This issue’s Quiz addresses Business Process practices at your firm or at clients, and relates to the content of our Feature Articles.

Q1 – In implementing major changes in your organization, who do you rely on most to lead changes in internal processes? How effective has this approach proven to be?

  1. Internal Departmental Managers
  2. Internal “Specialty Teams” of advisors, facilitators, consultants
  3. External Consultants and process-design specialists

Q2 – In implementing major changes in your organization, which if any problems do you routinely experience?

  1. Lack of good and timely project management of process changes.
  2. Incomplete or uneven adoption of changes across different business units.
  3. Differing levels of competence or expertise in the implementation of various process changes across specialty processes such as HR, IT, business services, customer services, financial reporting.
  4. Inability to detach main business operational management from change management implementation.

Q3 – Which components of the TESI model of organizing new processes and systems internally would be most attractive to you and your organization?

  1. Transformers Team comprised of a combination of internal specialists seconded from operational areas and former external consultants with a strong project management focus.
  2. Enforcers – with a quasi-policing role and are used to signal the strategic priorities of senior management across the organisation.
  3. Specialist Change agents imbedded within Functional units (HR, IT, Finance) to work with other business units in changing their process.
  4. Independent internal consulting unit which work with business units, sourcing their own work requests and funding for projects from their ‘client’ departments.

Q 4 – Consider the Decision-making processes used by your Consultants, Executives or Board regarding major, strategic, complex challenges…

  1. Do you have a process to establish and agree upon the criteria upon which the decision will be made?
  2. Do you have clear guideposts such as Values, Outcomes, and Vision/Mission to assist in assessing good judgment-rendering (before, during, after)?
  3. Is there a clear Risk Management or Assessment framework to assist in exploring potential ramifications across multiple dimensions such as (truth, organizational gain vs common good, profitability vs security, resourcing, strategy attainment, etc.) prior to finalizing a decision?

Q5 – Which of the following techniques are commonly/skillfully employed by your Consultants, Executives, Board members in the process of decision-making?

  1. Pareto Analysis (statistical, 80/20 rule)
  2. Matrix or Grid Analysis
  3. Consensus Decision making vs. Voting vs. Leader recommendation
  4. Decision Trees
  5. Force Field Analysis
  6. Six Thinking Hats
  7. Cost – Benefit, Pros – Cons Analysis
  8. System Modeling
  9. Fish Bone Diagramming
  10. Probability and Statistical trend analysis
  11. Quality Improvement vs. Business Process Re-engineering
  12. LEAN and/or Six-Sigma Processes