Business Process Improvement

In recent years we have seen a growing demand for management tools that really can assist a manager in setting the right objectives and manage the key activities and processes to achieve his/her goals. Balanced scorecards have seen a wide-spread application in both large and smaller-sized companies with the objective of better controlling KPI's and strategic processes. But as we know, the balanced scorecard has its pro's and con's and therefore, companies are looking for other, more reliable tools to help them better manage the complexity of all aspects of their business models. Key words are Integral Performance Management (iPM) and Operational Business Intelligence.

Performance improvement has always been a major point of concern for professional organizations. Lowering labour cost, streamlining processes and safeguarding total quality are but a few of the focus areas where companies are concentrating most of their hard work. However, in spite of all these efforts and the myriad of concepts, systems and models that are used to support them, we're still far from the 'intelligent' organization that has a complete insight in its performance drivers and their mutual dependence.

The context within which companies operate has become more complex and dynamic. Companies must anticipate these changes to survive. Organisations unable to anticipate the changes will be punished relentlessly by customers, competitors and shareholders – not to mention the government, for with their laws and rules of conduct they expect companies to be in control of their activities.

The main reasons for failures are acceptance and processes. Before the 1980s, business success was evaluated purely by financial measures. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the deficiencies of those key performance indicators (KPIs) became clear, in particular the emphasis on short-term results and the lack of long-term strategic focus. As a result, we see that there is a growing demand for performance measurement models that have both financial and non-financial perspectives, and that can describe the correlations between business decisions and outcomes, can guide strategy development, communication, implementation, and feedback at multiple points along the business value chains.

Performance management methods face another challenge: making explicit the link between performance management, primary processes and improvement potential in those very processes. Only then will you have control over your company, whose performance will continue to improve.

• I hope that when companies start getting excited again about process improvement, they resist one method for doing so. A hybrid, combined approach is really the only approach that makes any sense. In religion many people worship only one god, but in process management we should all be pantheists. Tom Davenport

eKPI Solutions specialises in Business improvement and helps implementing a Performance Management System that gives the flexibility and ease of use of better-known performance dashboards, but that equally gives the analytical power necessary in modern management decision making. Our job is helping you make the best decisions about their most critical business issues.

We assist organisations to improve their own organisation performance by improving efficiency (doing things right) as well as effectiveness (doing the right things) within your business. By understanding the business process and making these measurable will provide evidence based data insights that support management decision-making which puts the business back in control. By developing a strategy across the organization, including sales and marketing, operations, IT, overall organizational effectiveness and change management we help your business reach its full economic potential.

The primary goal of most companies - established in the late 20th century - was to gain access to a protected market, and then to achieve a dominant share within that market by out-executing competitors. With this strategic plan in place, the main focus was on efficient and effective execution of the plan (typical Six Sigma approach). There was an annual strategy review to sense-check the long-term plan against current market conditions, but otherwise all executive attention focused on achieving the short-term operating plan and budget. All of this was done in hierarchical, top-down pyramid shaped organizations. This is the strategy as most of today’s executives learned it – and in many cases, it is the approach they are still using, with increasing frustration and concern.

To be successful in the 21th century open, intensely dynamic world, executives need to adopt a new approach to strategy: Agile strategy.

Today's operating environment is forcing companies to re-evaluate urgently many of their core strategic assumptions and tactical plans – both to yield immediate improvements and to secure the long-term future. For each of the above components in-depth market understanding and insight – into customer needs, competitive offerings, channel options, alliance opportunities, and more – is essential to finding the right answers.

Our Simple and Sound framework for a shift in capability in a business.... (adapted from Novel Idea)

• Should be an integrated framework of the best practices from leading companies
• Should be a common sense application of process, product, technology development for improvement and innovation
• Should be a model for organization change
• Should be a benchmarking tool that can be used globally
• Should be a roadmap to a breakthrough in business improvement and innovation
• Should provide common criteria for measuring the evolution process of the shift in capability in the business
• Should use the same criteria above for reviews, appraisals as awards
• Should provide a reference point to establish the start of your journey.
• Should not be prescriptive, but provide you with the "Know How" on what to do.
• Should be easy to adapt, simplify and generalize.

Business Process Improvement is a cornerstone in our consulting. What began decades ago as an industrial manufacturing quality initiative, process improvement has been embraced to increase market share, raise revenue, improve profit margins and, ultimately, shareholder value in corporate environments. At the end of our workshops, you will have an accurate picture of where your company stands, where it needs to go, and more importantly, how to get there. Our workshops define clear solutions to transform inefficiencies into opportunities.

We help our clients increase efficiency and working capital by applying our experience lean manufacturing, six sigma and continuous improvement gained from optimizing complex global supply chains and applying it to corporate business process.

eKPI Solutions assist organizations to improve their own organization performance by improving efficiency (doing things right) as well as effectiveness (doing the right things) within your business introducing a new approach: Agile strategy. By understanding the business processes and making these measurable will provide evidence based data insights that support management decision-making which puts the business back in control.