- what
is a process?
- what
is a procedure?
- what
does "change management" mean?
- Who
is a stakeholder?
A
business process (or process) is a sequence of events or activities used
to complete a task. A process requires involvement from more than
one person or team.
A process can be represented by
words, a diagram or both.
All
organisations, no matter how large or small, are run by a series of
processes and procedures; every business relies on processes
in order to achieve their purpose.
Example
A
process for recruiting a new employee might have the following steps:
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A
procedure is a set of instructions used by an individual to
complete a task. A procedure need not be complicated and
can contain one or more steps.
All
processes require underlying instructions (or a supporting
process - often referred to as a sub-process) in order to be
workable. The underlying instructions may point the user
to existing guidelines, manuals, company policy or government
legislation.
Example
When
recruiting an employee, the people reviewing applications will
need selection criteria in order to create a shortlist.
The procedure to support this step might be similar to
this:
-
collate all applications
and review against selection criteria
-
note how each individual
scores against the criteria
-
collate shortlisted
applications
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Change
management simply means consulting and preparing your
organisation - employees, systems, customers - when you are
planning noticeable changes to the way your employees do
their jobs. This includes changes to systems, office
location and staff numbers.
Managing
changes within an organisation is something team leaders,
managers and directors have been doing for decades.
The key here is to do it well. That is:
-
Do
not wait until change is imminent to do this; plan
communicating with your workforce and teams into any major
organisational change. There may be issues and risks
you have not yet been made aware of; if you don't discuss
forthcoming changes with your workforce, you may never got
to hear about them until it's too late!
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One
or more of the following statements could describe who or
what a project stakeholder is:
-
A
person, group or business unit that has a stake or
interest in an activity.
-
A
person or group who can affect or is affected by an
action.
-
An
individual or group with an interest in the success of
an organisation in delivering intended results.
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Amos Butler - working with you to
create sustainable
process improvement solutions
