【流程】管理流程变化的7大方法.docxVIP

【流程】管理流程变化的7大方法  One size fits all. It’s an attractive notion for those of us who like the idea of a quick fix. In my experience, however, whether it’s a cap, a pair of socks, or a business process – the likelihood of one mould suiting everyone is seldom the case.  For some organizations, business processes vary by geography, by industry, or due to legal requirements. And yet, good business practice dictates that process standardization can increase efficiency, clarify expectations and optimize productivity.  While standardized processes have been proven to save time and minimize errors, sometimes a cookie-cutter approach to the execution of tasks can cause more problems than it solves.  Expect there to be variations in your processes  Increased globalization and advancements in technology see businesses constantly reinventing themselves. With the universal adoption of e-commerce, even the smallest of companies can now do business with customers and vendors in regions that are removed from their headquarters.  Yet those that take advantage of these types of opportunities are required to deal with a range of variables which inherently conflict with process standardization, and can include country-specific product attributes, customer characteristics, regulations and legislations.  To operate effectively despite these challenges, organizations would do well to start by capturing those variations that differ from their core processes — adaptations of the standard processes that take the relevant variables into account, while still aiming for the same outcome.  For example, a U.S. company that produces food products for domestic use as well as for export to Canada will need a standard process that uses the customary system as a weight unit for the U.S. and a process variation that uses the metric system as a weight unit for Canada.  3 pitfalls to avoid  While the need for a flexible approach to managing process variations is obvious, executing on the requireme