Chaos in Process Management
The term “business processes” is just a fancy word to describe the collection of routine activities your company does every day. All departments have processes, and they often include requests, approvals, and forms. But whether those processes are well-designed or running smoothly is another story. When we talk about business process management, we love to see processes that are mature, meaning that they are well-documented, diagrammed, and optimized within the organization, perhaps with the assistance of a software. However, in many organizations, there exist another class of business processes: the ad-hoc process.
Ad-hoc business processes are those business activities that are poorly defined, poorly documented, respond to current needs rather than standard requirements, and do not have a uniform structure. Often ad-hoc processes are entirely paper-, email-, or Excel- based.
Take the example of the ad-hoc paternity leave request process. You email someone to request leave. Sounds simple enough, right?
But perhaps some employees email their direct supervisor, while others choose to email the department head. Others copy both on the email. Others include the HR manager, while some forget. Once the request is received by whomever, that person looks up your allowed leave days, perhaps in an Excel spreadsheet. She/He then has to look at her own calendar to check if your requested dates are free and clear. Sh/He then has to copy that information back into email to approve or deny your request, and manually update the Excel sheet. Hopefully everyone who needs to know about your paternity leave out in advance, also via email.
The ad-hoc business described above is time-consuming, wasteful, and confusing. First, it is unclear to whom the request for paternity leave should be directed. This generates a conflict of responsibilities. Once a manager/supervisor receives the request, she wastes valuable time checking HR records herself, or asking someone else to do it for her (time when she is not billing hours or advancing on projects). Furthermore, the records are improvised and poorly organized. What happens if a different person has the latest version of the sheet? What happens if that person is out of the office? The whole “process” grinds to a halt.
Unfortunately, most companies have at least a few ad-hoc processes that waste valuable time and money. How about your's ?
Ad-hoc business processes are those business activities that are poorly defined, poorly documented, respond to current needs rather than standard requirements, and do not have a uniform structure. Often ad-hoc processes are entirely paper-, email-, or Excel- based.
Take the example of the ad-hoc paternity leave request process. You email someone to request leave. Sounds simple enough, right?
But perhaps some employees email their direct supervisor, while others choose to email the department head. Others copy both on the email. Others include the HR manager, while some forget. Once the request is received by whomever, that person looks up your allowed leave days, perhaps in an Excel spreadsheet. She/He then has to look at her own calendar to check if your requested dates are free and clear. Sh/He then has to copy that information back into email to approve or deny your request, and manually update the Excel sheet. Hopefully everyone who needs to know about your paternity leave out in advance, also via email.
The ad-hoc business described above is time-consuming, wasteful, and confusing. First, it is unclear to whom the request for paternity leave should be directed. This generates a conflict of responsibilities. Once a manager/supervisor receives the request, she wastes valuable time checking HR records herself, or asking someone else to do it for her (time when she is not billing hours or advancing on projects). Furthermore, the records are improvised and poorly organized. What happens if a different person has the latest version of the sheet? What happens if that person is out of the office? The whole “process” grinds to a halt.
Unfortunately, most companies have at least a few ad-hoc processes that waste valuable time and money. How about your's ?
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