or re-engineering
All work is a process and BPI is a way of organising how work is done. It involves analysing and improving all the processes in an organisation so that customers receive goods and services that are problem-free and of a specified uniform standard. It enables the organisation to provide those goods and services efficiently and at the lowest possible cost. BPI is relevant to all kinds of work and all organisations. It involves everyone from the CEO to the most junior employee—being encouraged to systematically and creatively pursue the delivery of quality goods and services.
There are five guiding principles.
Strive for BPI of Products and Services
The first step is to identify where improvement opportunities exist. We encourage people to think positively and to look for long term answers rather than short term, bandaid solutions. We have learned that nearly all business problems arise from process failure of one kind or another.
Focus on Process Problems Rather Than Blame
All work is part of a process—a series of activities which produce a result. Raw materials, equipment, the effort and skill of people are the resources brought together in a process to achieve a result. When things go wrong avoid blaming the people working in the process and instead look at the process for the cause of the difficulties
Meet External and Internal Customer Requirements
Every business or organisation has suppliers and customers. They are critical to its success. The customer who buys products or services is an “external” customer. The people within an organisation who work alongside each other in a process are also suppliers and customers—those who depend on your work are your customers, you are their supplier.
Involve Process Participants in Teams
People who do the work, the process participants, know best how it is done. Involving process participants in improving their work is interesting and stimulating and gives them a sense of “ownership”. People will feel they have a greater contribution to make if they feel this sense of empowerment.
Make Recommendations Based on Facts and Data
In the BPI approach, decisions are based on facts and data rather than on personal opinion, gut feeling, intuition and even sometimes, experience. We often find that what actually happens is quite different to what people think happens. The statistical ‘tools’ of BPI enable us to track performance over time and to identify and assess problems in processes.
BPI is usually accompanied by the business-wide activity of Process Mapping or the more radical approach of Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR).
©ResultsWise 2020
Jeff Bell, Principal, ResultsWise
Arrange a meeting to discuss conducting BPI, PM or BPR in your business——go to the Contact Us page or phone Jeff on 0439988662.