 ____________________________________________________________________________________
Business
Process Management Articles
The Process Advisor's
Role
Daniel J. Madison,Value Creation Partners, BPM
Institute Website and Newsletter, June 25,
2007.
In most organizations no one oversees the performance and
improvement of cross-departmental processes. Management books often
assign the title "process owner" to this role. However, "owner"
implies authority, which is usually missing in organizations that
include this position. "Process advisor" or "process consultant" are
more accurate, in that they reflect this reality. Usually, authority
pertains to resources, staffing, and prioritizing
projects.
Key Success Factors for a
Performance Dashboard
Tom Kawamato, Bob
Mathers, Compass Management Consultants, BIReview Newsletter and
Website, July 26, 2007.
Performance dashboards are a commonly
used management tool to gauge performance and progress toward
business goals. Dashboards can be designed and developed to address
a wide range of objectives, from monitoring the viability of a
global organization's business strategy, to keeping a check on a
department's ability to achieve service-level targets. Despite their
ubiquitous presence in business, dashboards can be difficult to
design and implement, and often fail to achieve their objectives.
Common problems include misalignment of dashboards with business
goals, unrealistic or poorly defined objectives and organizational
issues affecting design and implementation.
The Conflict Between Six Sigma and
Innovation
John Parkinson, CIO Insight
Newsletter and Website, July 23,
2007.
When devout adherents use the process improvement method as a
be-all, it ceases to be a valuable tool and turns into a
religion.
Making Agility an
Ability
Allen E. Alter, CIO Insight Website and
Newsletter, July 24, 2007.
Organizational and technological ability is a top priority
for CIOs. Leaders from the Advanced Practices Council of the Society
for Information Management weigh in on the
discussion.
ABC: An Introduction to Balanced
Scorecard
Karen D.
Schwartz,
CIO Magazine Website and Newsletter, July 13,
2007.
Most organizations can benefit from
a balanced scorecard approach, which can raise the profile of key
projects, increase functionality, and predict future performance—and
it often leads to greater financial return.
Understanding Distributions for Six
Sigma
J.DeLayne Stroud, DeLeeuw
Associates, iSixSigma Financial Website and Newsletter, July 25, 2007.
In
order to not only look at data, but also interpret it, consultants
need to understand distributions. This article discusses how to
understand different types of statistical distributions, understand
the uses of different distributions, and make assumptions given a
known distribution.
Consider Kaizen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance
Pete
Kastner, Volt Workforce Solutions, iSixSigma
Website and Newsletter, July 23,
2007.
iSix Sigma, when properly used and
maintained, is the vehicle of choice - the motorcycle. Lean and
fast, blazing along the highway of product cycles and deficiency, a
set of tools strapped under the seat as one breezes from root cause
to root cause. A recent Six Sigma trip was a cross-country journey
across the end-to-end recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) process
for a Fortune 100 company. During the weeks on this winding RPO
road, the project team crossed through a number small process towns,
found itself stranded between hypothesis and solution and enjoyed
some truly incredible vistas that come only at dawn as one looks out
from the top of a mountain of data.
Business Process Decisions Require
Executive Involvement, Not Just
Support
James Champy, Perot Systems Corporation, SearchCIO.com
Newsletter and Website, July 17,
2007.
Business process success depends on
much more than just technology. In his latest column, James Champy
explains why CIOs need to ensure executives are actively involved
when it comes to business process decisions.
Business Process Outsourcing
Articles
Offshoring: Improved Processes Now More of a Draw Than
Cost Savings
Shamus McGillicuddy, SearchCIO Newsletter and Website, July 5,
2007.
At the CTO Leadership Forum held recently in New York, CIT
Group CIO Michael Baresich said wage savings is less of a driver in
off-shoring than it used to be. Maturing markets are offering CIOs
other opportunities
When to Fix a Broken Process: Before
or After Outsourcing?
Bart Perkins, Computerworld Magazine
Newsletter and
Website, July 23,
2007.
Fixing a
broken process is often difficult, expensive and thankless. IT
executives are divided on whether to outsource a broken process
(e.g., payroll, help desk, accounting) or fix it in-house first.
Some feel that outsourcers specialize in specific processes and
therefore prefer to let the outsourcer fix what’s broken. Others
claim that after a broken process is outsourced, it often remains
broken. This view advocates fixing processes before
outsourcing. There are good arguments on both sides.
Brazil Sambas Onto
Offshore Outsourcing
Stephanie Overby, CIO Magazine Newsletter and Website,
July 3, 2007.
Offshore outsourcing managers used to traveling
back and forth to Bangalore may be trading in those frequent flier
miles for tickets to São Paulo or Rio. And not for any much-needed
R&R.
India Rates
Best, Worst in Management Study
Carol Pinchefsky, eWeek Careers Newsletter and Website,
July 13, 2007.
Companies in India display
some of the best and the worst management practices, according to a
joint report from strategic consultants McKinsey and Co. and the
London School of Economics.
Outsourcing
to India: Smaller Firms Good Bet
Linda Tucci, SearchCIO Newsletter and Website, July 26,
2007.
As the top-tier Indian outsourcing companies continue their
march to maturity, smaller clients should consider -- with all due
care -- mid-tier providers, Forrester Research says.
Off-Shoring
Stars in Financial Services Ramp Up, Clean Up
Linda
Tucci, SearchCIO.com Newsletter and Website, July 11,
2007.
The
Deloitte & Touche 2007 off-shoring report finds a gulf between
the "best and the rest." Size of operations matters. So does
quality.
Notable
News
Offshoring Legal Service to India: Growing at a Rapid
Pace!
ValueNotes Database Newsletter and Website, July 02,
2007.
The Indian legal services outsourcing space has
changed remarkably since the publication of our report "Offshoring
Legal Services to India" in 2005. Newer services have been added to
the offshored list, many new vendors have emerged and the existing
vendors have developed greater capabilities.
KPO : The Truth Behind High Billing Rates
ValueNotes Database Newsletter and
Website, July 6,
2007.
The
recent emergence of KPO with the promise of "higher-value" work has
helped attract the interest of a horde of vendors, of varying size
and shape. Driven by knowledge rather than process-oriented skills,
numerous independent KPOs have emerged. The
key driver for KPO has been the oft touted - 'high billing rates'.
Here's a look at the approximate billing rate ranges within some KPO
segments and BPOs:
Click and Save with Our Interactive Global Outsourcing
Map
Michael Goldberg,
Stephanie Overby, CIO Magazine Newsletter and Website, July 16,
2007.
Explore our interactive map to get insights into what's
happening in offshore outsourcing markets around the world.
Tips and Suggestions for Six Sigma
Project Success
Simon Bodie, Citibank, iSixSigma Finance Newsletter and
Website, July 11, 2007.
A government agency used Lean Six
Sigma to streamline a cumbersome reimbursement process for new hire
relocation expenses. The changes eliminate the reimbursement
bureaucracy for new hires and save the company $185,000 a
year.
Work-Out as a Problem-Solving Tool for
Healthcare
Susan McGann,Mark
Van Kooy, Jane Alyse Van Ohlen, Matt Zuino, Virtua Health,
iSixSigma Health Newsletter and
Website, July 18, 2007.
Many problems in healthcare involve
processes that require analysis and improvement, but do not require
detailed statistical study. Work-Out offers a one-day to two-day
concentrated problem-solving effort. At a time when healthcare
organizations are challenged to find new ways to improve processes
and engage employees, Work-Out is an important tool set that should
be added to their problem-solving methodologies.
Offshoring 2.0: The Post-India
Market
Deborah Perelman,
eWeek
Newsletter and Website, July 05,
2007.
What will be the next big off-shoring frontier? While the
experts don't all have the same locations in mind, they all agree
that it will no longer be in India.
Insurance Call Centers Lag Behind Other Industries,
But The Hartford Is a Diamond in the
Rough
Nathan Conz, Insurance & Technology, July 08,
2007.
The Hartford sets
call center best practices for the insurance industry, which
performed poorly overall in a recent customer satisfaction study by
CFI Group.
Six Sigma and Work-Out Reduce Ambulance
Diversions
Dave
Ingraham, John Kalb,
iSixSigma Healthcare Newsletter and Website, July 18,
2007.
At Providence Alaska Medical Center, change management tools
and support from a new emergency department manager helped a Six
Sigma team address the hospital's diversion problem and achieve
widespread benefits. The results of the initiative led to the
implementation of a series of policy and process changes. The
hospital also developed a web-based inpatient capacity tool to
assist with patient throughput.
Notable
Events
|
