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Business Process
The reason why organisations thrive and why they can stagnate...
Jargon
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ISO9001 / 9002 / 9003 - now replaced by ISO 9001:2000 update.
ISO 9001:2000 update - a general standard for the management of organisations written by the International Standards Organisation.
TickIT - A general standard for the management of IT.
BS7799 - A general standard for the management of IT / information security.
Internal audit - reviews by staff / contractors of how processes are working with an emphasis on finding ways to improve ways of working.
External audit - reviews conducted by an auditor working for an external certification body e.g. BSI / BVQI.
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Download PDF feature articles:
Management Masterclass: Business Process
Mention the words "quality" or "process" and most people have an immediate (negative) unconscious response. Too often "quality" is associated with:
Someone else (quality dept / managers / external auditors / ...)
Vast quantities of paper
Control
Overhead
Waste of time
Inflexibility / lack of creativity
...
Regrettably the above perceptions are all too often justified because of the way in which the concept of quality / process has been approached. Typical errors include:
Paper based documentation V Intranet pages
Too much documentation
Too much / insufficient detail
Not asking certification auditors "why?"
Ineffective internal audits (hear no evil, see no evil, keep the peace)
Out of date process models
Textual process descriptions
Lack of buy-in
Internal politics
Poor definition of external audit scope
Lack of connection with reality
Lack of change management
Lack of understanding of the psychological aspects of change
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A great deal of time and effort can be expended on quality - sometimes with very little in terms of tangible ROI. Effective ways of implementing quality do exist and will generally adhere to the following principles:
Intranet based delivery
Diagram based process overviews
Minimal controlled documentation
Optional central administration service
Ownership by managers / users
Clear vocal support from executive management
Humane internal auditing (honest / objective / fearless)
Active management of certification auditors
Usage / change monitored
Rapid implementation of change
Process automation where appropriate
Willingness to experiment with change (revert if required)
Very deliberate promotion of process improvement
Monitor perceptions over time
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External advisors such as Neuro Innovations can be particularly effective in this area. They can enable step change to occur sometimes because they are external and have no baggage associated with them. We can combine expertise in business management with psychology to leverage even greater levels of change and benefit.
Glossary: business process, management audit, process audit, process analysis, strategy, internal audit, external audit, iso9001, iso2000, bs7799, survey design, survey analysis, system dynamics modelling, process automation, risk management, bpre, quality, quality management
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