Working in today’s challenging economic climate, a few words of positive thought seem in order.  While companies left and right are implementing hiring freezes, laying off workers, slashing budgets and in general trying to ride out the wave of this latest downturn by saving money any way possible, opportunity abounds!  Think about it; what are the primary reasons many companies do not improve their business processes during peak times?  Simple, they don’t have the time.  They’re too busy.  They have to get the orders out.  Overtime!  They have to find more people.  They can’t slow down enough to take the time to fix what is broken!

The economy has given everyone the chance to fix what is broken.  A couple of simple thoughts; those that survive a downturn are those who will work smarter and make themselves ready for the next upturn in the economy.  If you were too busy before the downturn, when will you be ready to attack your business processes if not now?  Process re-engineering typically does not require a large outlay of cash; rather, time is the main cost.

So, since you have the time, what comes next?  Simple, make a list.  Make a bunch of lists!  Get the right people together and find a senior management sponsor.  Then start, start today!  The first list would likely be of every job role in the department or company.  What are people supposed to be doing?  What are they really doing?  Who has inherited responsibilities that belong elsewhere.  Who abdicated responsibilities that shouldn’t have been moved?  Realign job roles around how the department/company should be organized.  Make sure the right people are doing the job and have the power and authority to get it done.  Next, look at all business processes.   Who owns these processes?  Does work flow smoothly through the process and are the appropriate feedback loops in place?  Where does the process break down?  Why?  What are the metrics in place to measure and report on the outcomes of those processes.

Once the job roles and business processes are reviewed by a project team with management support and guidance, the next step should be obvious; FIX IT!  It doesn’t matter what “it” is, just fix it, now!  I know, this is easy to say and hard to do.  Years of working a certain way will come under scrutiny and there will be a lot of resistance.  Work through it.  We have to work smarter, we have to fix what is broken and we definitely want to be in the best possible position coming out of this hickup in the economy, right?

Enough for today, here’s a challenge for you to consider.  If you don’t have time to look at all job roles and identify all business processes that have issues; find one.  See if you can’t find just one thing that isn’t working right.  Does it take too long to recieve material?  Does WIP hang up on the shop floor without transactions being completed.  Are sales order dates impossible to achieve?  Pick one thing, anything, and do the following.  Who is involved, are their job roles properly defined?  Are these people properly trained in doing the job?  Are the business processes flowing?

I always think of the Colorado river when I ask that question.  The mighty Colorado flows regardless of season.  I love to kayak on the Colorado river feeling the power in the rapids, the whitecaps powerful and angry.  Other times, relaxing while floating along as the river meanders through the red canyons under bright blue skies, smooth and tranquil.  But, here’s the key, it is always flowing.  Always moving forward.  Do your feel your business processes flowing?

See you downstream.

Willard