that your client needs. Understand at what stage, as well as how the added value of the final product is formed, starting from the stage of obtaining a resource and raw materials from supplier firms. This is an elementary but very effective method. By applying it, you can immediately calculate the base points of "entry" into the company and the main points of "exit". Such research will assist the organization in optimizing business processes. You can:

• study the working process of the enterprise as a whole;
• to separate work processes that need primary automation using IT technologies;
• explain to staff what your organization does and how each employee contributes to it;
• decide on how you can improve the quality of the final product / service. Visibility of business processes will give a chance to see bottlenecks and increase the company's net profit.

When conducting your research, remember that in addition to the core business processes responsible for creating a product for which customers pay material resources, there are also supporting ones. They do not need funding, but they form the infrastructure in the organization and carry out the continuous functioning of the main business processes of the enterprise. There are also business development processes that are responsible for bringing profit to the company in the future: they study the markets for goods, optimize business processes, technical modernization, etc.

Stage 2.Appointment of responsible persons.

To optimize business processes, appoint a responsible specialist (manager), as well as responsible employees for each stage and process of optimization. The manager should not only be a mandatory person, but also lead the work process of other employees subordinate to him. The main task of such managers is to constantly work on improving efficiency. In this regard, their job responsibilities should be as clear as possible. Naturally, it is impossible to formalize each process, but if some management functions are prescribed in the regulations, then the manager will not need to constantly talk about what is his responsibility and what result he should achieve in the end.

The easiest way to regulate the management of an organization's business processes is from top to bottom:

• organize the regulation of business processes of a managerial rank: form the KPIs of the company and its structural departments, define the areas of responsibility. Such a procedure will be required for directors, it will help them to manage the enterprise more effectively, concentrating as much as possible on the organization's development strategy;
• in the same way, clarify and document the business processes for the lower-level personnel. In this situation, it is necessary to describe the workflow of each specialist within his department within the boundaries of business processes in which the employee takes part;
• organize the regulation of the process management procedure. Here it is necessary to form a feedback mechanism from specialists "from the bottom up" in order to quickly exchange information, taking into account new information to make decisions about adjusting the current plans and KPIs of the organization, thus supporting the modernization of the company within the boundaries of the overall development strategy. It is necessary to pay attention to the point that each change must first be investigated by employees responsible for certain business processes, and only the important ones are submitted to the manager for discussion;
• Form a regulatory and legal system that integrates functional and process guidance. Most likely, these will be the regulations on the workflow of the department and the job functions of the company employees.

The main rule of the regulation is its mandatory implementation in the course of the enterprise's workflow. You can come up with the most effective job description, but what good is it if it gathers dust on a shelf idle?

Stage 3.Optimization of business processes.

After all the work processes of the company are described, and the employees responsible for their execution have been appointed, it is time to deal with the "bottlenecks". In any organization, the number of such problem areas can amount to several dozen, in this regard, below we describe the sequence of actions for such a situation:

• assess all business processes of the company and eliminate duplication of employee duties;
• calculate the required amount of time for each business process, carry out its comparative analysis with the average values ​​in this area and adjust it to the real indicators;
• organize an analysis of the exploitation of resources by your production;
• investigate the movement of values ​​and information in your firm and eliminate those areas where you find losses;
• analyze the efficiency of resource exploitation in each workflow.

Stage 4.Automation of the main business processes of the company.

It is necessary to proceed to this stage only when the stages of regulation and creation of a system for optimizing business processes have been passed. It is impossible to carry out automation in complete chaos, in this regard, if you think that the introduction of an IT system will contribute to overcoming a difficult situation with the organization's business processes, then this is a very erroneous opinion. You will only spend a huge amount of financial resources and personal time.

Stage 5.Assessment of the results of optimization of business processes.

Let's talk about some of the results that should be obtained as a result of optimizing business processes:

• formalization of the business model being implemented in your company, elimination of duplicated job responsibilities and enterprise structures;
• tracking the performance of work by specialists, which motivates them to perform their work functions more responsibly;
• reducing the number of errors and reducing the level of the human factor in the production process;
• introduction of a KPI system that motivates employees to achieve certain results and makes the system for calculating bonuses as transparent as possible;
• the regulation of business processes forms a knowledge base about the company's business processes, thus, new personnel are quickly integrated into the work process;
• minimization of disruptions to the production process of the enterprise due to lack of resources or lack of personnel;
• finding and liquidating fixed assets that are not used in the company's turnover;
• reduction of unnecessary purchases of products.

Expert opinion

What processes need to be automated

Anatoly Zubeirov,

CEO of Millsystems, Moscow

The automation process should primarily affect those business processes of the organization that are the most costly in terms of human resources. If we talk about serious production, then it is necessary to put in order the circulation of documentation within the company, which is related to deliveries and settlements between the departments of the company.

If we consider medium-sized companies, then the automation process must be applied to customers and suppliers - to their logical interaction. First of all, trade organizations with several dozen positions and a large number of counterparties should think about automating business processes. Small firms need to think about keeping IT as simple as possible and keeping the company's production process as productive as it was before automation began.

Effective automation of warehouse logistics, delivery and sale of products leads to a decrease in financial costs, and also allows you to avoid:

• material costs for extra staff;
• illiterate use of road transport, which is the property of the organization, and excess storage space;
• ineffective operation of vehicles owned by the company and excessive warehouse space;
• loss of products that have a short shelf life;
• overpayments for the services of transport companies.

What software should you choose? First of all, it is obliged to allow the automation of business processes at all levels. It is necessary that all processes at any stage of automation can actually be carried out in the shortest possible time. It is also important that the software is understandable to all specialists in your company.

• Business process automation: preparation and implementation

Typical mistakes in business process optimization

Error 1.Incorrect statement of the problem.

The main rule is a specific and correct formulation of the problem: what needs to be done to optimize the company, how long it takes, and what result needs to be obtained. Immediate improvement is unlikely to benefit from the characterization of business processes (unless the description reveals clear confusion or repetitive divisional functions). To optimize the work of the company, it is necessary to decide to what result the development of the enterprise should be directed.

For example, it makes no sense to characterize the processes of the accounting department if your organization has no income. The reason for the low profitability of the work should be sought in the division responsible for product sales. With the improvement of the activities of this problematic department, the work of others, including the accounting department, will also improve. Consequently, the description of business processes is a stage in a large-scale campaign to optimize company management.

Mistake 2.Inadequacy of tasks and efforts.

In practice, there are descriptions of processes that are not related to the main purpose of the organization (for example, the interaction of the head with the secretary in an effort to get through to the deputy). It is clear that the characterization of such a process does not make any sense for optimizing the company's work, it is erroneous in terms of content and costs.

Mistake 3.Wrong choice of means of description.

To characterize business processes in order to optimize them, programs of various capacities are used. Their cost ranges from $ 100 to $ 100,000. Obviously, the capacity of the acquired program must be related to the scale of the company. Thus, the acquisition of a powerful program by a small company is unjustified. The tool is selected based on the financial capabilities of the company and the tasks that are supposed to be solved by optimizing the organization's business processes. Experience has shown that relatively uncomplicated solutions such as BPWin 2 can help achieve these goals even in large enterprises. In any case, the software is only an auxiliary element. The decisive role is played by the quality of the organization of the optimization process of the company.

Expert opinion

Optimization of business processes should be regular

Alla Bednenko,

HR Director, Econika-Obuv, Moscow

In conditions of intensive development of the organization, its manager is forced to optimize the firm's activities on a regular basis. This is how it was decided to act in our company. The customer of the enterprise optimization project was the General Director of the Econika-Obuv company, its curator is the vice-president of the Econika corporation. The HR Director was appointed as the project manager.

1. Objectives. The objectives of our project to optimize business processes were: identifying processes in need of improvement, adapting them to the strategic objectives of the organization and preparing for the introduction of a holistic automated business management system.

2. Stages of the project. The following steps were taken to implement the company optimization project:

• formation of the existing model of business processes;
• creation of the desired model of business processes (with the fixation of the main parameters of the effectiveness of the main departments of the organization);
• planning the proposed adjustments and approval of the terms of reference for the development and implementation of the corporate information system;
• generation of the idea of ​​automation of the company's work processes;
• optimization of the organization's business processes as such, that is, their improvement.

3. Criteria for assessing the results of the project. Initially, the following were defined:

• minimization of time, personnel, material and financial costs (measured in%);
• an increase in the quality and timeliness of managers' reports (in%);
• reduction of outside influence on the company's performance (in%);
• growing focus on the interests of customers of each of the departments of the enterprise (up to the level of 8-9 out of 10 points) in order to fulfill the plan for sales revenues and optimize the organization's activities;
• increasing business efficiency.

4. Team. The project to optimize the company's business processes was managed by a seven-member management team. It included a marketing director, assistant general director of the firm, head of the information technology department and head of the collection creation department.

The steering group developed the terms of reference, established requirements for the project to optimize the company's business processes, concluded contracts with external specialists and created positive conditions for their activities, agreed on the work schedule and formed the parameters of the project's effectiveness. Team meetings were held weekly.

Another optimization working group included 10 top managers of the organization. The following tasks were assigned to her:

• acquisition of skills for the implementation of the optimization project;
• selection and analytical review of documents and information for optimization;
• generating a consistent point of view;
• approval and implementation of changes.

Small groups of staff gathered twice or thrice a week to discuss possible changes in various processes. So it was possible to involve the entire state in a discussion about the proposed transformations.

5. Implementation of the project. The implementation of the project aimed at optimizing the work of the company has been going on for eight months. At this stage, transformations are being introduced. We assume that the period for the implementation of the optimization problem is about two years. When the structure of the holding's information system is adopted, work will begin on the formation of a technical assignment to optimize the information system of the entire corporation as a whole.

6. Results. Today, the main achievement is the formation of the desired model of business processes, the coordinated position of the company's management personnel. In addition, we have gained a clear understanding of the type of organizational structure required to effectively deliver business objectives. The optimization of finances, the course of the formation of collections, supplies, logistics was carried out.

The experience of optimizing the company's work demonstrates its worthy organization. However, the result could be even better if a specialist in the field of business analysis was hired for a permanent job at the enterprise; his professional view of the firm's internal processes would have enriched the opinions of the invited consultants. Ideally, the CEO should devote most of his own work time - about 80% - to this initiative. For our organization, this task turned out to be impossible, since we also deal with personnel management issues (currently the number of employees is about 800 people).

Optimization of business processes: TOP-5 books from which to get ideas

1. Vladimir Repin “Business processes. Modeling, implementation, management ".

Have you decided to improve your business processes and are going to introduce a process approach to the company's management? Do you need practical advice for shaping and classifying your organization's business processes? Then you need to purchase a new book by the professional practitioner Vladimir Repin.

You will have in your hands not an easy reading, but a publication that requires elaboration and comprehension. It contains dozens of figures, tables, flowcharts and document templates that cannot be found in other open sources.

Vladimir talks about his vision of the available opportunities and gives recommendations for creating a system for optimizing business processes in the company, relying on the real experience of many consulting projects in Russia.

2. Goldratt's Theory of Constraints "Systems Approach to Continuous Improvement".

The books of this author are very popular, as he gives recommendations for solving many problems: the contradictions between the timing of goods and their quality, between the price and financial costs, etc. In the recent past, information about Goldratt's key methods of reasoning has been incomplete and scattered, and this book is considered the first systematic and professional guide.

3. John Jeston, Johan Nelis “Business Process Management. A Practical Guide to Successful Project Implementation ”.

This publication describes the main principles of managing business processes, their positive features and the benefits that they will bring to the company, as well as examines examples of the implementation of such management. It deals with the general system, tools and methods of BPM.

The guide can be used as a reference for companies that implement process management projects, as the material described in it talks about practical tools, explains and helps in the effective implementation of business projects.

4. Eliyahu Goldratt “Purpose. The process of continuous improvement ”.

A person who sees any problem while managing his business project is obliged to build cause-and-effect relationships between processes and results, as well as understand the basic principles of achieving maximum efficiency of the company's work process.

5. Mary and Tom Poppendieck "Lean Software Manufacturing: From Idea to Profit."

This is the guidance you may need in any situation where you need to create the most efficient processes. The book is a must-read for top managers, managers, company developers who are directly related to software.

Information about experts

Sergey Pankin, trainer-consultant of the "Center Orgprom" company, Yekaterinburg. Year of foundation: 2001. Specialization - increasing production efficiency and competitiveness of industrial enterprises.

Mikhail Gordeev, Chief Technology Officer, Euromanagement, Moscow. The firm "Euromanagement" has significant experience in the market of consulting services and owns all the necessary technologies to solve complex problems of client enterprises. The organization provides partners with the most effective tools for doing business, carrying out its activities in 7 areas: HR consulting, management consulting, financial consulting, IT consulting, business automation, recruiting, business training.

Anatoly Zubeirov, CEO of Millsystems, Moscow. Millsystems is the official distributor of the Sellora Management System information system. Sellora Management System is an ERP management system that meets the needs of any business and is suitable for any enterprise. In addition, the system is perfectly optimized for the realities of the Russian market, i.e. takes into account all the national peculiarities of domestic office work.

Alla Bednenko , HR Director, Econika-Obuv, Moscow. One of the leading organizations in the Russian fashion footwear market, a retail network operator in Russia. More than a hundred Econika brand footwear stores are open throughout Russia, as well as in Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

In order to adequately respond to changes in the external environment and remain competitive, a company needs to regularly review its business processes. At the same time, they should be focused not only on solving operational problems, but also on achieving strategic goals. Based on their experience, the authors propose an optimization algorithm that enterprises of various industries can use.

The first steps towards optimizing business processes for an enterprise should be the formation of a working group responsible for the project and drawing up a clear work plan. It is recommended to optimize business processes in stages according to the following plan:

• diagnostics of the company's business processes;
• description of business processes;
• selection of control points;
• improvement of business processes;
• change management.

Personal experience
Dmitry Dronov, Marketing Director, Comstar United Telesystems (Moscow)

For our company, which is now carrying out the operational consolidation of the business of three companies - Comstar, MTU-Inform and Telmos, the issues of optimizing business processes within the holding are especially acute. Initially, we tried to eliminate competition between non-independent enterprises, reduce costs, and achieve a synergistic effect. In fact, the restructuring of three companies boiled down to analyzing the business processes of each of them, combining the strengths of individual functional areas and developing new ones or bringing existing business processes to uniform standards. Business processes in any company are optimized according to the following scheme: processes, the search for "bottlenecks", in fact, and are the area of ​​reform, the need for the participation of various links in the chain in the implementation of this process is studied, new business processes are described and detailed. Now our company is at the stage of implementing changes.

Alexander Eliseev, Deputy Director for Organizational Design, Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant OJSC
At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to form a project working group for optimization, the composition of which is determined based on the goals of the project. As a rule, it includes representatives of the company's structural divisions. It is also necessary to inform the staff about the tasks of the project and carry out detailed planning of the upcoming work. At the end of the first stage, an order is issued to start the implementation of the project to optimize the company's business processes, to which a project card is attached, which indicates the main stages, deadlines, the final result of the project stage, responsible persons and the required resources. In our company, the project plan includes the following works:

• formation of a working group and definition of project goals;
• training the working group on the methodology for describing processes;
• decomposition of key business processes;
• selection of a software product for building a model of business processes and development of a modeling agreement;
• building a business process model according to the "as is" principle;
• development of proposals for changing business processes;
• construction and approval of the "as will be" model;
• development of process regulations;
• preparation and approval of a program of measures for the implementation of changes.

Since production processes must comply with the requirements of technology and safety, then, as experience shows, first of all, business processes of management and administration need to be optimized.

Diagnostics of the company's business processes

Even in a medium-sized company, the number of business processes can reach several thousand. Therefore, the main purpose of diagnostics is to identify business processes that need to be optimized. It should be understood that cardinal changes in secondary processes do not give serious positive results, and insignificant improvements in key processes can bring tangible effects, for example, reducing costs and spent working time. Therefore, when diagnosing, it is necessary to identify those processes that significantly affect the key performance indicators of the company.

The following can be used as auxiliary factors characterizing the significance of the process:

• the product or service obtained as a result of the process has a large share in the company's cost structure;
• the process is very often repeated throughout the day (month, year);
• the value of the characteristics of the process (time, costs, resources, etc.) when it is repeated significantly differs from the previous ones.

Expert judgment can also be used to select key processes. The expert group, as a rule, includes heads of departments of the enterprise.

Description of existing business processes

The purpose of this stage is to describe the processes selected for optimization on an “as is” basis and create conditions for their unambiguous understanding by all company managers. To represent business processes in the form of understandable diagrams, such widely used methodologies as ARIS or IDEF are used.

Personal experience
Alexander Eliseev
The appropriateness of describing the processes “as is” is determined based on the size of the company. This is most appropriate for large companies, in the processes of which several large departments are involved and there is no possibility of a detailed analysis of business processes (it is difficult to comprehensively represent the entire set of business processes) without resorting to their description. In smaller companies, this step can be skipped. Each company must independently determine for itself the optimal balance of efforts, resources and expected returns from this. It is unlikely that a universal solution can be found here. The greatest difficulty is the coordination of the described business processes with the heads of departments: there is no consensus, and you need to find a solution that will suit everyone. Dmitry Korovin, Assistant to the General Director for Organizational Development of OJSC "Wood-processing plant" Krasny Oktyabr "(Tyumen)
It happens that the process does not even need to be rebuilt. It is enough to describe it “as is”, show it to the participants, and the questions will disappear by themselves. In addition, when working on the description of the model “as is”, decisions regarding optimization are found much faster.

When describing business processes, you need to follow simple rules.
The description of the processes should be carried out "from top to bottom", that is, first, the processes occurring at the top level of the company are described, after which they are detailed. For example, the process "Preparation of financial statements" is divided into sub-processes "Closing the period", "Information processing" and "Making amendments", which in turn can be broken down into even smaller processes.

Personal experience
Roman Kotunov, director of the management company PG "Richel" (Chelyabinsk)
We start describing processes on an “as is” basis from the top level. These are about five to six integrated processes, such as strategic management, order fulfillment, and new product development. At this stage, it is very important to clearly define the boundaries of business processes, since the distribution of responsibility among their owners will depend on this in the future.

It is necessary to use the descriptions of the processes already available in the company. As a rule, even in small companies, at the time of the start of optimization, there is already a partial and fragmented description of the processes. This can be job descriptions, regulations, regulations. Their use will save time for describing processes.
Process descriptions existing in other companies should be used. When describing business processes, one should be guided by the experience of leading consulting companies, competing enterprises that performed similar work. It is always much easier to adapt an already compiled description of a process for specific working conditions than to compose it from scratch. True, the enterprise is unlikely to be able to get access to such information without the involvement of consultants.
For each process, a person responsible for its execution (process owner) should be appointed. This manager should not only be responsible for the process, but also have the authority to manage it. It is impossible to optimize those processes for which no one is responsible.

Selecting anchor points

To monitor the progress of the work, even before the optimization is carried out, the most important process characteristics (reference points) must be identified and measured. Usually, such characteristics as the quality of the process and the speed of its execution are considered as reference points. For example, for the "Raising Funding" process, the reference points can be the interest rates at which the company attracts loans, as well as the time from the moment of submitting a loan application to the moment of receiving funds. Then, by changing these characteristics, it will be possible to judge the effectiveness of optimization. Unfortunately, most of the characteristics of the process are not formalized (for example, the quality of personnel management), therefore, to determine them, as a rule, the method of expert assessments is used.

Personal experience
Dmitry Korovin
The wrong choice of criteria for the optimality of the process can lead to the need to start all over again. When the problems with the process are obvious (it is either fragmented or some part of it is missing), it is not difficult to determine what needs to be optimized. If it is difficult to identify the reasons for the ineffectiveness of the process, it is better to move on to another process. When it is impossible to say for sure whether a process is effective or not, then most likely it cannot be optimized.

Improving business processes

The set of work to improve business processes involves a comprehensive analysis of the described processes, identification of logical errors and implementation of optimization measures.

Identifying logical errors
Despite the fact that all company processes are unique, it is possible to identify the most common mistakes inherent in many companies. Eliminating such shortcomings will significantly improve the efficiency of processes.
Creation of information that is not used anywhere. Often all documents are automatically copied and then filed, but the information from them is not used. You need to decide if this information is really needed. If yes, then in the regulations of the business process should indicate exactly where. If not, then you need to change the process in such a way as to eliminate unnecessary work. An example of such a mistake is a situation in one of the trading companies, when the preparation of an annual certificate for a certain nomenclature of goods took eight working days for a department of six people.
As a result of optimization of business processes, it turned out that this information was not needed by anyone, and the need to prepare a certificate was no longer needed.
Lack of information required to complete the process. Information is or should be used in a process, but is not created or passed on from other processes. First, you need to determine the process - the source of this information. In holdings, a lot of the time of employees of the financial department of the management company is spent on contacting the subsidiary and requesting additional data. This can be avoided if the requirement to provide this information is enshrined in the relevant regulations.
Lack of regulations for the receipt of information on the process. For example, a company has a process called “Analysis of Customer Requests and Complaints”. However, some of the information from customers goes to the sales managers with whom they work directly. If the documents regulating the work of the sales department do not provide for the obligation of managers to transfer this data to the claims department, then some of the information will simply be lost. Such situations can be avoided by creating clear, extremely understandable regulations, as well as a thorough description of information sources.
Use in the process of documents that do not have a specific source of origin. A striking example is reports on the structure and dynamics of accounts receivable, which are often prepared by the accounting department, financial and commercial departments of the company. However, the data in the reports is strikingly different. The user of such information should spend a lot of time searching for errors or eliminating discrepancies in the principles of accounting for receivables. This problem can be solved by defining a complete list of all users of information, creating a single report form and strict regulation of the applied accounting principles.
Lack of regulation of the process. The creation of process regulations is one of the main tasks that must be solved in the course of describing and optimizing processes. The absence of regulations and the changes reflected in them will lead to the fact that no adjustments will be made to the processes and the work will be done in vain. So, in a large retail company, after describing and optimizing the processes, the necessary regulations were not created. As a result, upon completion of the project, the employees continued to work as they were accustomed to. In the presence of regulations and appropriate explanatory work among the staff, such cases are excluded.
Interface error. Incoming and outgoing streams of information are presented in different formats. For example, the structure and level of detail of expense and income items in the company's master budget do not match the structure of accounting items. In this situation, 20% of all work carried out is spent on preparing data and about 80% on transforming them into an acceptable form. It is possible to correct this situation if the conditions for a detailed description of the processes and the introduction of in-house data transfer standards are introduced.
Having eliminated typical errors, one should proceed directly to process optimization.

Optimization activities

Development of process options. The process can be made more flexible if it has several options for execution, depending on the situation. There should be at least two versions of the process - complex and simple. For example, the Cash Management process can be simple (when spending small amounts - the minimum number of approvals) and complex (with significant costs - multi-stage approval).

The price of the issue
The cost of work to optimize business processes largely depends on the size of the company and the complexity of the work. Only approximate data can be given. For example, optimization of the customer service process in a large Russian bank with the involvement of consultants will cost about USD 100,000 and will take about six months. For a trading company, optimization of the processes of managing commodity flows will cost about $ 30 thousand. USA and will be held in three to four months. If the company has its own specialists in the field of process optimization, then the cost of such work will be two to three times lower than with the involvement of third-party consultants.

Horizontal and vertical compression. Process improvement involves replacing narrowly qualified specialists with people capable of performing a wide range of responsibilities. An example of horizontal compression of a process is transformations in a large bank. Each client had to communicate with several bank employees specializing in different areas of activity. The customer service was poor. It was decided to create the position of a customer service manager, whose responsibilities included resolving all customer issues. The bottom line is that the number of staff has decreased, the speed of service has increased, and the number of errors has decreased. Naturally, in such a situation, the requirements for the competence of personnel are significantly increased. It is necessary to conduct periodic training (retraining) of the company's employees.
If a participant in the process is also given the right to independently make certain decisions and the number of levels of coordination is reduced, then a vertical compression of the process occurs.
Reducing the number of control operations. In practice, it is often found that the cost of inspections and process control outweighs the cost of potential losses that would have occurred in their absence. At one of the enterprises, after the description of the processes, it turned out that up to 95% of the process execution time is spent on preparing control and reporting documentation and only 5% on obtaining the required result. After reducing the number of checks, the duration of the processes was halved.

Change management

The main problem that one has to face in the course of optimizing business processes, as a rule, becomes resistance to changes on the part of company employees. Therefore, the involvement of employees, especially direct performers, is a fundamental condition for successful process optimization.
The key factor influencing the creation of an enabling environment for improving business processes is the lack of fear of change among staff. Therefore, it is advisable to introduce motivation systems that mainly contain elements of bonuses and incentives, rather than punishment. According to Roman Kotunov, optimization of business processes is performed not only in order to reduce the loss of time and money, but also in order to simplify the work of personnel. This idea needs to be conveyed to the company's employees, and there will be no problems with the implementation of the newly created processes.

After optimization

In conclusion, we note that process improvement should be viewed as a continuous management system, and not as a series of disparate activities. However, each process improvement project should have a clear plan containing specific activities, desired results, a clear description of the responsibilities of the participants, as well as a cost-benefit analysis. At the end of the work, it is important to plan, organize and periodically audit the implemented processes. It is necessary to control the correct execution of the adopted changes by the employees and compare the actually performed actions with the developed and adopted regulations.

Personal experience
Roman Kotunov
The issue of process monitoring is one of the most important. Often, after optimization has been carried out, business processes are forgotten, and the situation in which it was necessary to revise the existing work procedure is repeated. We reevaluate the efficiency of our processes annually and as problems arise. For example, a customer service center or marketing department tracks customer complaints, and a certain number of complaints about the same processes is a signal for us to optimize the process.

After optimizing business processes, you can more effectively use complex information systems that will strictly regulate the company's processes and prevent users from disrupting them. Usually, to maintain optimized processes, it is necessary to create a special department that will make proposals for further improvement of processes, as well as conduct an audit.

"It is necessary to clearly delineate the responsibility for the implementation of business processes"

Interview with the Director for Economics and Finance of ZAO Mineral and Chemical Company EuroChem (Moscow) Arthur Markaryan

– Why does your company need to optimize business processes?
- I can single out two main reasons that are typical not only for our company, but also for most Russian enterprises. The first is the consolidation of companies and the formation of holdings with a centralized management system. For such enterprises, the lack of described and effective business processes means a loss of control and a sharp decline in competitiveness, as well as an increase in costs and, as a result, a decrease in profits. The second reason is that many companies in their formation focused on quick profit and short-term prospects. The processes were lined up for a specific deal, while the strategic interests of the company were not taken into account. As a result, business processes became more complex and confusing with each new deal.
We felt the need to describe and optimize business processes especially acutely when we started to implement the information system. It turned out that even the heads of departments did not always clearly understand what they were doing and what their employees were responsible for.
– What are the most common business process errors that you encounter?
- One of the most noticeable mistakes is full or partial duplication of operations both by entire departments and by individual employees. This entails an unnecessary waste of resources. For example, the company prepared a huge number of reports on the dynamics of accounts receivable. The same data was presented by the accounting, finance and commercial departments. At the same time, the numbers in the reports were often different, and the identification of reliable information took a lot of time.
However, the most serious problem that requires a top-priority solution when optimizing business processes is the lack of a clear delineation of responsibility for the implementation of a particular process. For example, it is widely believed that the accounting department is responsible for the preparation of primary documents. In fact, the accountant only checks the correctness of their preparation. These kinds of misconceptions lead to conflict and ineffective work.
In some companies, I have come across a situation where not a person is matched to a process, but a process is matched to a person. This means that the company has a personalized system for the distribution of powers, created in connection with family ties, some past merits, etc. This approach is completely wrong and cannot bring positive results.
– How did the company's employees react to the ongoing optimization of business processes?- The procedure for describing and optimizing business processes was received without enthusiasm. But this is necessary for the effective operation of the company, and we conduct explanatory work among employees. In addition, they will only benefit from the fact that they will clearly know their responsibilities and do only the work that is really needed.
– After optimizing your business processes, do you continue to work to improve them further?
- After the main processes are described and optimized, there is a desire to immediately make additional changes. However, at this stage, all adjustments, as a rule, do not give tangible results. Therefore, I would advise not to change the created system for a while, but to wait. For ourselves, we have determined that this period will not exceed a year. Otherwise, there is a danger that employees' job descriptions will change every week, and this will add additional confusion and ultimately lead to a sharp decline in labor productivity.

Julia Lelina

Optimization of business processes

In modern management practice, the process approach is widely used. This article presents the author's practical experience in researching and optimizing business processes.

There are several types of events, each of which can serve as a reason for starting a program for improving (improving) business processes. These include both objectively ineffective actions and problems with achieving the intended results, as well as changes in the environment (the appearance of new technologies, competitors, etc. on the market).

In any organization with a hierarchical structure, managers, as a rule, have top-level (conceptual or strategic) knowledge of all functions under their authority, and employees have knowledge of an exclusively highly specialized function that they perform on a daily basis (operational activities of a certain area of ​​work). This "gap" between a manager and a subordinate is normal, but carries the risk that no one has a complete picture of all processes with all the nuances and specifics.

Problems often arise at the junctions of work or the transfer of information between different departments or even between employees within the same department.

As a result, the organization faces the task of optimizing work and processes in order to reduce costs or losses (financial, material, time, labor) for the performance of certain work.

An effective solution to the optimization problem is to use " process approach " and "8D Team Problem Solving Techniques".

Quick reference

About the process approach

The process approach is considered to be the systematic identification and management of the processes involved in an organization and especially their interrelationships.

A process is any activity or set of activities that uses resources to transform inputs into outputs.

The process model of an enterprise consists of many business processes, the participants of which are structural divisions and officials of the organizational structure of the enterprise.

Process-oriented organizations strive to remove the barriers and delays that arise at the intersection of two different parts of the organization in the execution of the same business process.

A business process is understood as a set of different types of activities that together create a result that has value for the organization itself, the consumer, the client or the customer.

The basis for managing a separate business process and a group of business processes are performance indicators, among which are:

• costs of implementing a business process,
• calculation of time for the implementation of a business process,
• business process quality indicators.

For a deeper understanding of the process approach, it is necessary to apply the Deming-Shewhart cycle "Plan - Do - Check - Act" ( PDCA). This is "planning - doing - checking - acting." The use of this cycle allows in practice to implement continuous improvement of processes aimed at increasing the efficiency of the organization.

The principles of the process approach are enshrined in the international standard for the certification of the series' quality system ISO 9000 in order to increase customer satisfaction by fulfilling the requirements of the quality management system.

According to ISO 9000, when evaluating a process control system, it is necessary:

1. identify and define the process;
2. distribute responsibility;
3. implement and maintain procedures (process control);
4. evaluate the effectiveness of the process in achieving the required results

The next step towards achieving quality is to optimize the use of resources in each dedicated process. This means strictly monitoring the use of each type of resource and looking for opportunities to reduce the cost of producing products or providing services.

Quick reference

8D Methodology (8 Discipline) is a methodology for solving local problems in processes.
The 8D method is also known as: Global 8D, Ford 8D or TOPS 8D.
The 8D method was developed at Ford and consists of 8 sequential steps to solve a problem, the cause of which is completely or partially unknown. In the 8D methodology, team, process, problem and analytical approaches are used.

Each step (step) of the 8D Method has a D in its name, which stands for Discipline.

D0 - Define the problem and develop a plan.
D1 - Team building.
D2 - Description of the problem.
D3 - Containment of the problem.
D4 - Analysis of the problem.
D5 - Development of corrective actions.
D6 - Implementation and validation of corrective actions.
D7 - Develop preventive action.
D8 - Closing mini-project 8D.

The 8D method is a problem-solving methodology for improving a product or process. It is structured in 8 disciplines, highlighting the synergy of the group. The 8D technique is teamwork. It is assumed that the group as a whole is more effective than the qualitative sum of its individual members.

Where to begin?

Observation and fixation

The study of the process with the aim of its optimization (improvement) should be considered as a project. At the start of the project, it is necessary to set goals, appoint a project manager and an analyst, define a focus group (usually heads of areas / departments, experts), outline the project boundaries (what processes are to be studied), develop a plan of meetings and actions.

To study the processor, it is better to assign the role of the analyst to an independent expert, for whom the topic of study will be new, i.e. you need a "side view", a new experience (an employee who performs certain operations on a daily basis adapts to them and often does not notice "problem areas"). An analyst can be either an employee of an organization or from an invited (consulting) company.

Consider a situation where the task is to optimize and reduce costs / losses without the need to develop official documents intended for inspection bodies (for example, in accordance with ISO requirements), but to organize quick and justified improvements or reduce costs.

The survey begins with a study of the available documentation (regulations, instructions, regulatory documents, etc.) and the collection of information. The collection of information can be organized in the form of questionnaires, meetings, but the most effective is the personal presence of the analyst at the workplaces of all employees involved in the process to study their actions.

Observation- research method, which consists in purposeful and organized perception and registration of the behavior of the object under study.

Conversation with the manager
The head of the department describes the "big picture" of the subdivisions under his jurisdiction: external and internal communications, organizational structure (distribution of functionality), goals and objectives, a complete chain of actions (without details), reporting, statistics.

Studying the actions of performers in the workplace
An employee at each work site tells in detail and shows the sequence of his actions, the forms of documents that he uses in his work and forms (inputs-outputs), where and how he transfers information / documentation, with whom he interacts, what software he uses, the sequence of work in the interfaces used systems. At this stage, measurements are made of the time spent on the operation; identifies problems during the operation; and also discusses possible solutions to problems.

Focus group discussions
Discussions are an important part of the study. Focus group experts should take an active part, put forward their proposals (even the most unrealistic and complex - any). In practice, the "5 Whys" method is an effective tool.

The information received should be recorded by any convenient means: writing on A4 sheets / notebook, laptop, dictaphone, any convenient means that allow you to reproduce the information.

At this stage, the analyst's task is listen, observe, fix.

Method "5 why?"

Method "5 why?" invented by Sakichi Toyohara and used by Toyota as their manufacturing methodologies evolved. Currently, the technique of determining the root cause of a problem by asking a five-fold "Why" question is used in the concepts of lean manufacturing, kaizen, 6 sigma, and others.

The method does not offer rigid rules and restrictions: in terms of what questions to ask and / or how long the question should be kept asking to look for additional reasons. Thus, even if the method is followed, the result depends on the knowledge and perseverance of the people involved.

Since when answering the question posed, several options may arise, the “5 why” method does not exclude building a “tree” of reasons. Therefore, the approach is similar to the method of cause-effect diagrams and Ishikawa diagrams ("Fishbone"). It is quite possible that some of the reasons in the analysis process will be common for several branches at once.

Complete Analysis Five "Why?" follows one answer to the "How" question for each of the discovered root causes of the resulting tree or diagram. The received answers should result in the implementation of solutions.

How to format the information received and make it structured?

Visualization and description of processes

When defining the business processes that exist in an organization, it is advisable to start describing the processes at the top level. Further, for each top-level process, its decomposition is done (a more detailed description). The number of levels of decomposition of processes is determined by the tasks of the project and should not be too large (no more than 6-8 levels).

The upper level of the description of business processes corresponds to the processes that are controlled by top managers, the second level, as a rule, is considered at the level of large functional units, then the functions performed at workplaces are considered.

Within the links of the functional hierarchy, there are flows of information directed from top to bottom (management decisions) and from bottom to top (reports).

The visualization of the information obtained during the survey is the result of the analyst's creative approach to displaying the sequence of operations of the process.

The most common among modeling methodologies, and, importantly, approved by the State Standard of Russia, are the standards of the family IDEF.

IDEF0 concept

(click to open the section)

IDEF0 is based on the SADT (Structured Analysis & Design Technique / Development Technology) approach and is used to create a functional model of a system or process that displays its structure, functions, as well as information and material flows converted by these functions.

The IDEF0 concept is based on the following provisions:

Model. It is an artificial object, an image of a system. The model is developed to reengineer an existing system or create a new one. The model describes what happens in the system, what it transforms, what tools it uses to perform its functions, what the system produces as a result, and how it is managed.

Block modeling. The system under study is represented as a set of interconnected, dependent on each other blocks that reflect the processes occurring in the system. Each function of the system is associated with a block displayed on the IDEF0 diagram by a rectangle. Arrows entering and leaving a block describe the interfaces through which this block interacts with other blocks and the external environment. In this case, the incoming arrows describe the conditions that must be fulfilled simultaneously for this block to perform its function.

Conciseness and precision. The graphical language IDEF0 allows you to concisely, accurately and unambiguously describe all the elements of the system and the connections between them, as well as identify erroneous, unnecessary or duplicate connections.

Transfer of information. The means of information transfer in IDEF0 include:

1. Easy to read and understand diagrams.
2. Natural language labels and accompanying text to clarify the meaning of the diagram elements, as well as a glossary.
3. Sequential decomposition. Blocks can be broken down into their component parts and presented in the form of more detailed diagrams. You can start the next level of decomposition only after the final completion of the "parent level" model.
4. Diagram and block tree diagrams that allow you to read the diagram by sequentially expanding the levels of detail.

Rigor and formalism. At all stages of development and modification of the model, the syntactic and semantic rules of the graphical modeling language must be strictly observed. All results must be carefully documented.

Iterative modeling. Model development in IDEF0 is a step-by-step procedure. At each step, the model is discussed by analysts and experts in the studied area, then corrected, after which the cycle repeats.

Separation of "organization" from functions. The model should not be tied to the organizational structure of the company. On the contrary, the organizational structure should be the result of the application of the model, which will allow, firstly, to assess the adequacy of the model, and secondly, to propose solutions to improve this structure.

Design IDEF (Meta Software) or BP-Win (CA) can be used as IDEF0 compliant software.

The graphical diagram is the main component of the IDEF0 model, containing blocks, arrows, connections of blocks and arrows and their associated relations. The blocks represent the main functions of the modeled object. These functions can be broken down (decomposed) into their component parts and presented in the form of more detailed diagrams; the decomposition process continues until the object is described at the level of detail necessary to achieve the goals of a particular project. The top-level diagram provides the most general or abstract description of the object to be modeled. This diagram is followed by a series of child diagrams that provide a more detailed view of the object (see IDEF0 Functional Modeling Methodology).

ARIS- methodology and software product of the same name by IDS Sheer. ARIS eEPC notation is an extension of IDEF3 notation.

A business process in eEPC notation is a flow of sequentially performed work (procedures, functions), arranged in the order of their execution. Flows of material resources and information can be displayed between processes. To describe the infrastructure required to complete the process, the Product / Service and IT system objects are used.

In accordance with the ARIS methodology, each process can be considered in five aspects:

• Organizational aspect- is a set of organizational units, their relationships and the corresponding structures involved in the process;
• Information aspect- displays the composition of data and information involved in the process;
• The governing aspect- describes the relationship between different types of process models;
• Functional aspect- contains descriptions of functions, individual subfunctions and their relationships with each other and with the main functions.
• Product aspect- determines the composition of products and resources of the process, as well as their relationship with each other and with elements of other models.

The ARIS methodology allows you to describe the activities of an organization from different points of view, while the resulting models are to a certain extent related to each other.

Organization in ARIS is viewed from four points of view:

• Organizational structure,
• Functional structure,
• Data structures,
• Process structures.

Moreover, each of these points of view is divided into three more sublevels: description of requirements, description of specification, description of implementation. To describe business processes, it is proposed to use about 80 types of models, each of which belongs to one aspect or another.

Description of current processes

Model AS IS ("As Is")

Model AS IS("As is") - a model of the existing state of the organization.

This model allows you to systematize the ongoing processes, as well as the information objects used. On the basis of this, bottlenecks in the organization and interaction of business processes are identified, the need for certain changes in the existing structure is determined.

This model is often called functional and is performed using various graphical notations and case tools. At the stage of building the AS IS model, it is considered important to build a model as close to reality as possible, based on real process flows, and not on their idealized representation.

Designing information systems and managing processes implies building an AS IS model and a further transition to the TO BE model, which is the key to automating "correct", improved processes.

In my practice, at the stage of describing the AS IS model, I use the ARIS eEPC notation to display the sequence of execution of procedures (functions) in the form of a block diagram (a free version of ARIS Express can be downloaded). This approach is the simplest and most effective because allows participants to quickly understand the structure of the entire process.

Relationships between objects have a certain meaning and reflect the sequence of execution of functions within a process. The figure below shows the simplest eEPC models describing fragments of a business process.

The arrow connecting Event 1 and Function 1 “activates” or initiates the execution of Function 1. Function 1 “creates” Event 2, followed by the logical “AND” symbol, “starting” the execution of Functions 2 and 3.

The eEPC notation is built on certain semantic description rules:

1. each function must be triggered by an event and must end with an event;
2. each function can not contain more than one arrow, "starting" the execution of the function, and out of no more than one arrow, describing the completion of the function.

When describing a function (operation), I recommend specifying the input data / documents on the basis of which this operation is performed; outgoing data / documents resulting from the operation; the name of the information system used in the process of its implementation; the name of the unit / role of the executor of the operation; and also indicate the identified risk or loss in its implementation.

The business process must be characterized by some indicators so that the process can be measured and its effectiveness evaluated.

Performance indicators can be divided into 5 main groups:

• quality;
• lead time;
• number;
• costs;
• ease of use.

The cycle time indicator is very important not only from the point of view of the internal calculation of the cost price, but also from the point of view of its significance for the client.

Any processes can be divided into two components - one that adds value to the product, and one that does not increase its consumer value. The criterion for increasing the component of adding value to the process can be used as a basis for optimizing business processes. Moreover, this criterion can be chosen as a defining principle to simplify any business process.

When a product (service) passes through an organization's business process chain, two things happen to its value:

1. In the production process, the product absorbs the cost of labor, materials, energy expended on it, as well as other related costs. However, the added value of a product is not directly related to these costs.
2. The value of a product is increased by adding such qualities as functionality, aesthetics, brand name and similar aspects to the product that are important to the customer. Ultimately, this will make it possible to sell it at a price higher than the total costs that were spent on the product, i.e. get a profit.

From a financial assessment point of view, it will be very important process cost indicators, those. the costs of implementing a one-time cycle of this process, as well as the assets used to carry it out.

Assessmentbusiness process measurements must be carried out from the client's point of view... Typically, companies view their business processes in four distinct categories:

• product and service development;
• demand generation;
• satisfaction of demand;
• planning and enterprise management.

These metrics will help you find the criteria for measuring the most critical process milestones for success.

Identifying bottlenecks (losses)

Process optimization

Process bottlenecks- operations and communications that reduce the efficiency of the process, increasing its labor intensity and cost. Bottlenecks are usually duplicated operations / jobs, over-normal time delays, data loops, overloads of individual elements, material / time and other losses. To identify and eliminate such bottlenecks, business processes are optimized.

14 steps to optimize the processes of E. Deming

(click to open the list)

In accordance with the management principles of E. Deming, to optimize each process, it is necessary to perform 14 steps sequentially:

1. Describe the scope of the process. For this:
   • List all events that start the process.
   • List all points of the end of the process and the outputs of this process to other processes
   • Highlight the main process steps, tasks and activities that belong to this process.
   • List all tasks and activities about which there is doubt, whether they belong to this process, in order to find out which of them should be kept and which should be excluded.
   • List all the inputs and outputs of a process, including all resources used by the process.
2. Create a model of the process in its current state (as is - as is).
3. Identify indicators of the quality of the functioning of the process. At this stage, it is very important to obtain an exhaustive list of factors that will help assess the effectiveness of the process. To do this, you can use 6 aspects of quality, breaking down the indicators into the following groups:
   • Acceptability and suitability. This group of indicators evaluates the product from the point of view of the consumer.
   • Timeliness... This group includes time indicators, including the date the product or service was provided to the end user, development time, etc.
   • Accuracy and completeness... These two criteria are mutually complementary. For example, incomplete documentation may be considered inaccurate.
   • Quality of customer interaction... The product developer must take into account all the requirements of the client and constantly contact the customer.
   • Process efficiency... These are indicators that characterize the cost of costs, rework, waste and other waste of time and resources.
   • Business efficiency... These indicators relate to the output of the process, to the strategy for its implementation, for example, the profitability of the product.
4. Record the results characterizing the current state of the quality of the process functioning. The main difficulties that will have to be faced at this stage may be: lack of measurement techniques, registration rules and human resources to collect information.
5. Describe data that characterize the consumer's opinion about the quality of the process. The list of data is obtained on the basis of a consumer survey, which can be conducted in any form: telephone surveys, interviews, the formation of focus groups. In doing so, it is important to find out if the offered product or service is what the consumer actually wants, if there is anything else that the consumer would like, and if there is something that the product developer should not do. Next, you need to establish a connection between the results of a survey of consumer opinions about a product or service with the quality indicators that were determined in step 3.
6. Describe data that allows you to compare the course of similar processes in your and other organizations. The process should be assessed in terms of existing competition. To do this, you need to understand how other companies implement similar processes. The metrics for which the assessment will be carried out may be taken from data published by a competitor in the open press. The purpose of the benchmarking analysis is to support decision making at stages 10 ... 12.
7. Develop standards for each indicator obtained from the results of step 3. As such standards for each indicator, you can set three boundary points: the first point characterizing the lowest quality level, still acceptable to the consumer, the second is the match point, which sets the average value of the indicator for the aggregate of companies operating in this area of ​​the market (or the value of the indicator at which consumers stop complaining about the product or service) and the third point is the "leader level", which is determined by the quality of the functioning of the processes of the strongest competitors (or the value of the indicator at which complete customer loyalty is achieved ).
8. Identify the problems that arise during the implementation of this process. These include any deficiencies in the quality of the functioning of the process in your organization, low efficiency in the use of resources. The list of problems also includes unrealized process capabilities, for example, any profitable products or services that are in demand in your market area, but which your company does not deal with.
9. Develop a report based on the results of the analysis of problems arising during the implementation of the process. All problems should be classified and ordered in terms of their priority and importance. The report can be both in text and in tabular or graphical form, for example, in the form of an Ishikawa causal diagram. The latter is preferred because diagrams allow you to design and prioritize multidimensional solutions.
10. Offer a list of potential solutions. Using the results of the previous step, you should now brainstorm to find ideas that can be used to achieve process improvement. Depending on the severity of the problem, there can be three ways to solve this problem:
    • make a quick, intermediate decision that does not affect the basic basic characteristics of the process with minor changes in the content of the process;
    • improve the current process to a significant extent, but within the framework of the previous ideology;
    • re-do the process.
11. Display a vision of the future state of the process. At this stage, you should identify possible changes in the products and services produced by the company, and note the degree of improvement that is expected to be achieved. The result of this step should be a "as should be" or "to be" model.
12. Prepare a list of initiatives required to achieve the desired state of the process. At this stage, it is necessary to display what activities should be implemented in order to transfer the process from the “as is” state to the “to be” state. Each initiative should be described as: "Process change", "Method and tool change", "Organizational change" or a combination of changes. The list of initiatives should be ordered according to two criteria: first, by quality, i.e. in terms of importance to consumers, and then in terms of the time it will take to achieve results - at the top of the list should be activities that can be implemented faster.
13. Conduct a preliminary analysis of initiatives in terms of their cost-effectiveness. An estimate should be made of the costs of each of the initiatives and the degree to which the product or service has improved as a result of that initiative. This can be done in several ways, for example, assessing the new net profit (NP) that the company will receive after changing the business process, or assessing the new ROI (Return On Investment). It should be borne in mind that the assessment of profit should be carried out not for one business process, but for the whole of the company's activities in order to exclude initiatives when the optimization of some processes occurs due to negative changes in other business processes. Once the costs have been estimated, the list of initiatives should be reordered based on cost-effectiveness.
14. Draw up a report on the project as a whole, containing recommendations for optimizing the process. Based on the prepared report, appropriate changes are made to the process, or the process is created anew.

7 simple process optimization tricks:

Reception number 1: Moving the IFR (ideal end result) out of the process
Form an IFR that could be achieved not only through the implementation of the process, but also by all available means

Reception number 2: Excluding unnecessary steps from the process
It is necessary to consider the purpose of each step of the process, to ask the question whether it is possible to exclude any steps or combine them:

• Are there stages that duplicate each other, can one of them be removed?
• Are all stages of the process necessary for the main purpose of the process, are there any that can be dispensed with?

Reception number 3: Changing the sequence of stages of the process execution

• Which of the steps in the process are most critical to the successful completion of the process?
• Can these steps be moved closer to the beginning of the process?

Reception number 4: Crushing operations
The more perfect business processes are, the fewer requirements they place on the qualifications of employees. The fragmentation of processes and operations is carried out, which leads to a simplification of the process as a whole.

• What operations in the process require the most qualifications of the performer?
• Can these operations be divided into simpler operations so that the requirements for the performer would be reduced?

Reception number 5: Moving operations outside the main process
Often in complex processes saturated with operations, one and the same performer performs all the operations, which significantly delays the process, and also significantly reduces its quality.

• What are the most energy-intensive operations in this process?
• Can these operations be entrusted to other performers without prejudice to the process? Moreover, it is important to understand that operations can be entrusted not only by an employee of their company, but also outsourced.

Reception number 6: Combining operations in time and (or) space

• If in this process the operations that would be more expedient to combine in time and (or) space?

Reception number 7: Automation

To assess losses (problems), you can apply FMEA method:

• make a list of the possible consequences (S) of each failure (problem / loss);
• get an expert assessment of each consequence, in accordance with its severity, usually on a 10-point scale (10 corresponds to the most serious consequences);
• assess the likelihood of a consequence (O) on a 10-point scale;
• assess the probability of detecting a failure and its consequences (D) on a 10-point scale;
• calculate for each the consequences of the risk priority ratio - R (Risk Priority Number - RPN), where RPN = S x O x D;
• select failures (problems / losses) to work on;
• take measures to eliminate or reduce failures (problems / losses) with a high risk indicator;
• calculate a new risk indicator taking into account the developed measures.

The results of the analysis are entered in the table. The expected result is to eliminate or reduce the likelihood of potential defects or failures in processes.

All detected and studied failures are classified according to the degree of criticality, ease of detection and elimination, and frequency of occurrence. The main task is to identify problems before they arise and begin to affect customers.

The higher the RPN, the more dangerous the violation and the more destructive its consequences. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate or reduce the risk in those who have this value higher.

FMEA(abbreviation from Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, failure modes and consequences analysis) - a methodology for analyzing and identifying the most critical steps in production processes in order to manage product quality.

According to the US military standard MIL-STD-1629 "Procedures for Performing a Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis", FMEA is a procedure that analyzes all possible system errors and determines the results or effects on the system in order to classify all errors relative to their criticality for the operation of the system.

The most well-known decision-making methods for optimizing business processes are brainstorming technologies, the method of nominal groups and benchmarking.

Brain storm Is a method of collective production of new ideas, developed back in the thirties of the last century. The essence of the method is to separate the process of putting forward ideas from the process of their critical assessment and selection. The optimal number of participants in such a group is 5 ... 10 people. The group should have a facilitator - a person who leads the group discussion process. He is both a generator and an analyst of ideas. The brainstorming process presupposes certain rules of work: no criticism; an atmosphere comfortable for all participants in the assault. The purpose of this event is to collect as many ideas as possible, even those that seem unrealistic. All ideas should be promptly recorded. For the second stage - the analysis of the ideas put forward - usually specialists are involved who did not take part in the generation of ideas. As a result, a final list is drawn up, in which only those solutions that are supported by the majority of participants remain.

Nominal group method on the contrary, it restricts the communication of the group members. Each participant is provided with a complete description of the process and all the data for making a decision. Each member of the group, without discussion with colleagues, sets out their ideas on paper. Then all the members of the group take turns presenting their ideas to the whole group, strictly one idea at a time. No discussion is allowed here either. And only after the end of the presentation of ideas, there is a group discussion, evaluation and selection of ideas.

Benchmarking- it is a constant study of the best in the practice of competitors. The concept of benchmarking originated in the late 1950s, when Japanese specialists visited leading companies in the USA and Western Europe in order to study and then use their experience. In preparing the list of initiatives required to achieve the desired state of the optimized process, the method of competitive intelligence can play an important role. This method is sometimes referred to as the best practice method.

Although an individual approach is always used to optimize each business process, nevertheless, you can list the basic principles of business process reengineering, which in many use cases led to positive results:

• horizontal compression of the process, when several sub-processes are combined into one;
• vertical compression of the process (empowering employees and increasing the role of each of them);
• selection of another version of the process execution;
• transferring the process geographically to a more suitable place;
• reducing the number of checks and control actions;
• reduction in the number of approvals - a single point of contact is provided by one manager or an automated system.

To determine the causal relationship between the identified problems and their causes, you can use Ishikawa diagram(diagram "fishbone", from English. Fishbone Diagram, also known as a "root cause analysis" diagram).

The diagram helps to determine the main factors that have the most significant influence on the development of the problem under consideration, as well as to prevent or eliminate the action of these factors.

The main arrow indicates the problem. Factors that exacerbate the problem are shown by arrows slanting to the main one to the right, and those that neutralize the problem are shown with a tilt to the left. As the level of analysis deepens, the arrows of the factors of the second order can be added to the arrows of the factors, etc. The figure below shows such an example with two levels of bones: the 1st level is indicated in red - the main (root) ones: a, b, c, d, and blue level 2 - in-depth (detailing) reasons (factors) of the investigated influence on the result (among the factors of the 2nd level are, like those that enhance the effect of the 1st level - e, f, g, h , i, l, m, o, p, and those that weaken it - k, n). The key challenge is to have three to six main categories that cover all possible influences.

Description of the optimized process

TO BE model

The TO BE model is created on the basis of the AS IS model with the elimination of the identified shortcomings in the existing organization of business processes, as well as with their improvement and optimization. This is achieved by eliminating bottlenecks identified based on the AS IS analysis.

The visualization methods for the TO BE model are the same as for the AS IS model.

A common modeling mistake is creating an idealized model. An example is modeling based on the knowledge of the manager, and not on the specific contractor. The manager is familiar with how the work is supposed to be performed according to the manuals and job descriptions, and often does not know how the subordinates actually do the routine work. As a result, an embellished, distorted model is obtained, which carries false information and which cannot be used in the future for analysis. This model is called SHOULD BE.

Sometimes the current AS IS model and the future TO BE are very different and the transition from the initial state to the final one becomes not obvious. In this case, a third model is needed that describes the transition from the initial state to the final state, since such a transition is also a business process.

Planning and implementation of optimization measures

Implementation of the TO BE model

After identifying losses ("bottlenecks"), assessing deviations and their consequences, developing measures to eliminate them, it is necessary to determine the priority directions of changes, to determine the priorities for implementation.

First of all, it is necessary to identify the activities that affect the quality of the product / service and are important for external consumers (customers), then determine the measures that solve temporary losses in the performance of operations within the organization (and first indicate what is being implemented faster).

In order to prioritize, it is useful to identify the opinion of customers (what they want to get) and how the competitors' processes are organized, i.e. study the external environment, identify the wishes of customers that are not implemented in the studied processes of the AS IS model.

The initial task of the TO BE implementation is to establish a corrective action plan for the elements and operations with the highest RNP and in line with the identified priorities.

The implementation plan contains a sequence of implementation of the developed recommendations for eliminating bottlenecks with an indication of the timing, responsible for the implementation, performers.

I recommend drawing up the TO BE model implementation plan by means of MS Project (free version of Project Expert) or in the form of a "90 days plan" used in the "A3 thinking" methodology for quick decisions, or for short-term implementations of the Scrum and Agile methodology.

• suitability (from the point of view of consumers);
• timeliness;
• accuracy and completeness;
• the quality of interaction with the client;
• cost of costs, loss of time (costs of performing operations);

Plan in Project it is convenient to develop for tracking the load of resources and automatically calculating the dates and dates of the beginning and end of sequential and parallel jobs.

90 days plan It is useful for quick improvements, the implementation of which is designed for a cycle of 90 days. The plan indicates the actions, performers, deadlines, results and status (in progress or not yet started) to quickly visualize the real situation for the implementation of the plan.

Optimization of the organization's business processes is the improvement of sequential actions that are aimed at achieving the goals set for the enterprise by choosing the best option for their implementation. This is an inevitable process for the efficient operation of a modern company.

A business process is a set of actions that leads to a certain result. Each process has a specific goal, its own sequence of key actions and a predictable result. The number and goals of these processes, which take place in different enterprises, are different and are directly dependent on the type of business, the size of the company, the personal qualities of the owners and management. All this must be taken into account in order to optimize business processes to become effective.

To create an effective business, it is important to coordinate the marketing strategy with the implementation of the methodology for its implementation. However, it also happens that there is an adequate strategy, measures for its implementation have been developed, but there are no results: it is not possible to achieve planned targets. Perhaps these are problems of the lower, procedural level of the management system. Let's try to deal with such a phenomenon as business process optimization, its description and modeling.

An enterprise up to a certain level of development can do without optimization. However, there are a number of factors that signal - "it's time to get down to business processes", and, no doubt, they bring this moment closer:

• increase in the number of employees;
• the number of management levels is growing;
• the number of divisions is growing;
• subdivisions are territorially dispersed;
• there is no or undeveloped unified information system.

So, one day you find that in the company:

• decisions are made very slowly;
• decisions are made very slowly and poorly;
• it turns out that from time to time certain aspects of the activity remain uncontrolled;
• you notice an increase in psychological stress among staff associated with unregulated rights, duties and responsibilities;
• elementary work operations require a lot of time, effort, approvals, memos and phone calls.

The presence of these symptoms is a serious reason for restructuring; optimization of business processes is necessary. It is worth noting that in some cases it is advisable to carry out this work without waiting for the onset of such prerequisites (with a significant change in the management structure, the use of a new IS, etc.)

The choice of this tool for business processes is considered to be very important and almost critical. However, the program for the description is important only if the development is carried out for their further implementation in a certain information system (IS). Most modern ISs have their own tools for developing business processes, so the discussion of software for their description is meaningless.

Note that business processes are needed for participants, not for developers, and the most important criterion for choosing a programmatic description tool is its availability for all participants at the stage of approval, optimization, execution and modernization.

Business process models "AS IS" and "TO BE"

Standard modeling schemes provide at the first stage a description of the current "AS IS" ("as is), followed by optimization to" TO BE "(" as it should be "). Some customers do not understand the usefulness of describing the first step. It is enough for them that the performers have already brought new, correct business processes, and the “AS IS” model is perceived as an attempt to increase the budget.

Please note that such an implementation technique, which does not rely on existing business processes, is called reengineering, which has only a remote resemblance to the concept of “business process optimization”. The description of "AS IS" makes it possible to identify a number of existing contradictions and make the primary optimization of processes. It should be discussed by all participants and agreed upon "under signature."

Optimization process

You can optimize something according to certain criteria. For business processes, such criteria are cost, duration, number of transactions, etc. These criteria are “external” in relation to the processes and arise from a more general management contour. Let's try to figure it out.

For example, optimization of such a business process as customer service in a store. What to choose as an optimization criterion - price or quality? If this is a store with discounts for the middle class, we choose the first criterion, if it is an elite boutique, then the second. It turns out that by choosing an optimization criterion, we define a strategy and position the store.

This is how, using the optimization criterion, the level of control systems begins to obey a higher one - strategy.

Implementation

The implementation procedure is the most difficult stage of working with business processes. It is much more successful if it is supported by the enterprise information system. However, such opportunities are not always available or not in full. The implementation and maintenance of business processes in an up-to-date state requires:

• communicating to the personnel that the work should be performed on the basis of the business processes created at the enterprise;
• control over the observance of the created business processes by the personnel;
• conducting periodic analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of the use of business processes;
• optimization of business processes based on continuous analysis of data on their effectiveness and efficiency.

Modification

Over time, any streamlined business processes will need to be adjusted or replaced. On the one hand, business processes must correspond to reality, and on the other, they must not interfere with the normal development of the enterprise. Therefore, they need timely modification. The new edition is coordinated with all participants and communicated to all interested persons.

In this case, business process systems become real tools that increase the efficiency of doing business at the procedural level.

Types of business processes of the organization

• the main one is meeting the needs of the client and making a profit by the enterprise;
• auxiliary - necessary for the normal operation of the enterprise, has no value for the client;
• managerial - performs the setting of goals and objectives for the enterprise, its divisions and management.

Optimization of business processes, goals and objectives:

• to increase the manageability of the enterprise;
• increase the quality indicators of manufactured products;
• improve the quality of services provided;
• to reduce the dependence of the enterprise on the human factor;
• implement a performance monitoring system;
• reduce costs;
• rationally distribute powers and responsibilities between departments;
• exclude duplicate functions of divisions;
• reduce the duration of the production cycle;
• implement a quality management program;
• eliminate internal contradictions;
• regulate the activities of the enterprise;
• replicate business / create a franchise network;
• automate the activities of the enterprise;
• meet consumer requirements;
• meet the requirements of the state;
• comply with international standards;
• reduce the amount of time to achieve the assigned tasks;
• to establish interaction between the main divisions and support services;
• increase the level of customer satisfaction;
• improve financial performance due to the competent allocation of resources;
• get the opportunity to scale your business;
• reduce the expenditure side of the budget;
• more accurately plan;
• to increase the manageability of the enterprise;
• eliminate duplication of functions of divisions;
• find new resources for business development.

Optimization effect:

• reducing the time to achieve the assigned tasks;
• establishing interaction between the main divisions and support services;
• increasing customer satisfaction;
• improvement of financial performance due to the competent allocation of resources;
• the ability to scale the business;
• reduction of the expenditure side of the budget;
• more accurate planning;
• increasing the manageability of the enterprise;
• elimination of duplication of functions of divisions;
• the emergence of new resources for business development.

Business processes and information system

Business process optimization methods

Business Process Optimization is the direct development and implementation of measures to improve (reorganize) the company's business processes.

The study of their actual state allows you to formulate goals for improvement (reorganization). For example, gaining market share, reducing order transit times, reducing inventories, etc.

Company A manufactures sporting goods and leisure goods. Based on a study of the current market position, the company formulated the following goals:

· Reduction of costs up to 25 Euros on average per product.

· Manufacturing and delivery of the product according to the customer's order within 5 days from the date of the order in the store.

· Maintaining a range of products in the amount of 1300 pieces.

The management of the company accepted the proposal for the research and improvement of the processes and, as a result of the research, set the corresponding goals. To achieve the planned results, it was necessary not only to radically improve the order process, but also to make changes in product development, organization of work at the installation site, change employee functions and organize sales work.

Optimization is aimed at realizing the set goals and contains measures that eliminate the identified problems. These may include: issues of interfacing changed technologies, changed working systems, too many control levels, downtime, unused capacity, duplication of work orders, errors in the transfer of information, loss of information, errors in documentation, etc.

When developing optimization measures, one should take into account the influence parameters: logistic, economic, temporal, spatial, personal.

Logical are the number of stages of the process, technological feasibility, sequence of events, organizational interaction.

Economic - low costs, high capacity utilization, low inventory levels, economical process depth, flexibility, high share of value creation.

Temporary - short lead times, low downtime, low changeover times, flexible production times.

Spatial - the ability to locate the necessary workplaces, the ability to streamline work systems, minimum transport routes, the ability to change the order of the work systems.

Personal - the amount of work and the need for personnel, the provision of the necessary qualifications, advanced training, flexible working hours for personnel.

First, you need to understand for yourself what goal we are pursuing, intending to optimize or reengineer a particular business process.

In other words, first you need to set a specific task, otherwise the optimization will not bring any effect.

Let's consider, in short, the main methods used to optimize business processes:

1. SWOT analysis (analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the business process)

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to assess the factors of phenomena affecting a project or enterprise. All factors fall into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

The principle of the method is to find and eliminate / strengthen the weakest sides and minimize potential risks and threats.

2. Method of cause-effect (Ishikawa diagram - Cause and Effect Diagram)

Ishikawa diagram - the so-called. Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram, and also as a Root Cause Analysis diagram.

One of the seven main tools for measuring, evaluating, controlling and improving the quality of production processes included in the "seven quality control tools":

Control card;

Pareto chart;

Bar graph;

Checklist;

Ishikawa diagram;

Stratification (stratification);

Scatter plot.

Such a diagram allows you to identify the key relationships between various factors to more accurately understand the process under study. The diagram helps to determine the main factors that have the most significant influence on the development of the problem under consideration, as well as to prevent or eliminate the action of these factors.

3. Benchmarking

The method of analyzing the superiority and assessing the competitive advantages of partners and competitors of the same type or related industry in order to study and use all the most productive. A bit like industrial espionage, however, the difference is that this method is carried out using superficial observations.

4. Analysis and optimization of business processes based on indicators (KPI)

Key performance analysis method. The principle of setting the ultimate goals for the project, with the achievement of which the "bar" is raised, or if the goals cannot be achieved, the means of achievement or the goals themselves are revised.

5. Brainstorming

The method in which the solution of the problem is discussed and all possible ways are put forward, on the basis of this, the most effective is selected with the terms of reference. discussion participants

6. Techniques Lean, "6 Sigma"

A method for identifying productivity gains by reducing defects in the manufacturing process

7. Calculation and modification of the fragmentation of the process

The method of reducing or increasing the constituent parts of a business process

8. Analysis of the business logic of the process, elimination of ineffective procedures, distribution of responsibility for the implementation of business processes and delegation of decision-making authority, linking parallel work, fixing information at the source and including information processing in real work

9. Method of functional cost analysis (FSA-analysis)

The principle of the analysis is to achieve the maximum functionality of the object with minimal costs, both for the seller and the buyer.

10. Method of simulation (dynamic) BP modeling

A technique that makes it possible to represent human actions and the application of technologies used in the studied reengineering processes within the framework of a dynamic computer model. Simulation involves the implementation of four main stages:

1) building a model,

2) launching the model,

3) analysis of the obtained performance indicators,

4) assessment of alternative scenarios.

A very effective method, provided all the necessary quantities to build the model are up-to-date and accurate.

11. Calculation and analysis of the labor intensity and duration of the business process

The methodology was created to calculate the optimal number of employees in the enterprise, the load on them.

12. Analysis of the matrix of distribution of responsibility

The technique of drawing up a visual functional table that strictly distributes the organization to structural divisions, links, and so on. In other words, tasks are assigned to structural divisions

For an optimal solution to optimize business processes, you can use all methods as a whole, or separately, depending on the tasks and the amount of analyzed information.

At the present time, when, on the one hand, strong competitors with well-established work schemes enter the market, and on the other hand, our enterprises are expanding their activities, it is important to restructure their work scheme in a timely and painless manner.

For example, if an enterprise needs to improve its work in a short time (no more than three months): to reduce costs, accounts receivable, shorten the production cycle, reduce the number of managerial errors or take urgent measures to overcome the crisis, it can use the express method optimization of business processes.

On the one hand, this is a fairly simple method, but, on the other hand, it is very laborious and energy-consuming (regardless of whether it is a commercial enterprise or a production-commercial one).

Stages of business process optimization by express method:

First of all, it is necessary to compile a list of all business processes available at the enterprise and develop a functional diagram of the enterprise. Then an enlarged diagram is developed, which reflects all the main business processes occurring in the enterprise, and the relationship between them, and then detailed diagrams of each business process.

2. Conducting ABC analysis.

After the scheme is developed, an ABC analysis is carried out, which allows you to select a small number of the most significant business processes, which need to be focused on. For this, all business processes are divided into three groups - "A", "B" and "C".

Group "A" includes the processes that require the highest costs. As a rule, this is 5-10% of all processes occurring at the enterprise, which account for 75-80% of all costs.

Group "B" includes about 20% of business processes, which include about 10-20% of costs. And, finally, the group "C" is made up of the remaining 60-75% of the processes, "eating up" only 5-10% of the costs of the enterprise.

There is a standard set of parameters that must be constantly analyzed regardless of the type of enterprise. This:

* reliability of information flows;

* scheme of acceptance and validity of a business decision;

* the effectiveness of existing business processes of the enterprise;

* the adequacy of management to the assigned tasks;

* the adequacy of the personnel motivation system;

* modernity of the technological process;

* the adequacy of the time spent.

The basis for the ABC analysis is the operational data obtained through a questionnaire survey of all employees on problems and suggestions, as well as the timing of working hours in a section for each link of the business process.

The main attention is paid to the problems arising in inter-structural connections.

3. Analysis of the state of liquid assets

Simultaneously with the ABC analysis, an analysis of the state of the most liquid assets is usually carried out. As practice shows, "putting things in order" in the accounting and control over the use of liquid assets in a short time (up to three months) gives the greatest effect.

The importance of accounting for such assets is due to several factors. First, it is these assets that are of the greatest material interest to unscrupulous employees. Secondly, the ability to manage them depends on the correct organization of control over the use of liquid assets. If the information received by the management does not reflect the true state of liquid assets, this can lead to a crisis of the enterprise up to bankruptcy, especially in an increasingly competitive environment.

Analysis of accounting for liquid assets should begin with checking banking and cash transactions. Particular attention should be paid to the status of settlements with suppliers and buyers and to the management of warehouse stocks.

4. Optimization of business processes

After the analysis, you can start optimizing business processes, that is, directly to the stage of improvements. Any actions to improve the work of the enterprise should begin with the optimization of the processes of the “A” group. It should be emphasized that when using the express method, only those processes are selected that can be improved in three months. It should be noted that the improvement stage is directly related to changes in the company. But the resistance to change, as you and I understand, is always great among employees.

Therefore, each change must be discussed by employees involved in a specific business process. And only a decision should be made that suits the representatives of each link of the business process. Then, within two to three days, the solution is tested and corrected. Only after that do we move on to working out the next business process.

5. A system of daily reporting is being created, reflecting information on the expenditure of all types of resources (including working time). Increased control is established over the most expensive and scarce resources.

Forms of reporting are developed, which are also tested in the working order, and then agreed with the managers of the departments where these forms will be used, and approved by the management of the enterprise. Due to the introduction of daily management reporting and streamlining of document flow, the company immediately receives a number of benefits:

* The management of the enterprise at any time can determine the direction and time of spending any monetary and material resources. Even if these resources continue to be wasted, an information base is created from which data can later be developed to better manage resources.

* Due to the introduction of a clear procedure for filing applications for resources, costs are reduced. Since the use of any resource requires filling out many different documents and obtaining permits, the employee stops making purchases of resources “just in case”. Thus, applications are made only for the resources that are really needed.

* Labor productivity increases as people always work more intensively if they are accountable for the work done on a daily basis.

* Based on the analysis of the daily reports of employees (especially the highest paid) on the work done, important tasks for which they do not have enough time and tasks that can be delegated to lower-paid employees are identified. Optimal redistribution of tasks between employees allows the company's management to achieve more efficient work of personnel without increasing wage costs.

* As information accumulates, costs are analyzed in detail and, on this basis, measures are developed to reduce them. One of these measures may be the introduction of a more rational procurement planning system, which will reduce the amount of raw materials in the warehouse, and reduce the cost of their transportation and storage.

Thus, there is a transition from cost accounting to cost management.

6. The document flow of the company is being corrected.

All accepted and working decisions are made by adjustments to the document management system: "Regulations on the organizational structure", the system of job descriptions, "Regulations on wages", "Internal regulations".

7. Result

The result of using the express method for optimizing business processes at the end of a three-month period can be a reduction in costs by 5-15%, a reduction in the production cycle and an improvement in the state of the company's settlements.

After the stage of optimization of business processes, the system of effective personnel management is being worked out, a system of assessment and certification of personnel is being introduced, which includes:

* Stages of the assessment process: preparation, implementation, maintenance and monitoring, analysis and use of the results;

* Regulatory support for the assessment process: correct execution of job descriptions, labor contracts, work standards, etc.;

* Assessment process and system of procedures, documenting the process;

* Training managers in the basics of technology for assessing personnel;

* Analysis and use of the results of personnel assessment for decision-making on personnel;

* Planning activities for personnel management of the company based on the results of the assessment process.

We have come to the concept of business process reengineering (BPR), i.e. creating completely new and more efficient business processes without considering what was before. BPO employs a large number of tools and techniques within the normal framework. In the previous issue, one of them was described - an express method for optimizing the business processes of an enterprise. Let's consider in more detail each of the stages of the implementation of this method in the enterprise.

Processes are streams of work and they have boundaries, in other words, a beginning and an end. For example, business processes are: inventory management, DC management, marketing management, HR management. The subprocesses of inventory management are: planning supplies, accepting orders for inventory from the client, selling inventory, storing inventory, writing off inventory, etc.

Procedures - a manual, a documented procedural order of actions, in which a sequence of actions must be prescribed. For example, control over returns is already a clearly defined procedure (by whom, how and when it should be carried out). The procedures are reflected in the procedural cards.

Strictly speaking, the functional structure can also be reengineered of any detail and even appoint “process owners” along with the existing department heads. To make this mechanism work, it is necessary to preserve the principle of one-man management and in the "Regulations on the organizational structure", as well as in other fundamental documents of the company, clearly describe the areas of responsibility, powers and interaction procedures for each department head, process owner and each junction of the responsibility matrix.

Then the efficiency of the structure will not fall as low as it happens in most firms.

So, the sequence of our actions with you:

1. Highlighting key problems in business processes.

2. Carrying out ABC - analysis. Distribution of areas of responsibility.

4. Creation of a system of daily reporting.

5. Correction of document flow.

6. Result.

one). All information available at the enterprise is subjected to diagnostics:

* Material or explicit information is data and knowledge that can be found in the documents of an organization in the form of messages, instructions, contracts, Regulations, letters, articles, reference books, patents, drawings, video and audio recordings, software, etc.

* Personal or hidden information is personal knowledge inextricably linked to individual experience. They can be conveyed through direct contact ("face to face"), using a questionnaire. It is believed that it is the hidden practical knowledge that is key to identifying problems in the enterprise. This information is also interesting because it indirectly reveals the degree of readiness of employees to contribute to the development of the company. Therefore, the questionnaire survey is a simple and convenient tool for diagnosing key problems of the enterprise.

Each employee is issued a questionnaire with a request to describe the duties (daily, weekly, monthly, annual) that the employee performs, the problems that the employee faces in the course of work, as well as, of course, specific proposals that he would like to implement in the enterprise. The entire range of responsibilities is usually assigned to TOP managers (commercial director, chief accountant), monthly range of responsibilities - line managers (accountant-coordinator, supervisors, warehouse manager), daily and weekly - ordinary employees (sales representatives, forwarders, operators). I would like to note that the company always has employees who take care not only of themselves, but also of the company. These employees are usually quite specific in their ability to outline their responsibilities, clearly identify the problems they face, and propose specific solutions to address these problems. I personally regard such employees as the golden fund of the enterprise, which should be given maximum attention by the company's management.

Key problems are identified through the analysis of the questionnaires. The key problem (category A) is precisely the one that "comes through" through the employees of different departments.

For example, the operator (accounting) writes: "a large number of returns, sales representatives are receiving applications poorly"; storekeeper (warehouse, accounting): "reduce the number of returns, sales agents do not know how to work with clients"; forwarder: “I’m ashamed in front of our clients, every time you hear that we have a mess, we always bring other people's orders, we must immediately reduce returns”; sales representative (sales department): "are deprived of surcharges for returns, although not we, but the storekeeper allows" re-sorting ", and the operator generally clogs the waybills incorrectly."

Thus, on the face of the problem, we have defined as a "return", which we stand out as an independent one and pay special attention to it. Our personal experience suggests that you should not pay attention to everything at once. It is enough to define initially no more than 3-4 key problems, which are then worked out. It's okay if you still let the rest of the problems "breathe". I dare to note that some of them will disappear by themselves, after working out the key ones.

Next, the participants who are involved in this problem are determined. The problem of "return": sales representative, operator, freight forwarder, storekeeper. The timing of their working time (implicit information) is carried out according to a characteristic section and an analysis of the documentation they fill out (explicit information).

Sales Representative (TP). Responsible for surcharge returns. A selection of applications (explicit information) that sales representatives fill out indicates that they are filled out accurately, but are submitted as soon as the TP arrives at the office (after 19 hours). However, the interns confuse the names of the stores, there are many corrections in the applications.

For the operator, the main workload occurs from 4 pm and continues until 9 pm-20 pm, until the entire volume of applications ends. Although he needs to be at his workplace at 8-00. Physical overload on the face. An analysis of the generated documents (explicit information) showed that the operator does not comply with the standard for the set of documents, although the operator's dialing speed is high - 230 signs. The reason - the "1C" program is not adapted to the needs of the enterprise and it takes additional time to generate the necessary documents.

Until 19-00 there are no errors in the generated documents, the operator works quickly, is not distracted by external noises, and after 19-00 the number of errors increases, the operator gets confused, distracted by external noises, the specialist cannot concentrate. After 20-30, when all the outsiders leave, the operator again starts to work efficiently, however, the dialing speed decreases 2.5 times. Thus, the number of operator errors falls on the time from 19-00 to 20-30. Has a premium when the plan is fulfilled. There is no surcharge for no refunds.

Forwarder. Works well with the client. Attentive. Knows the product well. The route is designed optimally. He knows the route and clients well. He is very worried when the client refuses the product, but does not tell anyone about it, experiencing it in himself. Is not present when the goods are shipped. There is no surcharge for no refunds.

Storekeeper. Works with documents (explicit information) inattentively. The location of the product and the product itself is poorly known. Instead of one position (say, 130 tenge), he puts another (360 tenge), absolutely not understanding the difference between them. Maybe instead of ordered 59 pcs. put 69 pcs. The order is assembled only by him and the loader. He absolutely does not care what he shipped. Does not bear material responsibility. The salary supplement is received when the company fulfills the plan. There is no surcharge for no refunds.

2). Carrying out an ABC analysis. Distribution of areas of responsibility. The key issue is “control of returns”.

Analysis of the proposed

activities:

A). A supervisor is appointed as the "owner" of the "control of returns" procedure. He is primarily responsible for returns as it is he who is empowered to investigate and identify the reasons for the return with the determination of the guilty party. Why a supervisor? Because he is subordinate to sales representatives who are responsible for the quality of communications with customers. Any failures in working with a client (in our case, the frequency of returns), which employees pay attention to, are reflected, first of all, in communications and the company's image.

B). A matrix of responsibility has been introduced through the allowance "For the absence of returns", which makes it possible to clearly delineate the areas of responsibility between employees and to determine the moment when the fact of responsibility of each employee arises. Thus, it is easy to identify the guilty party and punish. From a psychological point of view, a clearly defined matrix of responsibility does not allow an employee to shift his blame onto others, restoring the principle of fairness and impartiality in the company. The "transparency" of this procedure will not allow some employees (in our example, a storekeeper) to sit back and get paid for being a good person, but not an employee.

V). The load on each employee has been optimized (in our example, the operator is unloaded in the evening, but on the other hand, the submission of applications before 17-00 mobilizes the TP, forcing them to work better in self-organization mode so as not to lose volumes).

3. Reengineering (optimization) of business processes.

In order not to encounter resistance from employees who would not like to change anything, a set of proposed activities is submitted for their discussion. The director gathers representatives from all areas of the process, identifies the problem and, together with the employees, outlines ways to solve it. But before introducing the proposed mechanisms, it is necessary to test the proposed set of measures. Within a week, the decision is processed in real time, corrected and only then a decision is made to introduce changes, and only then you can start implementing the process description.

Thus, reengineering of business processes allows, on the one hand, to obtain an optimization effect without cardinal breaking of the existing business model at the enterprise, and on the other hand, to really improve the existing business model.