In a recent blog on the ways process supports the organization, we discussed its role in operational improvements. Today we will discuss the second most common way that process teams support their organizations: strategic initiatives.
Supporting strategic planning and the execution of its strategic initiatives is the gold star of how process teams provide high-profile, intrinsic value to their organizations. According to our research, the majority of process teams (54%) support strategic initiatives through their analysis, standardization, measurement, and improvement efforts.
Optimally, strategy and process management should have a virtuous relationship. One where process performance is an input into the strategic planning process and the organization’s strategy guides process work. Additionally, this means that process teams also play a role in the execution of strategic initiatives—either as advisors or as part of related project teams.
Process Teams in Action
While strategy and process should work together throughout the planning cycle, there are several variations on how process teams support their organizations’ strategic initiatives.
For example, Parks Place Lexus integrates its performance improvement team into the strategic planning and execution process. The head of performance improvement reports directly to the president and is part of the strategic planning steering committee—which is responsible for managing the organization’s balanced score card, strategic goals, key objectives, and performance improvement initiatives. Performance improvement is incorporated into the strategy and is part of the inputs that go into the planning process and as discrete initiatives and projects that support the execution of the organization’s key objectives.
An insurance organization uses a business process improvement (BPI) team to initiate process improvements for strategic projects, advise business units on their process improvement efforts, and standardize processes. A BPI team representative sits within every strategic project team within the organization to document the current state, look for opportunities to adjust/refine processes, and calculate benefits for business cases to leaders.
A large university formalized the relationship between its business process management office (BPMO) and the strategic planning department. The focus in this case was on the execution of strategic initiatives, rather than in the upfront planning. Resources from the BPMO team were assigned to each strategic initiative in the portfolio—typically on standardizing and maintaining the organization’s process architecture in relation to the initiative.
Whether process teams partnerships start on the front end—providing insights into performance and opportunities—or on the back end—supporting the execution of strategic projects, they are invaluable partners to turn goals into concrete achievements.
For more information on this topic check out: Strategic Initiatives: Process Supporting the Business.
Next time we will discuss process teams and their role in organizational transformation.
For more process and performance management research and insights, follow me on Twitter at @hlykehogland or connect with me on LinkedIn.