10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Adaptability
Susan Page
Process isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. That’s what Vince Lombardi might have said if he had run a business instead of a football team. Process work, basically following a series of actions to bring about a result, is something we all do every day, starting with making coffee in the morning. Yet, to the minds of many business managers, the critical work of Business Process Improvement (BPI)—the systematic examination and improvement of administrative processes—seems too overwhelming to tackle without hiring a highly specialized, high-priced consultant.
A business process analyst and practitioner, Susan Page knows that even sweeping BPI initiatives don’t have to be complex, time-consuming, or entrusted to an outside expert. In THE POWER OF BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: 10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Adaptability (AMACOM; February 28, 2010; $32.95 Hardcover), Page shares her proven, easy-to-follow formula for evaluating the processes at the foundation of everything that matters to every business. Cutting through theoretical and technical explanations, the author shows business managers how to do the work of process improvement themselves, with confidence, and engage their employees in the process. “When a team works together on improving business processes,” Page attests, “the work itself provides a means for colleagues to talk about common topics and the team effort promotes an understanding of the interconnectivity of their work.”
THE POWER OF BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT provides a roadmap to guide readers through a step-by-step journey to successfully solving real business problems in real time. Susan Page begins by clarifying the core objectives of every BPI effort:
(1) Effectiveness: Does the process produce the desired results and meet the customer/client needs?
(2) Efficiency: Does the process minimize the use of resources and eliminate bureaucracy?
(3) Adaptability: Is the process flexible to changing business realities and requirements?
Geared toward everyday use and packed with templates, tools, time estimates, and case studies, THE POWER OF BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT covers the ten actions needed to bring about the ultimate result: an ongoing cycle of continuous improvement. Along the way, business managers will learn how to:
* Identify and prioritize the business processes that need to be seriously scrutinized,
* Establish a firm foundation or blueprint—and avoid scope creep.
* Draw the process map: flowcharting and documenting.
* Estimate time and cost commitments.
* Gain buy-in from employees and other stakeholders.
* Eliminate bureaucracy and redundancy, and evaluate value-added activities.
* Challenge everything, constructively and productively.
* Test and rework the new business process before implementing it.
* Implement the improvement, complemented by training, marketing, and communication.
With THE POWER OF BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT to lead the way, business manager will have the power to help their business stay competitive and responsive to customers, as well as nimble and resilient.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Page is an experienced business process improvement consultant for the computer, banking, and entertainment industries. She is currently a manager of Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) for a major entertainment company in Orlando, Florida.
Title: THE POWER OF BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
10 Simple Steps to Increase Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Adaptability
Author: Susan Page
Pub. Date: February 28, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8144-1478-1
Price: $32.95 Hardcover
For a review copy, call 212-903-7951 or fax 212-903-8083.
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