How to Improve Processes with Innovation

Sharing some resources for #processimprovement when owning or supporting complex processes. I recently inherited a confusing, ambiguous process that was difficult for my business partners to understand. The article below outlined the BPM methodology (in addition to many others), that was incredibly helpful. Using BPM resulted in the following: 1. Analyze: I pulled data from past requests relevant to this process. This data supported that I should dedicate my time and resources towards streamlining this. 2. Model: I demoed the process in current state as a customer from beginning to end while screen recording. After identifying the current gaps, I used a test account to model the "ideal experience" as a customer and documented instructions alongside it. 3. Implement: I instructed business partners to attempt the process using my screen recordings and corresponding instructions. Positive feedback was returned, and internal help pages have been developed for all stakeholders to start using. 4. Monitor: I have been monitoring requests that come in involving this process to look for continued gaps or new use cases. 5. Optimize: As the process evolves, I will continuing to demo more robust/unique use cases and develop instructions alongside them. I hope this helps someone like it helped me! #womenintech #businessprocessmanagement #programmanager https://lnkd.in/df2hvcW3

If your team is missing deadlines or you feel like you’re constantly putting out fires, it’s time to fix your systems. Scaling a business is tough, but without solid systems, it’s almost impossible.  This is a straightforward guide to developing systems that can help your team scale efficiently. First, document everything. Start by writing down every process and procedure in your business. Use tools like Notion or Confluence to create a comprehensive knowledge base. This makes sure everyone on your team has access to the information they need and keeps everyone on the same page. Next, use advanced project management tools. Platforms like Monday or ClickUp can be customized to fit your specific needs, keeping projects on track and your team coordinated. Connect these tools with your CRM systems to streamline workflows and keep communication smooth across departments. Automation is your friend. Identify tasks that are repetitive and can be automated. Use platforms like UiPath or Blue Prism to handle these tasks, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value activities. Clear communication is critical. Set up a unified strategy that includes both asynchronous and real-time tools. Use Slack for immediate communication and Loom for updates that can be watched at any time. Regular check-ins and clear communication reduce misunderstandings and keep everyone aligned. Creating a culture that is always improving. Regular retrospectives and feedback loops with frameworks like Kaizen or Six Sigma can significantly improve your processes. Encourage your team to provide feedback and suggest improvements. This boosts efficiency and encourages a sense of ownership and engagement among team members. Role definitions need to be crystal clear. Develop a competency matrix to define roles and responsibilities clearly. This helps identify skill gaps and create targeted training programs, making sure everyone knows their part and performs it effectively. Training and development should be a priority. Create a learning and development plan using platforms like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera. Encourage cross-functional training to build a team capable of adapting to new challenges. Data-driven decision-making is key. Regularly review KPIs and adjust strategies based on data insights to stay on the right path. Streamline your onboarding process. Develop a comprehensive program that includes interactive modules, mentorship, and milestone-based assessments. This way, new hires integrate smoothly and contribute effectively from day one. Finally, promote collaboration. Use platforms like Miro or MURAL for brainstorming and project planning sessions. You need an environment where ideas can be freely exchanged and innovation thrives. You don’t need to change everything overnight. Start with one or two key areas and build from there.

At Process Street, we’re always on the lookout for innovative methods to refine and enhance our approach to process management. Inspired by Elon Musk's 5 Step Design Process at SpaceX, we’ve adapted these groundbreaking principles to revolutionize how we manage and optimize processes with our customers. Here’s how we apply these steps: Rethink Requirements: Often, the initial requirements for a process might seem set in stone, but are they really the most efficient or necessary? We challenge and question every requirement, stripping back to what’s truly essential, ensuring we're not just replicating outdated practices. Eliminate Redundancies: In process optimization, less is often more. We aim to streamline by removing unnecessary steps and simplifying workflows. This not only speeds up execution but also reduces potential errors. Remember, if you’re not occasionally adding something back because it was missed, you’re probably not cutting enough. Simplify and Optimize: Before diving into optimization, we ensure the process itself is necessary and then make it as efficient as possible. This step is crucial; it’s not just about making a process faster but also smarter. Accelerate Cycle Times: With the leaner, smarter process in place, we focus on speed. How quickly can a task move from initiation to completion without sacrificing quality? This is where we push the boundaries, ensuring our customers’ processes are as agile as they are robust. Automate Strategically: Automation is powerful, but only when applied wisely. We integrate automation into processes that are already optimized manually to ensure they enhance productivity without introducing complexity. Applying these principles has allowed us to not just meet but exceed expectations, crafting bespoke, efficient workflows that drive business success. Whether redefining user onboarding or streamlining document approvals, our approach is about more than just incremental improvement; it’s about transformative change. If you’re looking to revamp your process management strategies, let’s connect! I’d love to share how these principles can be tailored to your business needs. #ProcessManagement #BusinessOptimization #ElonMusk #Innovation #ProcessStreet

I am constantly thinking about how to foster innovation in my product organization. Building teams that are experts at execution is the easy part—when there’s a clear problem, product orgs are great at coming up with smart solutions. But it’s impossible to optimize your way into innovation. You can’t only rely on incremental improvement to keep growing. You need to come up with new problem spaces, rather than just finding better solutions to the same old problems. So, how do we come up with those new spaces? Here are a few things I’m trying at Duolingo: 1. Innovation needs a high-energy environment, and a slow process will kill a great idea. So I always ask myself: Can we remove some of the organizational barriers here? Do managers from seven different teams really need to say yes on every project? Seeking consensus across the company—rather than just keeping everyone informed—can be a major deterrent to innovation. 2. Similarly, beware of defaulting to “following up.” If product meetings are on a weekly cadence, every time you do this, you are allocating seven days to a task that might only need two. We try to avoid this and promote a sense of urgency, which is essential for innovative ideas to turn into successes. 3. Figure out the right incentive. Most product orgs reward team members whose ideas have measurable business impact, which works in most contexts. But once you’ve found product-market fit, it is often easiest to generate impact through smaller wins. So, naturally, if your org tends to only reward impact, you have effectively incentivized constant optimization of existing features instead of innovation. In the short term things will look great, but over time your product becomes stale. I try to show my teams that we value and reward bigger ideas. If someone sticks their neck out on a new concept, we should highlight that—even if it didn’t pan out. Big swings should be celebrated, even if we didn’t win, because there are valuable learnings there. 4. Look for innovative thinkers with a history of zero-to-one feature work. There are lots of amazing product managers out there, but not many focus on new problem domains. If a PM has created something new from scratch and done it well, that’s a good sign. An even better sign: if they show excitement about and gravitate toward that kind of work. If that sounds like you—if you’re a product manager who wants to think big picture and try out big ideas in a fast-paced environment with a stellar mission—we want you on our team. We’re hiring a Director of Product Management: https://lnkd.in/dQnWqmDZ #productthoughts #innovation #productmanagement #zerotoone

Over the past 4 years working at ServiceNow, building out global enablement programs. I quickly realized the importance of optimizing processes... For the longest time, I DID EVERYTHING BACKWARDS that led to headaches and ultimately lost time... so here is my 5-step structured way to improve processes. . . Simplify: The first thing we should always start with is reducing the process to its simplest form. Start by reassessing and refining the initial requirements and outcomes and ensure they are logical and relevant. Far to often this is the last step and we end up missing the mark because we made things too complicated from the beginning . . Delete: Get rid of ALL unnecessary parts of the process. Remove ALL components of the process that do not contribute significantly to the overall goal. If you are not eliminating at least 10% of the process... then you probably are not deleting enough. . . Optimize: This step should only be taken AFTER unnecessary elements of the process have been eliminated. I saw after, because what's the point of optimizing an unnecessary element of the process :). If you do not follow this step then you end up over-correcting or again optimizing things that should not exist. . . Accelerate: Once the process has been streamlined and optimized, focus on increasing the speed of execution. BUT you should only move into this step when you have completed the first three steps of Simplify, Delete, and Optimize. . . Automate: The final step in the process, find ways to take the manual aspects of the process out and automate as much as you can. This will further enhance efficiency. . . Far too often in the past, I started with Automate and too many times this led to getting rid of the entire process altogether. I hope this helps someone reading. If you have any other strategies for optimizing your processes please share in the comments below!! . . #sales #processoptimization #enablement #programdevelopment

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 Before a business can improve, it needs to understand how it actually works. Innovation isn’t always about new products. Often, it’s about making what already exists work better—and that starts with well-defined process maps. Many organizations aim for better outcomes, but without clear systems in place, it’s impossible to measure or improve. Process innovation starts when operations are built around consistent, repeatable methods that serve employees, customers, and stakeholders alike. 👉 Here’s what creates meaningful change: ▪️ Map your business practices with clear, consistent procedures ▪️ Use ISO 56001 to structure innovation efforts across departments ▪️ Apply a PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) cycle to track improvement ▪️ Link every process back to its purpose and the people it serves ▪️ Build a portfolio of processes that become valuable assets over time Use risk as a guide for improvement, not just something to avoid Read the article in Entrepreneur Media by Majeed Javdani ctto Businesses that grow systematically stay relevant. It’s not about reinvention—it’s about making smarter use of what’s already in motion. 💬 How are you building structure into your daily operations? https://lnkd.in/eeQ4eqqU #ProcessImprovement #BusinessStructure #ContinuousImprovement #InnovationInPractice #ISO56001 #OperationalExcellence

The Process of Innovation in Internal Audit As companies face increasing risk demands, this presents an opportunity for Internal Audit further serve. However, many teams lack the capacity to assist. - Some audit teams have a significant amount of non-negotiable work that can’t be put off or delayed. - Others have a laundry list of existing management requests with certain critical audits already being deferred. - Open Internal Audit requisitions tend to remain open for extended periods, causing… - Many top team members being overwhelmed with their departing peers workload. To address the lack of capacity, some Internal Audit teams have a formal process in place to innovate Internal Audit. CAEs encourage innovation in team meetings, motivating everyone to share their ideas, even those who are hesitant. Internal Audit leaders explore various sources for innovative work methods. - What are other audit teams doing differently? - Can they integrate existing internal manufacturing or IT business best practices in their audit methodology? - What do key stakeholders suggest audit could do to audit faster or better? - Are there others in the organization doing similar work, and can share some existing IA responsibilities? - Do the IIA’s updated Global Internal Audit Standards highlight practices not instituted in your audit approach? When ideas are identified, time is allocated for their implementation and additional trial and error. The results are then shared with the broader team, so promising ideas can continue to evolve. I once worked with an Internal Audit team that had aspects of an innovation process in place. - Auditors rallied around this process, reducing attrition due to feeling part of something special. - Because they were seen as an innovative team internally, new budget requests were more likely to be approved. - Because they were seen as an innovative team externally, any open roles were quickly filled. For CAEs who lack a formal process to innovate their Internal Audit practices, it's advisable to start one. This may assist with capacity issues, even if you're unable to implement a new innovative approach. For those in Internal Audit who are not a CAEs and are part of a team without an innovation process, consider taking the initiative to start one. Not only can this help enable positive change within your team. But this can also distinguish you from your peers and position you as a potential candidate for the next CAE role. AuditBoard #InternalAudit #EnablingPositiveChange

This quote from Toyota encapsulates a fundamental truth: success isn't just about having exceptional individuals; it's about cultivating through lean methodologies to create brilliant processes that empower everyone to excel. Lean methodologies offer a treasure trove of tools and techniques aimed at understanding the work deeply and developing processes that are not just efficient, but truly brilliant. Whether it's value stream mapping to identify wasteful activities, 5S to create organized and efficient workspaces, or Kaizen events to continuously improve processes, Lean provides a systematic approach to process optimization. By embracing Lean principles, organizations can peel back the layers of complexity to uncover inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement. This deep understanding of the work allows for the creation of processes that are streamlined, resilient, and designed to deliver exceptional results consistently. Moreover, Lean fosters a culture of continuous improvement where every team member is empowered to contribute their insights and ideas for enhancing processes. This collaborative approach not only generates innovative solutions but also cultivates a sense of ownership and engagement among employees. So, as we reflect on Toyota's success mantra, let's recognize the transformative power of Lean tools in unleashing brilliance within our processes. Let's commit to understanding the work deeply, eliminating waste, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Together, we can create processes that not only drive exceptional results but also empower every individual to shine. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Lean tools have impacted your organization's processes and outcomes! Share your experiences and let's inspire each other to elevate our processes to new heights. #continuousimprovement #continiousflow #Lean Lean Blessings! Dan

A lean finance team is not only defined by size, but also by efficiency. Here’s 10 actions to create a lean finance team that produces more with less.. 1. Reduce the amount of account codes for the P/L. Create as many accounts in the chart of accounts as needed to give a detailed view of the financial activity, but don’t create uneccessary noice when it comes to reviewing financial data. 2. Forecast monthly in addition to annually. Monthly forecasts gives management insight into where the company stands so necessary actions can be implemented early. 3. Break down the company’s annual growth plan into twelve strategic monthly plans. Breaking a large plan down into smaller plans helps allocate funds better, stay on budget, and focus on executing one strategy before moving on to the next. 4. Create an annual budget that’s funded monthly or quarterly through a rolling forecast and planing analysis. Funding budgets monthly leaves room for changes before money is spent, 5. Reduce large monthly financial reports to a one (no more than two) page finance report that highlights current financial wins, current financial goals, current strategy and relevant KPIs. Eliminate printed reports if not required. 6. Reporting on performance measures that are not current or relevant – split measures into four types (KPIs, PIs, KRIs an RIs). Eliminate excessive details, duplicate data, and storing excessive data in various databases. 7. Develop a fluid communication process that eliminates time wasted waiting for an approval, response to an email or for data to be submitted before the next step in a process can be completed. 8. Use Excel where appropriate or necessary, but eliminate and automate spreadsheets with more than 100 rows.Large spreadsheets can take up a lot of valuable time that can be spent more strategically. 9. Consistently review and improve processes. Instead of continually adding new processes, consider ways to revamp current process to integrate new tasks. Develop an improvement process where employees identify areas of improvement and eliminate waste from their work processes. 10. Invest in automation for Accounts Payable and Receivable. Eliminate highly skilled employees doing unskilled tasks or tasks that can be automated Use employee’s time to create new or more revenue, and followup on sensitive overdue payments. Best-in-class finance functions establish lean processes using standardization of roles and responsibilities, automation of routine processes and procedures, and/or shared services which ensure less cost and higher level of agility, performance and productivity. Eliminating waste in finance processes is a huge step towards best practices and high-performing finance function. ______________________ Please share your thoughts in the comments ➕ Follow me for more finance insights #business #finance #entrepreneur #financemanager #cfo.