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It’s that time of year again– hams and turkeys and pies and all things made with pumpkin. It brings me back to last November when I wrote a blog post about how important it is to cook the whole ham, from a business analysis perspective.

The gist of that post was that it’s important to know why you are doing things the way you are and also to assess whether you are doing them that way for the right reasons.

Today, I’d like to take that thought a step further and ask a few more questions.

  • Who is cooking the ham?
  • What size ham do we need?
  • Is the person cooking the ham the best person for the job?
  • Do we need more than 1 person to cook the ham?
  • Do we have the right recipe?
  • Are we sure we even want to do ham this year?

 

It’s a deeper dive into business analysis, and it’s something we at Solarity have been doing with our clients with game-changing results. Our clients have experienced:

  • Alignment with company strategies
  • Quicker, more effective business operations and decision-making
  • Clear accountability
  • Improved communications
  • Leveraging of (and building upon) company and individual strengths

 

All of these have resulted in measurable business growth and increased profitability.

Sounds tasty, doesn’t it?

So how does Solarity go about creating this transformative change with our clients?

We start by building what we call a Business Process Framework (BPF). The BPF outlines the OPTIMAL FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE the organization needs to take it to the next level. This is where we ask and answer the question: What does the business need in order to reach its goals and continue moving forward?

 The BPF becomes the spine upon which everything else is hung. We can then look at PROCESSES that must be developed and maintained, an ACCOUNTABILITY STRUCTURE for functional assignments in the organization, and we can align and integrate FUNCTIONAL AREAS and SKILLS to maximize efficiency.

What does this look like at street level for an organization? Here are few things I’ve seen our business analysis clients achieve:

  • A top down view where decisions are made for the greater long-term good of the company and not based on the past, the present or the ego. (We reference the book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business, by Gino Wickman.)
  • Nailing down of different functional areas (i.e. HR, Sales, Operations) and the creation of new ones if necessary, to support the company strategies.
  • Movement of people and resources to where they can best serve the needs of the organization (we call this fitting people to the job rather than fitting the job to the people).
  • Assignment of processes to their functional “home” (for example: is this a sales process or a marketing process?). There can be only one “home” for each process.
  • Development of key performance indicators and metrics.
  • Maximization of skills and filling of skills gaps.
  • Reduction of rework.
  • Enhanced communications.
  • Smoother onboarding of new employees.
  • Death to overlap, redundancy, and disconnect.
  • Happier employees who know what they are being held accountable for.
  • The cooking of a pretty darn delicious metaphorical ham

 

Solarity’s mission is to help people, organizations and communities THRIVE. Developing a Business Process Framework and following it to its conclusion is one of the best ways I’ve found to help my clients experience meaningful growth and profitable change.

But building a Business Process Framework is not for toe-dippers. This level of business analysis is for people and organizations who are ready to jump in with wet suits and air tanks and truly make long term, effective, game-changing strides in their organization. If that sounds like you, we’d love to have a chat.

Maybe over a pumpkin-spiced latte or perhaps a ham sandwich?

About the Author

Sue Knies, PMP, CSSBB is the Director of Practice Management and Instructor with Solarity. Sue provides consulting services to organizations by managing key projects, and working with employees to improve and strengthen their project management skills. As an instructor, she develops and enhances courseware, teaches and mentors students in project management, and helps translate best practices and principles into approaches that are readily understood and utilized. Prior to joining Solarity, Sue had a long and distinguished career with IBM, working with worldwide, cross-divisional teams, collaborating with clients, and managing projects that yielded client solutions, drove growth and expanded wallet share. Additionally, Sue is an active member of the PMI® KY Bluegrass Chapter and has served on the Chapter Board in various offices such as President and VP of Programs.

About Solarity >

Our mission is to help people, organizations, and communities THRIVE! Our broad range of experience and knowledge in a range of different industries allows us to customize our approach to fit the situation. We work in total partnership with our clients to understand their business needs and the current environment, and then match the right amount of process to meet the culture and the project.