Not just an(other) process blog

After all these years of "processes are the next thing to focus on", I still experience a limited view in organizations of what makes a process perform.  To address some of these aspects, I'll take the example of self scanning and paying your groceries (with suchs a scanning "gun") in the supermarket.  The process is still "getting your groceries home", but the supermarket decided to change (or maybe better, add another version of) the design of the process.  First of all, the workflow has changed. A few steps have been delete and all steps are executed by the customer, now.  So, also the people aspect of the process has changed (do customers understand how it works?).  Information supply also needs to correct (every product needs a correct bar code, otherwise the customer still needs to ask an employee)  And of course, also the supporting software (to scan and pay) should work and physical stuff like the scanning guns, but also a place

You could easily think I'm  only busy with creating ‘funny’ process models and twittering cynical quotes, but I also spend quite some time at organizations who want to ‘do something with processes’. And, as always, mapping processes and putting them in nice process manuals seems to be a flu you can’t get rid of. In no time we end up in discussions about how hard it is too keep those process manuals up to date.  A mean question we always ask then: Do you think your customer is expecting up to date process manuals?  I don’t think so.   Those (process)customers just want that your processes are designed in a way that those processes are able to do what they promise.   Grip on the execution of processes (hopefully useful ones!) is the only thing that counts in the end.  And, during execution that may mean that processes will indeed change often because of different properties of a process instance (a customer that has different wishes). And with that it is a

...so they fit on one page T housands of articles, white papers and books have been written (but also read?) about process modeling . One extra won’t hurt, will it? And when you’re lucky, you probably will not learn anything new.  Modeling processes; who doesn’t do it? Process modelling. It seems the first and most appealing thing companies do when they start doing 'something with processes’.  And yes, I’ve done it a lot in my, so called, career. But after all the consultancy fees enabled me to buy a second  and third house, a few sports cars and a boat I never use, I thought that time has come to start discussing the value of it. Process modelling is a means, so don’t do it without a goal. So, very often I run into discussions about pro’s and con’s which I most of the time like to trigger with some quotes I regularly post on my www.procesje.nl blog. And those quotes are not meant to make people angry or to play the funny guy (although…). I use them to ma

Customer Journey; that's an hipster thing, isn't it? Can you remember when the Customer Journey became a hip thing? 3 years ago? 5 years ago?  Anyway, doesn't matter. But, when it suddenly became "the next big thing" in Processistan, I remember myself thinking "What have all these organizations been doing before they started thinking about the Customer Journey?" Didn't they care about their customers? Did they really cause the customer a lot of trouble and effort to buy their products or services? I don't hope so. For their customers.  Customer Journey; that isn't some standalone thing, is it?  Besides that, it also surprises me that the Customer Journey is often seen as something separate from a process (that some even call "Internal process"). I think that is strange. Very strange.  Most processes just have more executors. And  the customer is not seldom one of them. And in these days of digital-everything and c

I assume you ended up on this blog because you are interested in processes. At this moment you might be modelling or analyzing your processes, but I hope your final goal will be to execute those processes well.  Because executing your processes is the only way to solve the problems of your customers. So many process things, I understand it can be confusing When you dive deeper into the world of executing and managing of processes, you might hear stories about BPM, Workflow, Adaptive or Dynamic Case Management and Process Mining.  You might think; what do they all have to do with my day to day processes? And do I need it? I think they do. But please. Don’t be influenced too much by gurus or vendors. Take the responsibility for your own processes. Because you have processes. Every organization has.  It’s your own choice how serious you take those processes. Processes are a means. To deliver a useful result. Processes are ‘the things’ to deliver re

Process management, mapping and documenting processes is not just some “project” you start. Look before you leap, start with a clear vision! The organisation's vision (made up of, among other things, its mission, strategy, long-term and short-term objectives) is the basis from which the entire organisation operates. The vision for process management will therefore also be based on this, albeit without process management becoming an objective in its own right. The vision for process management is, in fact, no more than an answer to the question of why your organisation should adhere to certain processes and what objective this is meant to achieve (after all, each process has a result). I advise you to go by three basic principles in defining your vision: Put customers first. How do you perceive customers? More than anything else, you want to keep them happy. So that will also have to be the basis for effective process management. Only then will you build a truly customer-orien