Time Magazine, 9 November 2009, runs and article on how our appetite for Tuna is killing off one of the ocean’s most magnificent creatures. Graphs show how the BlueFin, YellowFin and BigEye species are not replenishing fast enough. These are used mostly for sashimi, with Japan consuming over 80% of global production. At the same time, the West is catching up on sushi consumption, but the alarming statistic is that the West’s demand for canned tuna (Skipjack and Albacore) has caused supplies in some areas - in the last year - to have dropped by 50%.

Upon becoming an esteemed member of the Institute of Directors (South Africa), I received a comprehensive “Director’s Toolkit”. In amongst the range of topics covered in the toolkit, is the Sustainability Handbook, described on the first page as “A comprehensive guide to responsible corporate behaviour and sustainable business practices across the triple-bottom-line”.

A few weeks ago, I attended the launch of the King III Code of Good Governance. “King II” preceded “King III” in 2002, known as the King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa. King II made an important contribution to the understanding of corporate governance and corporate citizenship in South Africa, and has been studied and applied globally. King III focuses on leadership, sustainability and corporate leadership.

Placing the spotlight on sustainability, it is clear that enterprises (read organizations) must know that they cannot continue to operate without understanding their impact on society, the environment and stakeholders.

King III advocates a shift from sustainability reporting to integrated performance. This means that enterprises must create and implement and monitor processes that link effective leadership, sustainability policies, innovation, fairness and collaboration into strategies and processes for sustainability, which in turn must deliver the enterprise promise (vision).

In the meantime, what do I do whilst enterprises, private and government, strategise, plan and decide on how to be sustainability focused?

1. I can get an online guide that shows what fish I should order or buy.
2. I can speak to my sushi chef and ask: is this tuna from a sustainable source. I will probably decline the tuna if I don’t like what I hear.
3. When the need for a tuna mayo on rye comes my way, before buying the can, I will check the label to see if the tuna was sourced from sustainable pole and line fishing.
4. And I will check in on WWF and see where and how I can help to increase marine reserves.

That is my contribution to corporate governance in the enterprise of my being a citizen of this earth.

The Pétanque/SAPO presentation at the ITWeb BPM Summit 2009 explored “The potential role of unstructured processes and content in BPM”. Given our VizPro® work at SAPO, we addressed this topic under the following sub-headings:

• Identifying the unstructured processes in an organisation that would benefit from BPM;
• Recognising the benefits of including unstructured content into processes;
• Examining how to combine unstructured and structured content to deliver performance improvements.

In summary, our presentation conveyed the message that unstructured processes will become more prevalent in how we do business in the future, which means that:

1. structured processes must provide for unstructured content more readily, defining the framework within which such unstructured content is deployed: for example, when an armed robbery takes place in a retail shop, there is a framework within which to act, there cannot be a definitive process.
2. some unstructured processes are unstructured because the people do not see the sense in adopting to structure process and these should become structured in order to be efficient: which means that the focus must be on behavioral change: the process is there, it is the people that need to adopt the change based on the benefits it holds for them, the outcomes and the enterprise.

View the presentation here , and for the pointer following on the three bullet points, refer page 27 onwards in the presentation.

Process performance is an increasingly hot topic, as the current economic climate requires organisations to reduce costs by becoming more efficient, and also by improving the workforce effectiveness. Much attention is going to measurement of performance, which is obviously critical. Nevertheless: a process can only be as good as its people, and therefore, the teams participation in the development of the processes is fundamental in developing processes that will benefit the organisations performance.

VizPro® is based on the principles of participation, integration and communication. In a VizPro® workshop a facilitator enables a team to discuss and challenge end to end processes, to improve the process, and to create transparency between the different roles and departments. Understanding of the bigger picture, and the opportunity to engage, share concerns, opinions, and ideas, is critical for people to feel acknowledged and to be part of the process. With people as the baseline of the organisation, process optimisation starts with intensive communication with the team.

Apply these simple principles in the workplace to dramatically reduce your carbon footprint, and at the same time reduce your operating costs, improve employee productivity and satisfaction, and optimise life-cycle economic performance:

1. Avoid misprints: don't print or photocopy e-mails, forms, and other documents unless absolutely necessary. Instead, publish documents electronically, post one copy at a central bulletin board, or distribute them as attachments via e-mail
2. Don't preach to the masses: print only as many copies as you really need. With meeting handouts, ask staff members to share.
3. Turn over a new leaf: use double-sided printing and copying. Many printers and photocopiers allow you to set double sided or "duplex" printing as a default.
4. Cheat your sheets: lay out your publication with as little white space as possible: Reduce margin widths and font sizes, and use single-spacing if possible.
5. Be a perfectionist: utilize the spell check and print preview functions of your word processing program before printing any document.
6. Trap the scrap: use the back sides of old photocopies, printed sheets, and outdated letterhead for notes and scratch paper. Pages can be used in full sheets, or cut in half or quarters. Stack the pages in labelled trays, or staple them into notepads. Store them near printers and photocopiers, along with a stock of used envelopes that can be used to route internal communications.
7. Let the sun shine in: use only as much lighting as you actually need, and utilize daylight when possible.
8. Light only your inner flame: utilize the power save feature on computers and photocopiers throughout the day.
9. Dishes aren't like excuses - you can use the same ones over and over again: eliminate the use of paper, plastic, and Styrofoam dishware. Provide staff with reusable coffee mugs and other dishware. If you have a dishwasher, don't run it until it is completely full.
10. Make it as easy as falling off a log: post clear instructions as to what is recyclable on or near recycling and compost bins. Place containers in highly trafficked, easy-to-access locations.
11. Become an environmental evangelist: encourage staff members to join the recycling and reuse effort. Post fun signs around the office and highlight conservation in your employee handbook. Invite staff members to bring to work items they can't recycle easily from home such as cell phones, batteries, and ink cartridges. Recognize employees who exemplify best environmental practices.
12. Become a part-time gardener: encourage employees to join you in planting trees at the workplace or in selected communities. GREEN your neighbourhood!

Let us know how you green your office (and reduce operating costs)!

By Justin Siljeur

In tougher times companies are forced to work efficient, to cut costs, and to operate smoothly. Having in-house resources that can map and review your business processes, can save high future costs. Direct and indirect costs. What to think of communication? A lot of money is spent on time in meetings and discussing, sharing information to bring everybody on the same page. Communication becomes a lot easier when you can show a colourful and information rich map that details the process, it offers instant understanding.

Through our VizPro® training programme we offer this opportunity, to upskill you or your employees, colleagues to map and review business processes, to facilitate work sessions, and to manage a VizPro® project. Just like we do when we use VizPro® in our projects.

The next course is scheduled for 8 -10 & 21-22 July 2009 in Cape Town, read more about the course here. We also offer in-house training, contact us for more information.

John Hayden, MD of John Hayden and Associates, shared his view on BPM at the Free Process Transformation Executive Forum, Johannesburg:

Hayden says BPM takes commitment and without the right people with the right attitude, BPM will not be the silver bullet: “BPM is a philosophy, mindset and management discipline. According to a Harvard Business Review, a firm's competitive success depends on transforming its key end-to-end processes into strategic capabilities that consistently provide superior value to the customer.”

Hayden notes that business process automation will improve customer service, cost-reduction, compliance and business agility. However, he adds that any change is always a headache and businesses have to go through some rigorous risk analysis to determine if it is viable to turn to BPM.

Hayden says before companies automate, they need to first redesign and reengineer their processes: “BPM is a multi-step process, with multiple predefined routing options and many role players. There are times that I believe you don't have to rush into technology.”

“Businesses should not underestimate the change management challenges in implementation from a staff point of view. Put in place a formal change-management and communications strategy. Make sure you know exactly why you want to automate the process and what the business is trying to achieve. Focus on customer-interfacing, revenue-generating processes.”

Hayden adds: “The single most important skill in BPM is analysis, interpersonal skills and the dialogue of sharing and understanding what's going on. It's about a collaborative debate with IT colleagues and business custodians on what the real benefits are.”

This platform for debate and knowledge share that Hayden is referring to, is created in VizPro® work sessions, where role players are invited to question and challenge current processes, share experiences, and come up with ideas for improvement. The non-threatening environment creates a forum for multi-level communication and interaction. While the discussions take place a process map is developed real-time, visualising the process to allow participants to see and understand the end-to-end processes and interfaces.

The facilitator ensures that the processes are directed by the organisation’s vision, aligning business processes to strategic objectives, resulting in a market driven process. Required improvements in the process to achieve the strategic goals are documented in an Action List, appointing an owner and setting a timeline, to ensure execution.

During each work session we experience that involving role players, listening to opinions, and sharing knowledge around the process, enlightens and enthuses people, and makes them receptive for change. This is opening doors to offer more value to your customers.

Case study: Process Mapping the process of changing from a business division into a company

Enterprise: State Owned Enterprise

Pétanque role: Delivered VizPro®

Duration: 3 workshop days of Process Mapping and Action Listing

Scope: The processes were needed for a current, operating division to become a corporatised entity. We designed the processes with the client corporatisation team on who needs to do what to change the business from a division to a fully fledged company. These are now being used as part of the overall corporatisation project which needs to deliver the new company: operational, branded and incorporated in 2010. The work was presented to the SOE’s board a week later, and the way forward was signed off.

Application: This information is now being used as input into the Programme Manager’s project plans.

Benefit: Actions to be taken agreed on, role clarity obtained, risks and mitigations identified and planned for, scheduling agreed to, process defined and agreed to.

Case study: Processing Mapping the Corporate Communication Function in order to support the business requirements

Enterprise: Large parastatal

Pétanque role: Delivered VizPro®

Duration: 2 workshop days of Process Mapping and Action Listing

Scope: This project was an extension of a mega-project to develop an organisational structure in support of the new business model. As part of that project the Corporate Communications process was documented. Further review was required to ensure seamless support of the organisation. Corporate Communications needs to contribute to business growth and to develop a positive reputation for the organisation.

In workshops, with relevant role players, we reviewed and designed the processes to support the enterprise by clearly defining the activities, people, systems and performance indicators to effectively communicate the pillars: Strategic Direction, Organisational Transformation, Brand Repositioning and Policies & Procedures.

Application: The processes were redesigned to drive and support a high performance organisation, to develop a positive reputation and to enable Corporate Communication to meet the businesses strategic objectives. The action lists were used to identify shortfalls within the process and are used continuously by management for process improvements.

Benefit: Immediate outcomes of this project were transparency, resource management, obtained role clarity, identified risks and controls, agreement and buy-in of the redefined process.

Case study: Process Mapping the process that is needed to effectively manage strategic investments

Enterprise: Large parastatal

Pétanque role: Delivered VizPro®

Duration: 2 days of Process Mapping and Action Listing

Scope: In order to ensure that strategic investments in the organisation are managed effectively throughout, from concept to delivery, it was necessary to determine what the full lifecycle of an investment is to start off with. From this, the step by step activities that are needed to effectively roll out and track each investment were defined, debated and agreed on by key role players.
 
Application: The result of this project is role players are clear on their respective accountabilities, stakeholders understand the full scope of work that tracks an investment, and management is provided with assurance that all elements are defined and assigned for actioning.

Benefit: Transparency, role clarity, progress tracking, risk management tracking, resource management.

Case study: Process Mapping the Human Resource Function in order to support the Business requirements

Enterprise: Large parastatal

Pétanque role: Delivered VizPro®

Duration: 9 Workshop days for Process Mapping and Action Listing

Scope: This project was an extension of a mega-project to develop an organisational structure in support of the new business model. In March – September 2008 we spent time documenting the Human Resource processes. Further review was required to ensure seamless support to the organisation. The HR function’s purpose is to support the Organisation’s strategic objectives to become a high performing business through the provision of specialised Human Resource services. We facilitated the process design to support the enterprise by clearly defining all the HR Processes, people and systems and how they should interface with the relevant business and supporting units. In other words, what needs to be done by whom in a best practice manner and when in each of the defined processes. These processes were then presented to the business units using their services to develop a best practice process designed to enable business to meet its strategic objective.
 
The review included the following ‘existing’ and ‘envisaged’ processes:

• Wellness
• Benefits Administration
• Document Control
• Payroll Administration
• Employee Relations
• Learning And Development
• Talent And Succession Management
• Organisational Design
• Organisational Development
• Performance Management
• Recruitment And Selection
• Remuneration and Reward
• Policies, Procedures And Assurance Management

Application: The processes were redesigned to drive and support a high performance organisation. The action lists were used to identify shortfalls within the process and are used continuously by management for process improvements.

Benefit: Immediate outcomes of this project were transparency, resource management, role clarity, risk and control identification, agreement and buy-in of the redefined process.

Feedback: “By using visual storyboarding, we were able to clearly identify shortfalls and highlight the issues that needed to be resolved.”
“Being part of the HR process mapping sessions, I was able to see the bigger picture and how HR integrates with business and the HR value chain.”

Our home ground Cape Town lives and breaths sports this time of the year: this weekend we've got the Cape Argus Cycle Tour (not to be missed with cyclists being on the roads for weeks already to be optimally prepared for this 110km road race), we’re heading towards the Two Oceans, also attracting athletes from all over the world to run this most beautiful ultra-marathon in the world, we’re hosting (and watching!) a few rugby matches in the Super 14, and in between ... we’re playing Pétanque.

People often ask us what our name Pétanque means and what it stands for. We answer that petanque (also called boules) is a game of skill, with the small ball -the jack- being your target. You try to outplay your competitors by bringing your boule closest to the jack. You can apply different strategies to do so, and the same applies to business: there’s no one silver bullet to outplay your competitors. It is about aligning your internal organisation to best meet external factors to succeed. In projects we apply VizPro® to work out the right tactics, defining risks, controls, accountability, timing, and systems that are all part of each processes, aiming for your strategic goals.

You can now determine the value of VizPro® in a cost-effective 2-day pilot project, discussing and challenging your most critical processes with relevant processes, listing actions for improvement. The immediate benefit of such a project is the knowledge share and agreement between role players, buy-in of change, documented processes in colourful and information-rich maps, and actions listed as drivers for change and improvement. Read more about a pilot project here, or contact us immediately to discuss the options in person.

“We always knew that business processes determined the performance of a corporation, but what’s now becoming crystal clear in light of recent events, is that a corporations’ performance actually determines the total performance of the worldwide economy."

Ali Hassan Al Marzouqi, Director, Strategic Planning and Performance Management, Ministry of Economy, United Arab Emirates.

Al Marzouqi was quoted in an article about the upcoming Business Process Excellence Summit that takes place in Dubai from 31 May to 4 June 2009. Read the full article here.

Interestingly, it states: "The belief widely held is that by optimising existing strategies, there’s enormous potential to retain employees, maximise return on investment and achieve benchmarkable standards across the region and beyond." This is exactly what the South African Post Office (SAPO) just proved in a company-wide project, documenting and analysing 184 processes, with the confirmation that no jobs would get lost.

A bit of background:
In 2007 it became clear that SAPO needed to re-position itself in terms of less focus on cost cutting, with growth based on new product, services, markets and customer needs, through more innovation and creativity.
In support thereof a new Business Model was developed, based on principles of income generation, innovation, and increased support of and alignment to the Universal Service Obligations. A focus on income generation while embracing the triple bottom line, being: economic, social and environmental sustainability. In addition innovation was required to drive business growth and this needed to be enhanced.

Read a summary of the case study here, or contact us for more details.

Case study: Process Mapping Pilot Project to document retail logistics processes to identify and address bottlenecks. This pilot would also demonstrate the value of VizPro® for further application.

Enterprise: South African FMCG retailer that is expanding and rolling out shops in other African countries.

Pétanque role: Delivered VizPro®

Duration: Positioning Map session of 1,5 hour + 2 full day Process Mapping workshops.

Scope: This retailer, needed to document processes that were still only in people’s heads, and also wanted to smoothen operations in support of the growing business. To determine whether VizPro® would be the right method to achieve this, we started a pilot project.

Our starting point was a Positioning Map session with the General Manager, in which we mapped the high level supply chain. The day after we reviewed and challenged this Positioning Map in a work session with participants from 3 different departments, made changes, and added where needed. We then identified the most critical processes with burning points, and continued to map three of these ‘burning’ processes. We also listed actions for process improvement related to the positioning map.

As the participants’ day-to-day activities are in different areas, the workshop provided an excellent platform to share knowledge around the process related to their function. This broke down the wall between the departments with immediate results: “I learned much more than I learned in the past years, I now know how I must consider the Export department” as a workshop participant from Planning department indicated afterwards.

Unpacking the processes clarified issues and showed that specific process elements actually consist of many steps with complications that impact on various departments. Unpacking the processes addressed all these implications and clarified the importance of identifying the who, what and when to the role-players.

The drivers for change are the actions listed in the Action Lists: the issues are identified and it indicates what must be done, by whom and when: “We’ve talked about the actions a lot before, but now it’s on paper and someone has been made responsible to take action and agreed to it. To me this has been really valuable.”

This project has confirmed the value of VizPro® as a process documentation and analysis tool, and the retailer was pleased with the outcomes: “This is definitely a methodology that can assist us in further documenting of processes, to structure roll-out in the African countries.”
 
Deliverables:

• 1 Positioning Map
• 2 Process Maps version 2
• 1 Process Map version 1
• 27 actions for improvement assigned

Application: The Action Lists will now be the main drivers to improve the bottlenecks in the process, and the maps serve as documentation of the process, capturing institutional knowledge and providing a platform for improved practice development. The information will be available to other role-players and clarify roles, gaps and opportunities for improvement to all users.

Benefit: In just 2 days we provided a platform for discussion of items that were long overdue and marked them as actions; and captured knowledge and improved processes in visually attractive step by step format. These maps have given the participants insights into the processes during the work sessions, and will continue to do so for people that try to understand the process at a later stage.

I subscribe to a weekly newsletter that shares innovative ideas to add something new and refreshing to your offer, to create something special for your customers: how to wow. (For who’s interested, it’s in Dutch, but this is their website) This week the writer apologised for the late delivery of the newsletter, due to downtime of the email service provider for an upgrade. He wrote:

How to wow:
How do you prevent that your clients experience drawbacks due to your technical maintenance?

Coincidentally, two days later, I experienced exactly the same: our web hosting provider experienced server problems, and that now causes our upgrade to be delayed, which as a snowball effect causes our updates to be delayed. Why is their problem now all of a sudden my problem?

It’s not only important to define risks that affect your own business when analysing your business processes; to deliver great quality service it is critical to consider the effect of disruptions in your process on your customer. If you want to be a great service provider, then you have to put controls in place to ensure that your customer won’t even notice the problems you’re experiencing.

I just picked up an article in Business Day with the header ‘Changing Pick n Pay adopts greener policies’. Wow, we all know about Woolworths and its ongoing organic & green approach to business, but this was new to me. I started reading.

Then it became clear to me what Pick n Pays green policies were about: “The policies include installing video conferencing facilities in all regional centres to dramatically reduce air travel, and increasing recycling and power-saving initiatives.” In other words: cost reduction!

What can you do to improve your business processes internally, and in doing so market your business favourably?