Business Process Review

For articles published by 180 Systems:

• Making the best of best practices
• Re-engineering no longer code for ‘you’re fired’
• Spreadsheet Over Reliance

Our Services

Many companies realize that they are not operating as efficiently and effectively as they could. There is usually over reliance on spreadsheets to compensate for system deficiencies. However, spreadsheets are inefficient and not completely reliable: errors can slip in through re-keying or calculation mistakes. There is no audit trail on changes and mistakes may not be detected. To make matters worse, spreadsheets are typically not shared across an organization and they are not updated as things change. So decisions are made with old data. A common complaint is the lack of one version of the truth, as individuals take the same underlying data and work their magic in the spreadsheet. Another common problem is that each department in an organization gets very creative with spreadsheets in resolving issues within their own department. The spreadsheet may be ok for an individual department, but a disaster outside the walls of the department. Spreadsheets contribute to the silos found in many companies.

What do you do? Vendors will often suggest new technology, but the vendors may be biased as they have something to gain by their recommendations. Do you upgrade, implemement a new system or tweak the old one?

180 Systems provides an independent Business Process Review (BPR) that assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of administrative, financial and operational business processes, and we will evaluate the alternatives.

A high level analysis is conducted by discussions with management. Optionally, a more detailed analysis is conducted based on interviews with key personnel. The detailed analysis is recommended when management is unsure of the nature and extent of existing problems. The objective of the BPR is to identify opportunities for business process improvement, which are identified and evaluated from a business case perspective. The detailed analysis will lead to a more accurate business case.

High Level Analysis

• Review critical success factors (CSFs) – what an organization must do well in order to be successful
• Review problems with existing business process, and the related costs of not fixing the problem
• Recommend potential solutions that could include changes to systems

Detailed Analysis

• Review all documentation available that assists in understanding existing business processes
• Interview key users about business processes
• Prepare questionnaire that includes questions related to time spent on non-value added activities
• Document business processes, problems and their impact
• Document potential savings related to eliminating non-value added activities
• Design process models - As-is and To-be

Business Case

• Estimate approximate costs related to fixing problems using resources of existing technology partners
• Estimate approximate benefits in fixing problems
• Prepare a business case that includes an ROI calculation
• Recommend a plan of action