Businesses today are always striving to evolve, and while this is good, it does have an adverse effect on their operations. Each organization uses a variety of business processes daily, and while some may be efficient, many may not. It is, therefore, a no-brainer that achieving overall operational efficiency is the prime goal for any organization, which is where streamlining becomes crucial.
If your company is not able to streamline its processes, then there could be numerous repercussions. Inefficiencies, miscommunication, greater scope for errors, and poor governance, to name a few. However, simplifying operations is not without its problems, because of which, there is a need for a solution that will help you during the process and form a foundation that will be able to withstand current changes and deal with future disruptions.
At To-Increase, we have taken this in our stride and came up with a solution that helps align business roles, processes, flows, and technologies with your customer’s business goals – all in one, embedded inside Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&SCM.
This blog will discuss the five major problems people typically face when trying to streamline and optimize their business operations and how the right BPM solution can help.
The need to streamline operations
But why is there a need to streamline operations and business processes in the first place?
Streamlining processes will help eliminate redundant, unnecessary tasks, which in turn drives better and predictable business outcomes for organizations. This means less scope for errors and delays through continuously improving and simplifying your business processes. It further:
- Helps you identify bottlenecks that are slowing down or causing inaccuracies
- Improves communication by integrating all business players onto one centralized system
- Proves to be more cost-efficient by automating processes and eliminating the need for manual labor or paperwork.
- Helps make efficient use of time by making efficient use of resources
The streamlining process typically involves analyzing existing processes, establishing new procedures, optimizing existing processes, and consistently reviewing and auditing documentation. However, achieving this is no easy task, although new-age advancements in technology and tools make streamlining a hassle-free, seamless affair.
Five common problems faced while streamlining operations
No matter the size of the organization, there will be some common challenges when you are getting started on the process of streamlining. But, knowing how to identify these problems and being aware can put you in a better place to navigate them successfully.
Here are the five common problems that you will face when your business is in the process of streamlining operations:
Process automation
In every organization, there is a likelihood that there are several activities that are repetitive and tedious, leading to weariness and loss of time. Unless these tasks are identified and a way is found to automate these tasks and processes, there could be a lot of skill and time being wasted. Thus, we need to figure out the exact aspects that need to be automated, have the right tools and infrastructure to make it happen, and take the most appropriate approach. At this juncture, it would be prudent to seek a solution that will help you identify and automate certain parts of some processes.
Language barriers
Many companies have not only different offices in the same region but also in different countries altogether. In such instances, the language and means of communication can be a barrier to streamlining operations when there is a need to disseminate information across teams globally or when teams/members need to understand their roles and responsibilities. The need for a unified approach that enables you to publish the content in multiple languages can be a big asset to cater to geographically distributed teams.
Ease of operations
In many instances, the major impediment to streamlined operations, and thereby ease of operations can be as simple as mobility. Many companies hesitate to enable mobility because they are afraid of the security and compliance aspects. However, today some solutions easily allow mobile access to the system with the required knowledge to the role requirement, which adds to the ease of operation.
Lack of visibility
In many organizations, employees' roles and responsibilities are not completely visible, and operations remain unstreamlined due to a lack of clarity. Only when the role of the employee is mapped back to the overall company's goals can the operations be optimized. Therefore, a solution where we can receive a complete overview of each employee with a central hub can prove beneficial to keep track of employee goals and responsibilities. The visibility aspect has to be carefully balanced with the security and compliance needs.
Access to best practices
Today the world of technology has evolved so much that we are fortunate enough to have access to the best of information. However, on the flip side, we also have too much information, which makes it difficult to access the appropriate best practices that will work for your company. Sharing best practices can help organizations up their performance and productivity by closing the knowledge gaps, empowering employees, and enhancing efficiency. Continuous process improvement ensures that the best practices that work for your industry are used to enable the streamlining of processes.
How do you overcome these challenges?
Now that you have identified the concerns you can face while streamlining processes in your organization, the next obvious question that crops up is, “how do we fix this?”
Embracing a dedicated business process management solution can add tremendous value by optimizing business outcomes. Driven by result-oriented objectives, an all-inclusive BPM methodology can support automating and streamlining of processes, besides facilitating change smoothly. It is a great way for organizations to get things done the way they want, aligned to their overall goals. An integrated approach gives you visibility over how processes work in the organization, provides access to information, and improves operations overall.
As the world moves towards digital information, it becomes essential for companies to find the right solution provider who can create incredible synergies toward business process management, and this is what we, at To-Increase, are trying to achieve.
Before jumping into the business process management bandwagon, you might want to understand how it can support your business for increased efficiency. A good place to start is to grab a copy of the ebook that we put together on how implementing a business process management solution can help conquer the common challenges faced while streamlining your processes and operations.
Eric Van Hofwegen
