The Efficiency Edge: Implementing Business Process Improvement for Maximum Impact

In the first two blogs of our Efficiency Edge series, I highlighted the benefits that BPI can offer for work processes and organizational performance, and the key approaches for implementing it. In the third and final blog of the series, I explore best practices and considerations when implementing new or updated processes.

Any organizational change is only successful with careful planning and stakeholder buy-in and engagement. To maximize the impact of Business Process Improvement (BPI) efforts, they must be paired with strategic, comprehensive, and effective implementation. In fact, most process improvement projects fail because of resistance to change, insufficient support from top management, inadequate training and education, and poor communication.[i]

Effective implementation is an ongoing process that extends beyond the process itself—it impacts organizational policies, training and skill development, as well as change management and communication. Organizations should also continuously evaluate their processes using metrics and assessments to measure impact, ensure a true return on investment, and drive ongoing improvement and innovation.

Policy

Whether you have created a new process or improved an existing process, organizations must outline the necessary rules, roles, responsibilities, and requirements through organizational policy and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Policies offer standardization and consistency and can often introduce new requirements, calling for different ways of categorizing information or novel reporting and compliance standards.

People

People are a critical part of any process, even automated ones. Organizations must be well equipped with the right number of people and skills to ensure process success. This may mean upskilling the workforce through training and development or bringing in completely different skillsets that better align with process requirements.

Reviewing current SOPs and existing policies can serve as a starting point in identifying where gaps might exist. Think of it as a matching exercise where you align the right number of staff, capabilities, certifications, and experience to make the process run smoothly. Strategic workforce planning can provide a structured methodology to address critical skill gaps, as it removes the guesswork around investing in the right resources to ensure process success.

Read more about strategic workforce planning here.

Change Management and Communications

Change management guides how an organization prepares, equips, and supports individuals to successfully adopt change. Programs utilizing good change management exceeded their objectives 73% of the time. Those with poor change management, on the other hand, only had a 13% percent success rate.

While many change management approaches exist, process improvement efforts require a structured change management approach based on best practices like the Prosci® ADKAR® model and the Relational Bridge Communications Model. A comprehensive communications strategy provides stakeholders with a mechanism for tracking, anticipating, and therefore preparing for key actions and milestones, which helps manage expectations. A plan will also ensure delivery of unified, consistent, and clear messaging to internal and external stakeholders, including leadership, and customers.

Read more about change management here.

Process Evaluation, Monitoring, and Refinement

Performance management involves monitoring, evaluation, and process refinement. Assessing process effectiveness through easy-to-understand metrics and data visualizations helps to identify where process refinement is necessary and working. Part of effective process implementation that promotes continuous process improvement is ensuring that implemented processes and process improvements are moving the organization closer to identified objectives.

Identifying relevant, actionable metrics to support daily activities and data-driven decision-making is key to assessing implemented processes. Using both quantitative and qualitative metrics can provide a holistic snapshot of process adoption and organizational maturity, helping ensure  gaps are addressed quickly and correctly.

In addition to initial metrics, trend data enables organizations to monitor the system and process effectiveness over time. Enabling a cycle of data-driven decision making provides the organization with a powerful way to develop measurable benchmarks and evaluate return on investment.

Read more about data-driven decision making here.

Successful process improvement goes beyond the examining the process. It requires careful planning and ongoing evaluation so organizations can maximize impact and ensure lasting, meaningful success.

Interested in implementing BPI at your organization? FMP can help!  BPI implementation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With our expert management solutions, we provide the structure, strategy, and hands-on execution needed to keep your initiatives moving forward.

Marni Falcone has over 15 years working on and leading human capital projects for the public and non-profit sectors. Ms. Falcone’s areas of expertise include competency modeling, applied training and development, competency/skill gap assessment and analysis, job/competency analysis, and employee selection. Ms. Falcone is also a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC), and the 2022 President of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington (PTCMW). Ms. Falcone received her MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University, is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Scrum Master (CSM).

[i] Antony, J., & Gupta, S. (2023). Why do Process Improvement Projects Fail in Organizations? A Review and Future Research Agenda. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma.