Business process transformation has been widely thought about across industries in the last two years. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to completely rethink their methods, and in many cases have had to undergo a digital transformation.
Digital transformation (DX) is an example of business process transformation, and it’s perhaps the most prevalent in current times, with digital transformation increases running across several different industries, while still striving to remain ISO certified.
That being said, digital transformation is by no means the only form of business process transformation.
We can separate business process transformation into three subcategories:
- Operational: adjusting operations to make them more efficient. Digital transformation could fall under this category.
- Core transformation: changing the basis of current operations in a radical way.
- Strategic: an alteration of the entire company brand and goals.
The transformation could also relate to your management and company structure, or even your company culture. Cultural transformations are becoming more and more important, with employee satisfaction becoming an increasing priority.
The nuance of a cultural transformation can also mean that it takes several years to undergo. With a plan that takes so long to unfold, it is even more important to take into consideration steps that can help it run smoothly and effectively.
Business process transformation can be triggered by many things – a need to adjust and fit your company to the changing landscape (as we have seen in Covid-19), for example, or a need to increase customer acquisition or improve task management.
So, we can see business process transformation as a positive thing, working to keep your company ahead of the trends and able to adjust towards unknown future obstacles.
This article will advise you on how to successfully navigate your business process transformation, and make it as effective as possible.
Have a clear idea of what you want your business process transformation to achieve.
Having a clear goal ahead is key to anyone undergoing a strategic change. For example, perhaps your company is struggling to grow its customer base and attract new leads. By clearly understanding this, you can plan your business process transformation accordingly.
For example, in this scenario, perhaps your areas of priority will be in the marketing department, changing the methods that you reach out to customers and keep them engaged. Leads are being acquired more and more through social media, but perhaps your company focuses on more traditional forms of marketing. This could be a great opportunity to look into affiliate marketing and maybe even blogging.
Have strong communication and leadership within the team.
Having unified goals and understanding within the team working on the business process transformation process is essential, as is having a leader to guide the change and make the key decisions.
This responsibility will often fall to either the CEO or CFO, as business process transformation can often significantly alter a company in its practices and branding.
In this current climate of Covid-19, communication has been challenged by an inability to discuss ideas in person.
It was mentioned earlier that digital transformation has been a key aspect of business process transformation in the last two years, and this includes the way that the company functions internally as well as externally. Having secure video conferencing software has enabled many companies to continue working as if they were still in the office, and can help maintain communication if you are undergoing a transformation while working remotely.
Break down your strategy into steps
Any big change is likely to take a while to implement and it can feel overwhelming. By breaking the transformation down into smaller steps, with clear goals and milestones along the way, you will keep employees engaged and passionate, and also increase the likelihood of the transformation being sustainable to the company.
This can also help keep your transformation flexible, according to unforeseen complications in the future. It can be a mistake to consider business process transformation reactive. Instead, it should be proactive – looking to the future and trying to adjust accordingly and stay a step ahead.
This could look like recognizing human inefficiencies and utilizing business process software, or it could be acknowledging a wider change in customer prioritization. For example, companies who are not working to be more environmentally friendly will find themselves falling behind, as the climate crisis becomes ever more apparent.
Acknowledging your resources
Being aware of what resources you have, and what they can achieve can help you plan effectively and realize what you need in order to accomplish your goals.
This could look like mapping out all your current employees, their skills and knowledge, and the resources available to you and noting any areas where you might have deficiencies. You can then look to HR to prioritize employee onboarding if necessary, and hire people with the experience needed to create drastic change.
Resources do not only mean human resources. Let's imagine your business process transformation has the fundamental goal of making the company more eco-friendly. This could mean some significant changes, from suppliers to methods and company values.
This can also rely on financial resources. If you are a fashion eCommerce company, recycled fabric is likely to be more expensive. Taking this into consideration, it may mean that this process transformation needs to be more gradual and considered.
Summary
Overall, the main takeaway should be the following.
- Know what you want
- Have a clear plan
- And take baby steps
By doing this, you are helping to ensure a sustained transformation to your business that will make a huge difference in its effectiveness.
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