Business Process Management (BPM)

• Evaluate current operations processes, tools, and techniques
• Identify high and low value stream processes
• Identify bottlenecks and root cause of process inefficiencies
• Analyze process requirements and organizational capabilities
• Business case and cost benefit analysis
• Identify and rank strategic business metrics and KPIs

• Define business objectives, roadmap, migration strategy and target operating model
• Define process improvement metrics and process management strategies
• Gap analysis (current state vs. target state)
• Process modeling and reengineering
• Plan realization of benefits throughout transformation lifecycle

• Integrate improved tools and process-methodologies into operations
• Apply and implement BPM industry best practices
• Enable processes for smooth deployment transitions
• Hold knowledge transfer sessions, training stakeholders on new processes

• Track, analyze and report efficiency improvement metrics and benefits realization
• Reassess strategic alignment with stakeholders
• Drive continuous improvement (Kaizen) initiatives

We use the following 8 principles of TQM to help your organization prosper:

1. Customer-Driven
TQM efforts (training employees, streamlining processes, upgrading technologies) are geared towards helping improve the customer experience. Consumer behavior is the ultimate judge of the effectiveness of TQM efforts.

2. Total Organizational Commitment
All members of the organization should be empowered to pro-actively identify and address quality related problems.

3. Process Centered Thinking
TQM emphasizes the use of methodologies and tools, required to carry out processes, to be granularly defined, and for performance measurements to be continuously monitored

4. Integrated System
An integrated system is one where there is harmony in the vision, mission, guiding principles, quality policies, critical processes, objectives, milestones, and culture in an organization. Well designed integrated systems that are adopted throughout the organization aim to continually improve upon the expectations set by customers, employees, and other stakeholders.

5. Strategic and Systematic Approach
A quality plan should be a core component of a strategic management plan, so that an organization’s vision, mission, and goals are met.

6. Continuous Improvement
Adopting an always-improving mindset, drives an organization to find new ways to be more effective in meeting stakeholder expectations and in turn be more competitive in the marketplace.

7. Fact-Based Decision Making
For improving the accuracy of decision-making and forecasting, TQM advises an organization to gather and analyze performance data on a continuous basis to measure quality metrics.

8. Effective Communication
Organizations should develop comprehensive communication plans that increase employee involvement in TQM efforts as well as boost morale.

Check Sheet – a check list form that facilitates inspection of quality for recurring data
Pareto Chart –  a chart that helps identify which problems fall into which categories, under the belief that 80 percent of problems are related to 20 percent of causes
Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram – a diagram to visualize all the known causes and effects of a problem, in an effort to find the root cause
Control Chart – a chart which shows how results and processes change over time
Histogram Bar Chart – a bar chart that shows the frequency of a problem’s cause, and how and where results cluster
Scatter Diagram – a diagram that plots data on x and y axes to see how both variables affect change
Flow Chart – a chart that represents how different steps join in a process or workflow

• Lean focusses on speedy removal of non-value waste steps from process
• Six Sigma focusses on improving quality processes by reducing process variation
• Value defect prevention over defect detection
• Aim to drive customer satisfaction and bottom-line by reducing waste/variation in process
• Promote process standardization as a vehicle for creating a competitive advantage
• Find and define value streams by meticulously observing how work is done

• Defects
• Inventory
• Transportation
• Over-Production
• Waiting
• Non-Utilized Talent
• Motion
• Extra-Processing

The 5 DMAIC phases refer to a continuous improvement cycle used for optimizing and standardizing business processes.

1. Define – Define and clearly articulate the process, the problem, and intended process outputs
2. Measure – Quantify the problem; Collect data, evaluate current performance, and set performance metric baseline(s)
3. Analyze – Identify, investigate and priories root causes of the problem
4. Improve – Implement process improvements that solve the problem; Test and verify solutions
5. Control – Monitor and sustain the solution/results; Update control and quality management plans and decide on further improvements

1. Visualize the Workflow
Break down work into smaller parts and use a (signboard) visual to display work hierarchy. This visual helps bring to light any bottlenecks or blockers that hinder efficiency, resulting in improved transparency throughout the entire workflow

2. Limit Work in Progress
To avoid overcapacity problems, Kanban suggests to assign limits to how many tasks can run in each workflow phase

3. Measure Lead Time (Cycle Time)
Track the time it takes to complete one deliverable; aim to improve the process so that the lead or cycle time is consistent and as short as possible.

Developed in Japan and part of Kazien philosophy, the 5S technique enables continuous improvements initiatives that lead to less waste, improved quality, and faster flow (lead) times.

Sort (Seiri) – Sort through contents of the workplace and remove unnecessary items

• Defining what is needed and not needed to complete work
• Developing criteria for removal of not-needed items
• Red-tagging items that will be changed or removed

Systematize (Seiton) – Arranging needed items in place and ensure they can be easily accessed

• Make sure all unnecessary items are removed
• Align needed-contents with workflows, placing them in a logical and efficient order
• Arrange needed contents by order of frequency used

Sweep (Seiso) – Clean the workplace frequently and using this cleaning as a technique to inspecting defects and inefficiencies

• Clean your workplace on daily basis (consistently and completely)
• Use cleaning as inspection
• Prevent tools and equipment from deteriorating

Standardize (Seiketsu) – Develop governance frameworks, guidelines, and controls for converting the first three S’s (Sort, Systematize, Sweep) into business as usual

• Standardize and implement best practices across processes
• Visualize all team activity and procedures
• Coordinate frequent audits and evaluation by a cross-functional team(s)

Self-Discipline (Shitsuke) – Hold 5S discipline training for the organization to maintain 5S standards

• For greatest success, the 5S’s should be treated as an integrated concept of actions, conditions, and culture
• Managers and Operators hold discipline trainings to ensure that everyone follows the 5S standards
• Employees proactively take part to maintain the 5S’s

• Identify and describe problem with process
• Develop strategic & tactical plan and goals
• Define target metrics
• Forecast results and performance expectations

• Execute the plan
• Take small steps to test potential solutions in controlled circumstances
• Record actual results
• Troubleshoot unexpected issues that arise during operations

• Compare results (variance analysis: forecast vs. actual results)
• Gather feedback from process participants and stakeholders
• Identify root cause(s)
• Document all learnings from cycle (audit)

• Take action to maintain or improve the process
• Develop preventive or corrective actions
• Improve strategic and tactical plans
• Incorporate learnings to improve the next cycle

Over the course of 60 years of research, the primary findings of TRIZ have been:
1. Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and sciences. The classification of the contradictions in each problem predicts the creative solutions to that problem.
2. Patterns of technical evolution are repeated across industries and sciences.
3. Creative innovations use scientific effects outside the field where they were developed.

TRIZ is an empirically-based algorithm, supplementing the emotional-based innovation methods such as:
Brainstorming – Generating ideas to solve a problem by holding group discussions
Synectics © – Joining together different and apparently irrelevant elements
Lateral Thinking – Understanding the “movement value” of statements and ideas
Neurolinguistic Programming – Examining behavioral patterns of experience through connections between neurological processes and language
Mind Mapping – Organizing random ideas into visual concepts, flows, or hierarchies

TRIZ uses the Ideality formula for understanding which variables contribute to the Ideal Final Result (IFR), the intended outcome of problem solving.

TRIZ aims to improve the Ideality metric by increasing the numerator value (useful functions and benefits) and decreasing the denominator value (harmful functions and costs).