Most operational problems are not the fault of individual employees. No matter how well trained, diligent and committed any employee may be, it is not possible for any individual to make up for the deficiencies in broader operational processes.

Processes typically cross department or section boundaries, involve many employees and are rarely the responsibility of one manager. Changing processes changes the jobs of those affected, including their managers, and so the full commitment of senior management is essential.

Implementing customer-focused operational changes may involve the following stages:

	determining customer requirements and expectations,
	process mapping,
	benchmarking,
	process redesign, and
	implementation.

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Process Mapping
Process mapping is concerned with "doing things right" not about "doing the right things". It is a powerful and logical tool, but is not a tool to solve all problems. Process mapping:

	breaks down departmental boundaries, and
	provides a framework for allocating resources.

A process is a sequence of steps that adds value to an input and converts it to an output. Processes can be difficult to define initially but are usually words ending in "ing" e.g. repairing.

There are 3 categories of processes:

	primary processes (received by customers),
	support processes (essential for the primary processes), and
	management processes (actions managers should take e.g. allocating resources)

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Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process of:

	comparing capabilities, processes, products and services against world leaders,
	identifying best practices, procedures and achievements, and
	implementing operational changes.

Benchmarking processes will usually identify areas where performance can be significantly improved. The greatest benefits are usually derived when benchmarking across industries since competitor organisations often adopt similar working practices.

Benchmarking with an organisation in a different industry is likely to reveal opportunities for dramatic leaps in performance. Greatest benefit will be obtained from benchmarking with a "World Class" organisation where the process to be benchmarked is critical to that organisation's success.

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Process Redesign
Process redesign should involve all those people affected by the process. One golden rule regarding process design is; "keep it simple and make it even simpler".

The following questions may help in re-designing existing processes:

	Is this the best place to deliver this element of the process?
	Is an organisational function missing?
	What are the constraints to providing an effective process?
	Are there any difficulties crossing sectional or departmental boundaries?
	How could IT be used to simplify the process further?
	Could specialisation improve the process?

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