The way we model process from the organizations perspective is a
big part of the problem
If
you think of the world as a production line you may
be trapped by the conventions of industrial age thinking and practice. Most process and business models represent the flow of work and information NOT the actual customer
experience. Worse than the model we then automate it. This Inside-out
perspective explains the demise of so many previously successful 20th
century organizations - Kodak, Nokia,
Blockbuster, Blackberry to name just four. What used to work failed them as the
customer became promiscuous, choosey, rebellious and ultimately the decision
maker as to whether a business succeeds or not by simply voting with their
feet.
Ultimately the way you do business is determined by business processes, the technology that supports the processes and the skills of your people in delivering successful customer outcomes (sco's). If the pictures you create do not reflect the achievement and contribution towards the sco you wlll fail also.
So
we need to better model reality. Warts and all. We should see the process for
what is – a customer experience and understand it accordingly. That then
reveals a treasure trove of possibilities for improvement,
innovation and future success. Ironically the modeling purists observe this
type of mapping looks very messy, and you know they are right.
If it looks a
mess it is because... it is a mess!
So now we have a better fix on reality, both from the customers viewpoint and all the real stuff (not sunny day scenario) that is going on within on company. How do we move from this to a process that delivers the triple crown - lower costs, better service, growing revenues? That is our next piece...
Ciao,
Steve
