Innovate by Streamlining Business Procedures
Many businesses focus their innovative activities on product innovation, which can produce valuable company assets. In addition to developing new products and new product features, businesses should look for ways to streamline business operations by innovating business processes.
Here is an approach to business process innovation:
1. Big Question: Is the process necessary? The first question to ask when evaluating a business process is whether the process is necessary. What is the purpose or end result of the process? Is it still needed – does it provide value to the business? You would be surprised how often I see clients with internal procedures that are followed because “that’s the way we’ve always done things” or “that’s what the ‘policies and procedures manual’ says”. Before you attempt to improve an existing process, make sure it needs to be performed. If not, don’t spend time “optimizing” the process, just eliminate it.
2. Identify the desired result of the process. Ask questions to determine the goal of the process. Why was the procedure originally developed and Continue reading