I want a car that parks itself, drives itself, and has laser guided cruise control. I want a 4K TV, with a curved screen, and…and…and…
Everyone wants the new sexy whatever, but the question is…do they really need that?
Let me give you an example. How often to you get a call from your parents or grandparents in which they ask you for help with their iPhone? Most of the time, the thing they want to do is talk, text, or take pictures. The question we need to ask ourselves, do our parents/grandparents need all the bells and whistles? Or do they just need the basics to contact friends, relatives, and emergency services?
I say this “tongue in cheek,” but this is such a market need, that there is a basic cell phone that has been marketed as the “best big button flip phone for seniors.” This cell phone offers large buttons, Amazon Alexa for voice commands, a flashlight, and magnifier.
The same can be said for tools and technology (the final tenet in our series on the Seven Tenets of Process Management) for organizations. It’s time we ask ourselves, what level of technology is appropriate for my business needs?
We have all experienced the spellbinding effect a new technology can create. For example, when automation was initially rolled out, organizations believed it was the panacea for all their process problems. Unfortunately, leading with the technology led to several issues:
- Focus on volume—development of bot regardless of value.
- Wasted time—didn’t not understand the process and miss out on important steps or business rules, resulting in rework.
- Ineffective bots—the process was not redesigned for execution by a bot, which just compounded the pre-existing inefficiencies.
Hence, it might be great to have the top-rated BPM suite, AI capabilities, or process mining integrated into your workflows. But are they the best solution to your problem?
Organizations need to develop clear criteria that help them determine if a technology or methodology solution is the best fit for their problem. Continuing with the automation example, our research found five key criteria for whether or not to automate a process.
- Number of repetitive manual tasks and activities—rote tasks are labor intensive and open the door for errors. Automation can minimize both risks.
- Potential cost savings—the potential cost savings need to outweigh the upfront cost of implementing automation.
- Categorical nature of the process—while it is not well-suited for strategic tasks, process automation excels at simplifying, accelerating, and improving transactional tasks.
- Frequency of the occurrence—processes should have a certain volume of occurrence before being considered for automation.
- Efficiency or accuracy—process automation works best when it is applied to pre-existing problems such as processes suffering from poor productivity or errors.
In addition to selection criteria for a specific technology, process teams should work closely with their IT teams. This will combine the capabilities of both teams to ensure that decisions around technology aren’t duplicative and are the best fit for the organization’s infrastructure and needs.
We talked and discussed throughout this series of the importance of all our Seven Tenets, and how they all are dependent on each other. Let us warn you, you should save tools and technology for the end. Get the basics right first. Focus on strategic alignment, governance, and process models. Sprinkle in some change management, process improvement, and process performance. When you have that blocking and tackling done, then go find a tool or technology that will support your needs. Maybe it is an iPhone, maybe it is a flip phone, or maybe it is what you currently have in your pocket. So, before you go out and buy the newest technology, consider your business needs first.
To learn more about Tools & Technology, the following are great recommended reads:
- Tools & Technology: Seven Tenets of Process Management
- From Graph Algorithms to Process Automation: Tools for Success
- The Building Blocks of Process Management Maturity: Tools and Technology
Additionally, APQC has specific training on the Seven Tenets that you might find interesting. The two courses that really hit on these tenets are:
For more process and performance management research and insights, follow Holly on Twitter at @hlykehogland or connect with Holly or Jonathan on LinkedIn.