The Bottom-Up Approach: A Best Practice for Process Improvement

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Realizing you need Business Process Improvement and then actually going through the effort of finding the vendor that is right for you is a daunting task. However, it's going forward with the decision to automate your business processes and engaging in continuous process improvement that is an imperative piece in your Business Process success.

Continuous Process Improvement is a long term BPM project that involves regularly evaluating your processes, their efficiency and effectiveness. It involves analyzing each step to ensure it is free from bottlenecks and waste. This kind of an initiative takes more than just the executive management team passing on orders and business decisions. It requires that the front-line employees, who ultimately carry out the steps of the process, are on board and prepared to make the necessary changes to the ensure that the process is in fact continuously improving and meeting the needs of the company.

Chris Adams, VP Product and Technology at Ultimus stated it best in his blog BPM is a Methodology First saying: "BPM is not one person's concern alone. While you may identify a business process manager in your company to drive the BPM value, he or she must have the full support of your front-line business users".

Without the support of the business line champions (or the front-line employees) a BPM project or Continuous Process Improvement initiative cannot achieve its full potential. Involving every every member of the business team sets the stage for future success.

Melanie Schallow, an advanced contracting specialist and Green Belt apprentice, relates the bottom-up approach to Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement in her article Leveraging Front-Line Employees for More Effective Continuous Improvement: Words of Insight from the Lean Six Sigma Trenches. She notes that the greatest leaders "can plan and visualize their strategy and end-game"; however "unless they have the genuine support from those front-line employees to give it all they have, the continuous improvement plan will be dead before it's even delivered".

Your people are your most important resource. Ensuring their support and cooperation is vital for all major projects. This being said, are your employees on board with your company's decisions? Have you considered climbing down the corporate ladder to reach out to them personally and aide the success of your project?

Relevant Links:

Methodology For Fast ROI with BPM: "Rome Was Not Built In A Day" 

BPM As A Foundation For Business Transformation 

Getting Started With Your BPM Project

Mary Katherine Strupe
Marketing Coordinator
Ultimus