How To Perform A Gap Analysis For Business Process Improvement
How To Perform A Gap Analysis For Business Process Improvement
How To Perform A Gap Analysis For Business Process Improvement
Tapera Mangezi
Gap analysis for business process improvement is a vital step to meeting strategic
business goals. Here’s what you need to know to perform an effective gap analysis.
What is a business process?
A business process is a series of tasks that employees within an organization
repeatedly perform to create a product or service. It starts with an objective and ends
with the achievement of a goal, which provides value for the stakeholders.
What is business process improvement?
Business process improvement is the collection of methodologies to identify, analyze
and improve on the existing processes within an organization so as to achieve
organizational objectives in a more efficient way. Examples of business process
improvement initiatives include automation of manual processes using workflow,
reduction of waste in production processes, redesigning of employee responsibilities
and streamlining of the approval processes. Typical methodologies that are used for
business process improvement include Six Sigma, Lean, Scrum, Kaizen, and
Total Quality Management.
The steps typically involved in business process
improvement are:
Identifying the business process – After deciding on
which process needs to be improved; the process can
be documented using a process flow diagram.
Analyzing the business process – Use the process
flow diagram to investigate the problems within the
process.
Redesigning the business process -The process is
now redesigned to eliminate the problems that have
been identified.
Acquiring project resources – Resources needed for
implementing the improved process will need to be
secured at this stage and can be part of the project
team.
Implementing the changes – After acquiring the
necessary resources, the changes to the business
process can be implemented and may involve
changing existing systems and processes.
Reviewing the business process – To ensure
continuous improvement after implementing the
changes, there is a need to monitor the progress to
ensure that the process is performing according to
expectations.
What is a gap analysis?
Gap Analysis is the comparison of actual performance with potential or desired
performance i.e. the current state with the desired future state for a business
process. The current performance of a process is compared to key metrics such
as costs, time, and quality. Knowledge of the existing gaps in a business process
can help the business analyst implement programs to address the shortcomings in
the current business processes.
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