Operations

BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

A business process is a systematic set of steps to meet a goal. Processes play a critical role in organizational success—improving business process performance can improve organizational performance. They are the way work gets done (or doesn’t).

Kepner-Tregoe Business Process Improvement (BPI) begins with ensuring that any process improvement is driven by strategic and operational priorities: process improvements should be driven by organizational objectives. We collaborate with clients to identify the process that needs improvement and the BPI project is structured and goals are defined. Improvement is accomplished by:

• Defining the process (how it is done now)
• Measuring process performance (establishing a base line)
• Stabilizing the process (removing variation)
• Improving the process (how it should be done)

Once a process is improved, it is managed for continuous improvement.
BPI relies on these core Kepner-Tregoe processes: Situation Appraisal to clarify the current status; Problem Analysis to identify the root cause of process breakdowns and deviations; Potential Problem/Opportunity Analysis to ensure that implementation and continuous improvement efforts are successful; and Project Management to guide the project from definition through implementation.
Business Process Improvement can achieve step-change improvements such as:

• Improving customer support services at an IT organization’s call center
• Taking corrective and preventive actions at a pharmaceutical company facing problems
• Optimizing assets to increase competitive advantage at manufacturing plant
• Accelerating product development to support growth at a food and beverage company

Kepner-Tregoe Problem Solving and Decision Making and Project Management help focus and structure a BPI project. These methodologies, combined with process mapping, functional flowcharting, process analyses, and use of process metrics and controls provide an effective method for improving the way work gets done. Success is measured in improved quality, timeliness, efficiency, costs, cycle-time, or other metrics.

KT BPI PROGRAMS
KT Resolve® for Customer Care
Accelerated Process Improvement
Product Development