Business process and service delivery improvement

Our clients often clearly appreciate the fundamental principles and rationale for their business processes. In many cases ITSM, ITIL, Cobit, CMMi, PRINCE2, ISO ….. have been introduced, but they have not always become reality. Real and lasting business process improvement requires a thorough understanding of the dynamics within and between the teams who design, implement, use and lead each part of the process. This means spending quality thinking time together; Not just occasionally but on a regular basis, as processes have to continually evolve to remain relevant, lean and trusted.

We get involved in process design from scratch, or process refresh, either as part of continual process and operational delivery improvement, or as part of a transformational change. Either way our approach is collaborative and inclusive as we firmly believe that the 'whole solution' needs to be in the room, including the people who are closest to the customer, and those who have the authority to make significant decisions.

We use a range of approaches and techniques, adapted to the culture of the organisation and the goals of the project. Most effective are re-creations of processes in business simulations, where we can bring the whole end-to-end process into the room. For example we can re-create a major IT incident that touches all business functions and levels in the hierarchy. We simulate authentic organisational pressures, role clashes, gaps, overlaps and blocks to effective decision making. Everyone can physically see the flow of information, pinch points, group dynamics and individual behaviour. They quickly establish, constructively and without blame, what works and what needs work. They then build and implement their own improvement plans and track progress and impact.

We can provide specialist consultancy to design and implement right-sized processes or support the internal team in building or modifying their own. Teams learn through working alongside us initially, then quickly become adept at facilitating and leading their own innovations, overcoming obstacles and building strong relationships with customers, colleagues and stakeholders.