Business
Process Management Articles
Doing More with Less
Martin
Wurtzel, Wurtzel Consulting, BPMInstitute Newsletter and Website, February 20,
2009.
Today’s challenge to
increase productivity with fewer resources has lead to numerous
methodologies and toolkits to help organizations meet their
objectives and become more profitable and effective. This certainly
makes the case for applying two well known and proven methodologies
Business Process Management (BPM) and Six Sigma.
Aligning Strategy and Execution
Stephen G. Smith, BPMInstitute
Newsletter and Website, March
12, 2009.
Strategy [strat’-i-jee]:
a plan, method or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a
specific goal or result. Execute [ek’-si-kyoot]: to produce
in accordance with a plan or design. Clearly, the two ideas are
closely related; one involves setting a plan and the other involves
putting the same plan into motion. Simple enough. Yet, why is it
that so many companies fail to make the connection?
The Process Imperative
John Pyke, BPM.com
Website and Newsletter, February
15, 2009.
The economic turmoil, globalization and
the changes in the New World Order means that organizations cannot
afford to waste time, human and financial resources on processes
that can rapidly and easily be automated and managed. Businesses
need to transform themselves into agile operations capable of
turning a constantly changing business environment into
opportunities. Process innovation and speed of change are the key
opportunities for competitive differentiation moving forwards.
Traditional IT solutions are finding themselves under stress as the
struggle to meet the demands of the business leaders and customers
they serve.
Lessons from Crusoe on Project Resource
Allocation
David Lengacher, iSixSigma Newsletter and Website, March 30,
2009.
A major contributing
factor in determining whether organizations thrive or fail is the
seriousness with which their management approaches the allocation of
resources for improvement projects. Although organizations usually
consider the projected savings, timeliness of payback and
probability of success when selecting projects to receive resources,
they also may benefit from examining and making comparisons to
high-performing projects completed in the past. This look at past
projects can be aided by data envelopment analysis. An example
drawing on castaway Robinson Crusoe and island resources may help
practitioners better understand this technique.
Banking: The Interest in BPM
Jyoti
Bhat, Jude Fernandez, Infosys technologies, BPTrends Newsletter and Website, March,
2009
Banking case studies,
surveys, and related studies around the globe reveal the popularity
of BPM within the banking industry. Banks have reported a 40%-50%
improvement in cycle time, efficiency, and cost, due to BPM
adoption. Account opening processes, compliance to regulations and
standards, and the automation of paper-based processes are some of
the more common scenarios for BPM adoption in banks. Adoption of BPM
by Indian banks is along similar lines, with some unique
characteristics and challenges.
Power of Dashboards: Linking Strategies and
Execution
Steve Crom, Valeocon Management
Consulting, iSixSigma Europe Newsletter and Website, March 18,
2009
How does one strike the right balance
between setting strategy and driving tactics? An interview with a
business leader shows how dashboards were implemented at his company
in order to make the connection between execution and strategies.
Six Sigma and Enterprise Risk Management
Michael Young, iSixSigma Newsletter and
Website, March 4,
2009.
Much has been written about the increasing uncertainty enterprises
face due to globalization, restructuring, changing markets and
increased competition. An increased call for transparency is causing
organizations to focus on the benefits of enterprise risk management
(ERM). Leading companies are using the methods and tools of Six
Sigma to improve existing processes so they can better incorporate
and generate information regarding risk.
Continuous Improvement Should Apply to DMAIC
Itself
Bryan Carey, DeLeeuw Associates, iSixSigma Newsletter and
Website, April 1,
2009.
All practitioners of Six Sigma - even
those new to the methodology - are aware of the basic DMAIC roadmap.
The starting point for every Six Sigma program is to explain the
acronym and to teach the common principles of DMAIC. "Define,
Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control" becomes the mantra for new
Green Belts and Black Belts. However, Six Sigma's DMAIC roadmap is a
process unto itself that can be - and should be - improved in each
organization that uses Six Sigma as a critical component of
continuous improvement and quality initiatives.
Business
Process Outsourcing Articles
Next Global Outsourcing Hot Spot: Egypt
Bob Evans, InformationWeek Newsletter and
Website, February 11 2009.
Indian IT
and BPO firms looking for new sources of affordable talent are
expanding into Egypt -- Wipro's already doing some IT and BPO work
there, as are Microsoft, IBM, Vodafone, Orange, Valeo and
Teleperformance. So it's good to know that while Egypt faces
significant social challenges, a recent study on economic freedom
around the world finds that Egypt's business climate is improving.
Newspaper Industry Creates Offshoring
Opportunities
The ValueNotes Newsletter, and
Website, March 18,
2009.
Globally, the print newspaper industry has shown varying growth
trends across geographies over the last few years. While the Asian
economies are registering a growth in consumption, thanks to rising
literacy levels, the US and European economies are witnessing a
secular downward trend in newspaper circulation. The pressures on
newspaper companies in the developed economies have intensified to a
point that their fundamental positioning is under a severe threat.
The Indian BPO Industry: Surviving Odds
The ValueNotes
Newsletter, and Website,
March 4, 2009.
Even as the Indian BPO industry established strong growth trends
over the last few years, the journey has not been easy. The industry
encountered several hurdles like outsourcing backlash in the US,
data security and fraud issues as well as rising cost pressures
before gaining a strong foothold on the global outsourcing map. Now
with Obama’s announcement to end tax breaks for companies that
offshore jobs, the industry is again faced with a major concern.
Offshoring to be an Integral Part of the MRO
Value Chain
The ValueNotes Newsletter and
Website, March 10,
2009.
Close to two-thirds of the research agencies are already offshoring
to companies in India, Eastern Europe and Latin America, according
to the recent survey of market research agencies from various
international markets released conducted by ValueNotes. While the
large multi-national research agencies have always been outsourcing,
the smaller firms with revenues typically less than $10 m are
rapidly adopting offshoring. The survey revealed that with rising
competition, research agencies (especially the smaller agencies) are
increasingly using offshoring to gain competitive advantage.
Using DFSS to Improve Offshore Outsourcing
Efficiency
Bruce J. Hayes, Six
Sigma Advantage, iSixSigma Newsletter and
Website, March 11,
2009.
Offshore outsourcing of
software development work has been an emerging trend for about a
dozen years. Using Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is one way that
software organizations can make better decisions about how, when and
how much to deploy offshore.
From Dojo to Office: Training Lessons from
Martial Arts
Niraj
Goyal, iSixSigma Newsletter and Website, March 9,
2009.
Failed
Six Sigma efforts often are attributed to ineffective training of
Black Belts and Master Black Belts. But there is a more fundamental
issue at hand: the training and experience requested of Black Belts.
It may be time to reconsider the typical certification process in
order to produce expert Belts and lower the odds of failed Six Sigma
efforts. For comparison, consider what's required of Belts in the
martial arts.
Set SMART Goals to Better Manage Time
Julie A.
English, E. Lynn Lanoue, The Leadership Cooperative, iSixSigma
Newsletter and Website, March 16,
2009.
Time management is a
common sore spot among Six Sigma practitioners. Many feel an
imbalance between time spent on daily responsibilities like Six
Sigma projects and their personal life. Luckily, DMAIC can help
practitioners keep tasks and priorities in check. Using a version of
the well known roadmap, they can create goals and a plan of action
for a more fulfilling use of their time.
Notable
News
Can Offshore Outsourcing Vendors Innovate?
Arpit
Kaushik, CIO Insight Newsletter and Website,
March 23,
2009.
For quite a while, every
offshore outsourcing service provider has cited lower costs as a
reason to outsource--the latest "news" is innovation as their key
differentiators. But, what is their definition of "innovation"?
9 Alternatives to Indian Outsourcing
Ericka Chickowski, CIO
Insight Newsletter and Website, March 26, 2009.
India
is home to the most mature IT outsourcing companies of all offshore
host countries, but no place is perfect. Indian outsourcing firms
may not suit a company due to rising costs as the Indian market
matures, culture and language issues, and even time zone issues. And
some enterprises are looking for a way to diversify their sourcing
portfolios. The following ten countries are hotspots of ATI, or
alternatives to India.
Reducing Avoidable Cancellations on the Day of
Surgery
Kimberly
A.Johns, Deaconess Healthsystem,
iSixSigma
Healthcare Newsletter and
Website, March 24,
2009.
With an objective of
accommodating continued growth in surgical service without adding
new rooms and resources, a Six Sigma team at Deaconess Hospital took
aim at reducing the number of same day surgical cancellations. Lean
value stream mapping helped the project team to validate areas with
the greatest potential, while Work-Out sessions allowed frontline
staff to identify the best improvement strategies. As a result of
the project, the hospital maximized surgery volume, raised customer
(physician and patient) satisfaction and increased annual net
revenues by $1 million.
Applying Transactional Lean at Medical Imaging
Firm
Benjamin Hahlen, Susan Mahoney, iSixSigma
Healthcare Newsletter and
Website, March 10,
2009.
University Medical
Imaging (UMI) in Brighton, New York, USA successfully implemented a
Lean and Six Sigma transactional process improvement and training
program when delays and other issues began to affect patient
satisfaction. Through an initial scoping process, report turnaround
time surfaced as a key factor affecting delays and satisfaction. A
project to address this issue began with the selection of team
members and the development of a project charter. Through data,
voice of the customer (VOC) information and short brainstorming
sessions, the team was able to list, rank and categorize factors
that could lead to variation or inefficiencies in the report
generation process.
Using Same Base for BPOs not Feasible
Harsimran
Singh, Indiatimes Infotech
Website, April 6,
2007.
Global
and domestic BPO businesses are as distinct as chalk and cheese or
night and day. In fact, the differences are so stark that companies
hoping to share infrastructure for the twin operations (domestic and
global) may find it better to separate the two rather than try to
blend the two. Experts point out that the experiment of working
international at night and domestic BPO operations in day from the
same facility has not worked.
Despite Downturn, Insurers Remain Committed to
Core Systems Evolution
Anthony O'Donnell,
Insurance and Technology, April 1,
2009.
Despite the gloom that has consumed the financial services industry,
most insurance companies remain bullish on technology investment and
many are looking to build out policy admin capabilities to position
themselves for growth as the economy emerges from the recession.
The Latest Offshoring Destination? The
Seychelles
Orla O'Sullivan,
Bank Systems and Technology, March 27,
2009.
The Republic of
Seychelles, better known as the Seychelles islands, is the latest
nation bankrupted by the global crisis—in response to which it is
promoting itself as an 'offshoring' destination. Banks,
particularly, have embraced the trend to use workers in less
expensive labor markets off shore, and offshoring is one of the few
areas of business expected to thrive in reaction to the crisis.
KeyBank Cuts Operating Costs Through Better
Document Management
Maria Bruno-Britz,
Bank Systems & Technology, March 6,
2009.
Cleveland-based KeyBank
turned to automation and paper elimination technology from Xerox
(Rochester, N.Y.), ultimately saving the bank $6 million in
operating costs over six years.
Notable Events
10th Annual Process Excellence Summit London
April 21 - April 22, 2009, London, UK.
IQPC
10th Business Process Management Summit
April 27 - April 29, 2009, Miami, FL.
IQPC
9th Annual Shared Services & Outsourcing
Week
May 11 - May 14, 2009,
Budapest, Hungary, IQPC
Leonardo Process Days 2009
Aug 3 - Aug 6, 2009, Sydney, Australia, Leonardo Consulting
BPM
Summit and Awards
2009
Aug 25 - Aug 27, 2009, Johannesberg, South Africa, ITWeb
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