DESIGN A ROBUST PROCESS

What is a robust process

• A robust process is one that is operating with basic
characteristics and is therefore resistant to defects
• Robustness refers to the resiliency and durability of
a process to withstand abuse, enforce compliance,
and be able to measure its effectiveness
• A robust process is one that is developed with a
clear objective as to what the process is intended
to do
• Sometimes referred to as the effectiveness of a
process
•
Characteristics of a robust process
• The objective is identified. An early step in
creating a robust process is to state its overall
objective, document it, share it with all
appropriate parties, and ensure that all process-
design participants agree to it and clearly
understand it. The objective should answer the
questions of what problem the process solves,
which issues it addresses, and how the process
adds value and quality to the environment.
Characteristics of a robust process
• The executive sponsor is identified and
involved. Each process needs to have an
executive sponsor who is passionate about the
successful design and ongoing execution of the
process. This person provides support, resources,
insight, and executive leadership. The executive
sponsor arranges for any required participation
or communication with other groups, either
inside or outside the infrastructure.
Characteristics of a robust process
• The process owner is identified and given
responsibility for and authority over the
process. This person leads the team that
designs the process, identifies its key
customers and suppliers, and documents its
use. The process owner executes,
communicates, and measures the
effectiveness of the process on an ongoing
basis.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Key customers are identified and
involved. Key customers are those individuals
who are the immediate users and direct
beneficiaries of the process. For example,
suppose you're designing processes to request
the restoration of a file or the resetting of a
password. Their involvement in developing the
process is important to ensure practical design
and ease of use.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Secondary customers are identified and
consulted. Secondary customers are those
that may use a process less frequently than
primary customers or who may be the
eventual rather than immediate beneficiaries
of the process. Their consultation can be
helpful because they may be the ultimate
users of the process.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Process outputs are identified. These are the
specific deliverables or services that the
process provides to the primary and
secondary customers. It measures the quality
of the delivery and the content of these
outputs.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Process inputs are identified. These are the
specific input entities that the process
requires. They may take the form of soft
inputs such as data, information, or requests,
or they may be hard inputs such as floppy
disks, tapes, or other physical entities.
 Characteristics of a robust process
• Process suppliers are identified and involved. Process
suppliers are the individuals who provide the specific
inputs to a process. These suppliers may be:
– internal to an IT infrastructure (for example, data entry
departments)
– external to an IT infrastructure but internal to IT (such as a
development group entering change requests)
– external to IT but internal to a company (for instance, an
outside user group supplying report modification
information)
– external to a company (such as hardware and software
vendors who may provide details about how an upgrade is
to be performed)
Characteristics of a robust process
• The process is described by a sound business
model. In simple terms, a robust process
should make common business sense. The
benefits of using the process should exceed
the cost and efforts expended to design,
execute, and maintain the process. The
business side of a robust process sometimes
involves leasing agreements, maintenance
agreements, and service-level agreements.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Process hierarchy is understood. Some
processes have secondary processes or
subprocesses underneath them. Individuals
who are developing well-designed robust
processes know and understand the
relationships between the primary and
secondary processes.
Characteristics of a robust process
• Execution is enforceable. Almost any process,
regardless of design, needs to be enforceable to
be effective. Whenever possible and practical,
software techniques such as passwords,
authorizations, audit trails, or locks should
enforce compliance with a process. When
technical enforcement is not practical,
management support, review boards, metrics, or
other procedural techniques should ensure
enforcement.
 Characteristics of a robust process
• The process is designed to provide service
metrics. Most processes measure something
associated with their output. Often this involves a
quantitative measure such as transaction processes
per second or jobs completed per hour. In addition,
a robust process focuses on qualitative measures
that are oriented toward the end user. These
metrics show the relative quality of the service
being provided.
 Characteristics of a robust process
The process is designed to provide service metrics.
• For example, service metrics involving a report-
delivery process may include not only how often the
report is delivered on time, but whether it was
delivered to the right individual, in the correct
format, with accurate content, and on the proper
media. Service metrics should measure the benefits
of the process to the end users in their own terms.
Designers should orient the metrics toward the
customer and should focus on measuring the right
thing; that is, these metrics should exhibit
effectiveness.
 factors to be considered in conducting the assessment of a
business processes reengineering readiness

• It is expected to conduct a BPR readiness and

measure the respective indicators so as to ensure
the successfulness of the task
• business processes reengineering readiness
indicators are determined based on critical success
and failure factors
 factors to be considered in conducting the
assessment of a business processes reengineering
readiness

1. Leadership Style:
• Leadership style has major impact on the business
performance.
• Therefore readiness for BPR can be inculcated by
supportive leadership style making the employees
willing to undergo the intended change process
• It is the responsibility of leaders to establish organization
wide assurance and faith towards the change
• Leaders need to communicate and educate its members
the reasons for BPR
factors to be considered in conducting the assessment
of a business processes reengineering readiness

2. Top Management Commitment :

• A clearly defined strategic mission is necessary for reengineering
• Strategic management is the highest level of management where top
officials determine the strategic direction of the company
• It is the responsibility of the top management to be well informed
about current situation in the organization and show high degree of
commitment towards ongoing projects.
• In order to make BPR a success, top management should optimize
communication with the employees that is likely to create readiness
to change.
• Research has proved that such a committed attitude results in
inculcating desirable behaviours including readiness to change
essentially required for BPR projects (Robbins, 2003).
 factors to be considered in conducting the
assessment of a business processes reengineering
readiness
3. Use of Information and Communication Technology :
• ICT is considered as integral to BPR and has critical role to
play in all BPR projects.
• ICT capabilities should support business processes, and
business processes should be compatible with the
capabilities of IT or in other words these should
complement the business processes.
• ICT has its role in all phases of redesign process. Before the
process is redesigned it can foster process thinking in
organizations that creates readiness for change in the
organization.
factors to be considered in conducting the
assessment of a business processes
reengineering readiness
4. Collaborative Working Environment
• The basic concept of collaboration is that people from
different departments should be able to work jointly to
ensure smooth flow of tasks through the processes
• In order to work in a cooperative environment, and interact
in a friendly way, employees should trust each other, and be
assured that the top management recognizes their role
• A cooperative environment with a friendly interaction, in
which employees work in teams, has a chance of improving
performance and shows that employees are ready for
change
factors to be considered in conducting the assessment
of a business processes reengineering readiness

5. Management of resistance to change

• BPR imposes a dramatic change in the organization
which lead to reorganization of organizational
structure which may affect the positions of
employees
• The resistance to change may compromise the
efforts vested for BPR
• Therefore the organization should mobilize and
educate the employees and inculcate positive
attitude towards the BPR
factors to be considered in conducting the assessment
of a business processes reengineering readiness

5. Expertise of staff