Shifting from Continuous Improvement to data-driven Process Excellence
because "You can't improve what you cannot measure and see"
It has been a more subtle development than the most recent hype and buzz around AI & Generative AI in particular. Outside of the space of Process Excellence & Automation potentially gone totally unnoticed.
It's the shift from traditional Continuous Improvement focused on meticulous measurement and confirmation of process conformance issues to a dynamic, data-driven, proactive management of operational performance.
The revolution taking place within Continuous Improvement over the last years can be attributed to the emergence of Process Intelligence tools, drastically reshaping how companies measure, address and sustain operational efficiencies and process optimisation.
Driving Process Excellence without real-time process data and insights may still be performed in pockets and for specific needs but overall is no longer a viable approach these days.
But why does Process Excellence without continuous data visibility fail to hit the mark?
Simply put: “You can’t improve what you cannot measure or see”.
Traditional methods and data collection approaches supporting Lean and Six Sigma activities have been often flawed by key challenges:
Lengthy Process Discovery & Mapping activities often fed by workflows and documentation insufficiently maintained and lacking evidence of conformance and application in real-life
Availability of real-time, granular process data shedding sufficient light on variabilities of processes, their end points and cause & effects of deviations from standards.
Comprehensive visibility of end-to-end work across a process in- and out-side systems and organisational silos
The ability to simulate and continuously check on effectiveness of the resulting impact of process improvement efforts
In summary, traditional efforts to drive Process Excellence before the advent of process intelligence & mining tools were in the best case an attempt directed to hit an ever-moving target without the benefit of actual data to adjust course proactively but a retrospective approach to P(lan), D(o), C(heck), A(ct) or the classical D(efine), M(easure), A(nalyse), I(mprove) & C(ontrol).
It's like rowing blindfolded by sound cues and lacking a coxswain to steer the crew and vessel toward its intended destination.
So what can Process Intelligence tools do to steer efforts towards reaching process goals?
The new solutions for Process Intelligence, including Task and Process Mining, can act as a a guide for a continuous improvement of work and provide visibility of process data real-time helping to shift towards a proactive adjustment of activities as implementation of changes to processes progress.
And whilst there is different approaches and technology vendors out there, process intelligence they hall focus on creating an MRI view on process and task execution and provide insights leveraging AI to discover potential for better work.
Find here a summary of key aspects process intelligence tools can facilitate for Continuous Improvement teams:
Continuous Process Discovery & Visibility
providing a real-time map of processes, an MRI view of how work is conducted. In addition a life dashboard of operations allowing for visibility into ongoing operations and evidence of tracking against targeted changes supports timely adjustment and course correction.
Simulation of future scenarios & Predictions:
enabling decision input for future scenarios extrapolated from historical data and a framework of hypothesis and conditions. Understanding future deviations in process performance support proactive decision making.
Identification of Bottlenecks & Optimisation Potential
sharing a vast array of process analytics outlining potential chokeholds, recurrent deviations or non-conformances, cycle time and execution variances by team or location where standardisation, training and application rationalisation may help.
Develop a continuous approach and Automation pipeline
supporting identification of opportunities for automation, pre-work needed ahead of launch of an initiative and automatic generation of opportunity details with potential benefits and priority ranking .
Sustain Operational Excellence & Automation Benefits
provide ongoing monitoring of process execution, KPI & metrics evolution and conformance in operations, alerting of critical events requiring an intervention within the workflow and assuring adoption and realisation of automation benefits.
As with any continuous improvement & quality approach, building a culture of proactive process discovery, monitoring and actions is imperative to harness the value proposition of Process Intelligence.
Data Visibility + Foresight = Enterprise Fluidity
Process Intelligence and Mining technologies can equip Continuous Improvement Experts, Process Owners & Automation Specialists with the missing cog, the coxswain enabling visibility and pace of a process excellence journey and build a continuous flywheel of Process Improvement & Automation success.
Having a Continuous Process Intelligence approach with instant visibility over real-time execution of processes, automation ideas and adjustment needs is no no longer optional.
It’s a critical enabler of “enterprise fluidity” equipping an organisation with the capacity and capability to smoothly navigate and adapt in the current dynamic market conditions.
❓Where is your Process Excellence boat taking you
❓How do you keep track of your Automation success
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