Process analysis and improvement
Process management serves to understand and improve processes. The documentation of the process is therefore followed by an analysis. If a need for improvement has been identified, the process objectives are clarified and an optimised target process is developed.
Process analysis
Process management serves to understand and improve processes. The documentation of the process is therefore followed by an analysis. Use the following key questions to work out what is already working well in the process and should be retained or what needs to be improved.
Goals: What are the goals of the process? Do all participants have the same goals in mind? Formulate the objectives clearly and verifiably. Ask yourself how conflicts of objectives and different objectives can be dealt with.
Process: How fixed or variable is the flow of the process in day-to-day work? Do all those involved know the process flow?
Process variants: Are there process variants or different workflows? If there is a standard and deviating variants - how often are the variants necessary (e.g. per month? per semester? in per cent?). What are the reasons for the variants?
Organisational aspects: Which people and departments are involved in the process? What tasks do they take on? Do they know what preceded their task and what happens to their results? How is the process handed over to another department or employee?
Media: What route does information take through the process? On which media / system is this information stored or processed - e.g. Word documents, forms or SAP entries? Where are there media breaks (i.e. a change from one medium to another)?
Duration: How long does the process regularly take from start to finish or between relevant intermediate steps? How often can planned deadlines not be met?
This overview was formulated based on the diagnostic methods (p. 91) and the indicators for process deficiencies on p. 143f. from the practice-oriented book Process Management Made Easy: Analysing and Designing Business Processes by Rainer Feldbrügge and Barbara Brecht-Hadrashek, which we highly recommend reading for anyone interested!
- Stacks and queues
- Redundant information storage
- Unnecessary personal research
- Superfluous or outdated information
The "Systematic process analysis" handout is a work aid in which you systematically analyse the process under consideration using key questions. Once you have completed the handout, you have compiled all the important information in one document and can select those aspects from the answers that you want to improve in the next step with those involved in the process.
Definition of the process objectives
Once the analysis has been completed, we can determine how the process should be further developed as a target process. The aim is to retain tried and tested aspects, make agreements transparent and improve weaknesses.
It is important to first clearly define the objectives of the process. In the context of process management, there are strategic goals for the further development of administrative processes that must be taken into account. You should also formulate objectives in such a way that they are verifiable - this is where the "SMART formula" comes in.
To ensure that process management is not an end in itself, it is important to determine exactly what objectives are being pursued by analysing and developing the process. These objectives can be as varied as the tasks and departments.
All process revisions must address the following strategic objectives:
Digitalisation: the possibilities of digitalisation to support and improve administrative activities are enormous. Every process project at the University of Würzburg should address the aspect of digitalisation and determine how the process can be supported or improved by digital systems (e.g. SAP, WueDMS, WueStudy). Where it makes sense, entire process steps can be automated and employees can be relieved of monotonous work. If decisions have to be made by clerks in processes, the preparation of these decisions can be improved and accelerated by digital systems, process support, plausibility checks or similar.
Media discontinuities: All process development projects should deal with media discontinuities (i.e. the transfer of information from one medium, e.g. paper, to another medium, e.g. SAP system). It is the declared aim of the University of Würzburg to reduce the number of media discontinuities as much as possible. Media discontinuities are susceptible to transmission errors or require interfaces (which in turn require maintenance). This lengthens processes or makes them more error-prone. Therefore, in every process development project, the paths of information through the process must be tracked and media disruptions minimised or eliminated as far as possible.
Process quality: Even today, administrative work at the University of Würzburg is still often characterised by enquiries to previous process participants or applicants. Well-defined processes with clear and communicated information requirements should help to avoid demand or correction loops. To achieve this, the input and output of each process step must be improved and the quality of the process results must be enhanced. In addition to the throughput times of a process, the improvement of process and result quality is one of the most important objectives formulated by the process users.
Throughput times: Another frequently voiced criticism of administrative processes is "It takes so long". If there is a conflict of objectives between quality and process duration, quality should be considered first (see above). However, the process analysis can reveal many starting points for a sensible acceleration: Automation of steps that can be automated, parallelisation of steps if necessary and, last but not least, the reduction of media discontiunities and the avoidance of follow-up searches and duplication. We therefore always advise you to address such aspects as part of your process project.
Agreements and responsibilities: All process development projects aim to end up with a documented process in which all those involved in the process know the objectives, their roles and tasks as well as the route of the information. Increasing the transparency of administrative work is a declared goal of process management.
It is important to define the process objectives as specifically as possible. They should be formulated in such a way that they are achievable and measurable or assessable. Similar to smart goals in project management, process goals should be formulated in the SMART way:
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Specific: clearly defining what is to be achieved and what is not.
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Measurable: Measurement criteria are defined.
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Accepted: Objectives are agreed with all those involved in the process.
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Realistic: The goals are achievable.
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Scheduled: A timetable is set for achieving the objectives.
(For further tips on formulating smart goals, please refer to the project management web pages in the ZV).
Development of the target process
In the next step, the improved process must be modelled and coordinated as a target process. It is important that all process participants are involved here and that process steps, inputs or outputs are not changed without consultation with the supplying or accepting departments.
Check the following questions and suggestions for process optimisation when developing the target process. You will also find specific methodological tips for modelling the target process. Also observe the rules of good process design!
- Can media discontinuities be eliminated?
- Can interfaces be reduced?
- Can decision-making processes be improved?
- Can communication be simplified or improved? (note the effort involved)
- Can processing times be reduced?
- Are responsibilities clearly defined? Does the processor in a process step have the necessary authorisation?
- Does the processor have the necessary knowledge, qualifications and competences for the process step? Are there consequences for the job evaluation?
Together with those responsible for the process and, if necessary, with the support of Unit A.3, the next step should be to consider whether further process optimisations are possible, e.g:
- Can process steps be omitted or summarised?
- Are additional process steps necessary (e.g. upstream or at the end of the process)?
- Can process steps be automated?
- Can process steps be carried out in parallel, thereby reducing the overall process time or achieving better utilisation of the department?
- How could process steps be accelerated?
- Does it make sense to change the sequence of individual process steps?
Developing a process further or even completely redesigning it is a creative task for which no universal recipe can be given here. The following suggestions can make process design easier:
- Backwards design: once you know what you want the outcome of the process to be, work backwards from there: How can such results be achieved? What information do we need? What are the success factors and how are these ensured? What activities do employees need to carry out? Link to the working aid for backwards process design
- Measuring points: How can you measure that the process is achieving its goals? One or two meaningful parameters will help you to manage and control the process. Where in the process are these parameters measured without causing more effort for those involved?
- Information flows: Create an input-activity-output matrix with the ideal information flows in the process. Ensure that no redundant information is collected. Delete superfluous information. Design an information flow that contains no media breaks and centralises the information for all participants.
- Organisation: Which qualifications, know-how and objects are required for the activities in the process? What authorisations are required? Minimise departmental changes and handovers by combining as many activities as possible.
- The process has a clear start event.
- All possible end events of the process are documented.
- The objectives of the process are clearly described and known to all participants.
- All process participants know the process flow.
- It is clearly documented which inputs are required and who supplies them. Any information that is required enters the process in a regulated manner and is passed on in a regulated manner until the end of the process.
- It is clearly documented which outputs are produced and to whom they are handed over.
