There are numerous systems and tools for process improvement. Some are pratical, some dated, and others are the latest fad. My current favorites are Edward Deming, JDI, Studer and Six Sigma.

The world of business process modeling, improvement and analysis is ever changing. Varying from the quick and dirty “how does the competition do it?”, to numerical analysis, customer sampling, product analysis, BI/mining and lord knows how many more.

It all comes down to three rules for success.

#1 Commitment – the entire agency needs to buy in (top to bottom).

#2 Business Alignment – the change must align with operations and

#3 Need. It MUST meet a real need

Commitment seems obvious – but think again. A leader who lives a process improvement increases the value of that change in the eyes of everyone who sees the leader. Which brings to mind the servant leader, but that’s another discussion.

Business Alignment. Cliché also? How many changes are made because it seemed like a good idea (reworded – no one wanted to challenge the obviously bad idea). Business alignment is communication, solid ROIs, prototyping and everything else required to make sure that process improvement or next great plan actually is what it should be, and that it can be measured.

Need. There can be commitment and a solid organization but there also has to be a need. A need that is filled by the commitment and organization.

More filling that need. Applying the best practice of a fast food chain at a law firm is possible, but is it really needed, does it have a real ROI? Is it worth the organizational pain? Also if we just wait to implement everyone else’s best practice (even if it fits our business and processes), we are always behind the curve.

We need that sought after “holy grail” of continuous improvement. We need to CREATE that best practice and continuously IMPROVE IT.

Before we jump at the latest modeling tool or 3 color control chart, Venn diagram or market trend – we need to ask a simple question. What does this change do for the bottom line? If we can’t answer that simple question it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

You might say why is a technology guy saying all this? Because its just as easy to get caught up in technology for technologies sake, as getting caught up in new product or new service lines. Great ideas in the wrong place are failures.

So now you ask what is the point? The point is Six Sigma, Deming, ITIL and PMP modeling, JDI, SCRUM etc etc are all valuable. They generally quantify and define processes, give solid answers – but they don’t create questions.

Questions create innovation; questions allow us to avoid risk; questions create value.

Use your biggest asset, your people, to come up with the next big QUESTION. Listen to the people who know the job, the ones you know you can rely on 100%. 

Listen to your loyal trusted employees. Listen to your customers.Take the process improvement, the new product, the new service to them, present it neutrally, even skeptically. Take that new idea for a test drive. Accept feedback. If those you trust say it’s a lemon, it probably is a lemon; cut your losses and look for that next thing. It might even come from the same team that has been making lemonade from lemons for years.