In this article we’re going to take a look at perfecting the art of ‘The Common Process’. We have previously looked at how difficult it is to achieve and maintain a standard, albeit we looked at this in relation to large standardisation programmes, but it’s a good read for seeing the value of a standard because this also comes into play in the power of a perfected common process.
The Evolution of Quality & Business Process Management
Many people believe that quality is a relatively new concept, but in fact quality has been evolving for centuries. In the last hundred years, the sharing of knowledge about quality and improvement methods has become extensive, providing us with a rich array of tools for managing and improving quality.
In a previous blog, we identified that it is important to Measure what Matters, even if the instinct is to measure everything. You’ll know you have selected the correct measures if you have established that these are the things you are willing to put a stake on and are willing to improve. The next task is to make these Measures Count for your business. This will require an initial investment but, once in place, it is a proven way to improve performance.
Recently we announced the publication of Xavier University & PWC Quality Metrics Paper, which you can download here. Presentations from the recent Pharmalink conference where findings were presented is also likely to be made available online in the coming weeks for a deeper look into the paper.
Goodbye sticky notes and white boards.
Business process mapping is harder than many people initially think it will be. According to to Brian Safron, a product manager at IBM, this is due at least in part to business knowledge being spread across a wide range of subject matter experts. Collaboration is key, but in their promotional video for IBM Blueworks Live, he also notes that sticky notes and white boards don't work anymore. We decided to take a look at why paper can't keep up with digital when it comes to BPM.
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Torque Management Partners with MatsSoft for Low Code Process DigitisationDublin, 19 January 2016 – Torque Management Ltd. is pleased to announce its partnership with Low Code BPM digitisation platform provider MatsSoft. MATS® (the software product) is a low-code BPM development platform that’s quick to learn and easy to use, allowing organisations to develop and deploy an app in a matter of days or weeks, that previously would have consisted of months or years of development effort. The MATS platform has been defined by Gartner as ‘High-productivity PaaS', and by Forrester as a ‘Low-Code Development Platform’.
The Software Development Life Cycle – Or 5 Things Not to Forget When Using Low Code BPM Applications
With lots of interest in and take up of Low Code/No Code BPM apps opening up the option to all and sundry to develop their own apps, we thought it would be pertinent to take a look at an important part of application development that will continue to exist with or without the need to code! The Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC.
Our 9 Favourite BPM Websites and Blogs for 2015
Got a tenth BPM Blog you'd like us to add to the list? Let us know @TorqueBPM
M&A activity has been increasing in recent years, reaching a mid-year high in 2014 that hadn't been seen since 2007. In any industry, mergers bring a lot of change - change that creates a new sense of excitement, enthusiasm and improvement, change that is clearly visible and planned for, and changes, challenges and issues that are unexpected, emerge gradually, or even appear somewhere much further down the line but are apparent to have occurred as a result of the M&A process. Or perhaps lack of process!
In a piece on Clay Richardson's Forrester blog in November of last year, he predicted that 2015 would see the BPM industry disrupted by things like low-code vendors, improved dynamic case management, smart process apps and a stronger focus on the customer. While there is a lot to be said for the current, 'traditional' BPMS you have in place and the approaches and strategies you can use to get the full value from it, there are also some exciting elements to new BPM offerings. We take a look at how you can get more from your current BPMS and what to consider if you think it's time for a change.
TIBCO Nimbus™ is a Business Process Management System. It presents easy-to-understand, visual representations of how people, processes and systems in an organisation interact. Nimbus™ has helped over 700 organisations including AstraZeneca, Barclays Capital, HSBC, JPMorgan, RBS, Novartis, Toyota, and ThyssenKrupp. It provides many features that support Quality, Compliance, and Operational Management and Continual improvement and can also be integrated with other technology and is available on–premises and in the cloud. In summary, it's an excellent tool.
Adding value to something automatically makes me think time, money and/or an improved product or service. If I have more time and more money and a better end result, job done! But that's just the answer, and if you've even completed high school mathematics, you'll know that focussing on the answer is rarely the way to find it. So let's take a few steps back, into the process.
Michael Needham is the Principal Consultant at MKN Advisory Services Ltd. He previously worked as a lecturer and module coordinator for the MBA modules ‘E-Business’ & 'Supply Chain Management'; and the MSc Business Improvement module ‘Strategic Operations and Quality Excellence’ at Ulster University along with working as a consulting manager at PWc, global procurement manager with Procter & Gamble and supply chain co-ordinator with the Irish Dairy Board. His wealth of hands on, real life experience combined with in-depth research, including papers on the role of knowledge for process improvement and outsourcing, and a Phd that investigated the factors that influence the internal transfer of process improvement knowledge within service organisations led us to wanting to ask him more. All too often people are experts in theory or experts in practice but Needham is one of those insightful individuals who seems to have mastered a balance of both, which has no doubt increased his understanding and abilities in both doing and communicating what he’s doing.
New BPM Approaches for the Challenges of Mergers and Acquisitions in Life Sciences
Five Major Drivers for BPM exist – Compliance; Outsourcing, ITIL and Security; Process Framework/Performance/Standards; Technology Modernisation and Mergers, Acquisitions and Consolidations. In recent years Life Sciences organisations have had to learn to survive and grow through numerous mergers and acquisitions – sometimes even within quick succession of each other.