What is a business process? Differences from business flow, flow of improvement, and recommended tools

Are you worried about “I want to improve my business process and increase my productivity”?

In recent years, due to the labor shortage and the diversification of work styles, which are becoming more serious year by year, efforts to strengthen organizational strength through improving operational efficiency and productivity are attracting attention.

In this article, for those who want to know more about the business process, we will explain the overview of the business process and the flow of improvement.

A business process is the flow of work carried out on a daily basis.

A business process can be summed up in a few words: “a series of business operations and the flow of operations leading to profits . ”

The activities that a company conducts for profit acquisition are made up of a number of business connections. From operations such as manufacturing and sales that directly generate profit to operations such as human resources, general affairs, and accounting that support the entire company, companies need various departments and people in charge.

Business processes are not only the manufacturing and sales departments that generate profits, but also the general affairs, accounting, and other functions that support them. increase.

Difference from business flow

Business process and business flow are basically the same concept. However, considering that different words are used for “flow” and “process” respectively, there are the following differences.

Flow is a word derived from the English word “flow” and means “flow”. On the other hand, process, which is derived from the English word “process”, is a word that expresses “the process or procedure of things”. From there, the business process refers to “the sequence of operations leading to the achievement of the goal” , and the business flow can be rephrased as “the order in which each task in the business process flows” .

Business process example

Let’s take a more detailed look at the business process, using the actions of “making” and “selling” as examples.

In order for a company to generate sales and profits, it must first have a product to sell. And before selling, it is always necessary to go through the process of creating products for sale. However, in actual business activities, it is a fact that management cannot be established simply by making and selling products.

Example of business process in a restaurant

Let’s take restaurants as an example. In general, a restaurant is established by carrying out the process of “purchasing → preparation → cooking → serving → washing dishes”.

In order to make the dishes offered at the store, you must first prepare the ingredients. Therefore, operations such as material procurement and purchase management will occur. Once you have all the ingredients, prepare the fish by peeling and cutting. Once the ingredients are prepared, the chef prepares the food, and the waiter serves the finished dish to the customer. And when the customer’s meal is finished, the waiter puts down the dishes and the part-time job is washing the dishes, which is the process in restaurants.

In this way, corporate activities consist not only of “manufacturing” and “selling,” but also the interrelationship of various business processes.

Business process issues faced by companies

In recent years, an increasing number of companies have problems with their business processes. There are three main challenges:

Relying on analog methods due to lack of IT personnel

One of the challenges is that due to the lack of IT human resources, we rely on analog methods and our efficiency does not improve.

The main purpose of business process improvement is the promotion of IT. However, due to the lack of IT human resources, the reality is that there are many companies that cannot implement IT and promote DX, and cannot transition from the conventional analog method .

In addition, there are cases where management and managers lack awareness and understanding of improvement, and cannot formulate specific improvement measures. However, since the cooperation of each department is essential for improving business processes, it is necessary for management to take the lead .

There are many personal ways

One of the issues in the business process is that there are many individual methods.

In particular, the more expertise is required for a task, the easier it is for the person in charge with the knowledge to become dependent on the person .

Even if the work is biased to a specific person in charge, it will not be a problem as long as the business is going well. However, there is a risk that “when the person in charge is absent, there is no one who can replace the person in charge”. When the person in charge is absent, the flow of the entire business may be delayed .

Inability to handle diverse work styles

There may be cases where business processes are problematic and it is not possible to respond to the diverse work styles required of employees .

Telework began to spread as a result of the corona disaster, and the number of people working from home increased. However, depending on the company, the introduction of telework may make it difficult to operate with existing work procedures.

In order to introduce telework, it is necessary to make major changes to existing business processes, such as migrating work that was mainly done with Excel files to the system and realizing paperless.

Flow of business process improvement

When working to improve business processes, it is important to follow the correct procedure. In this section, we explain the flow of business process improvement by dividing it into four stages.

Step1: Process visualization

First, “visualize the process”. This is because in order to improve business processes, it is necessary to understand everything that is currently being done.

When visualizing the process, it will be easier to understand if it is summarized using a diagram called a flowchart or business flow . A business flow is a visual representation of a flow by connecting symbols such as rectangles and ellipses with arrows. By creating a business flow, you will be able to understand the entire flow at a glance.

Step2: Identify improvement points

Next, we will identify areas for improvement.

For example, let’s list the problems in our work, such as “there is insufficient cooperation between the general affairs department and other departments” and “there are unnecessary formalities”.

The more specific the improvement points are, the smoother the later work will be, so let’s find out in detail what kind of work and what kind of problems .

Step3: Determining priority for improvement

Once all the areas for improvement have been identified, we will prioritize them.

Considering the effects that can be obtained by improving each business process and the budget, we judge the priority from the areas that can be improved .

Also, setting a deadline is important. Consider when you need to make improvements, and decide your priorities.

Step4: Implement improvement measures

Next, we work out improvement measures according to the decided priorities and put them into action .

Improvement proposals do not have to be created with the aim of being perfect from the beginning. Let’s consider it on the premise that we will brush up later. It will be easier to proceed with improvements if we start with small steps and make corrections based on the feedback we receive from the people involved in the field after operation.

Once the improvement plan is decided, we start the test operation first and regularly check whether the measures lead to improvement . If there is no particular change, or if a new problem is found, it is a good idea to repeat the test while making corrections and see how things go for a few weeks to a month.

Tips for successful business process improvement

Here are some tips for improving business processes. Let’s hold down the trick and make the improvement successful.

Continue operation after improvement

For business process improvement, it is important to continue to operate even if you feel that the measures have been effective.

Improving business processes does not end with a single improvement. Since the situation is constantly changing, it is necessary to periodically review the process and confirm that it can be operated continuously.

After implementing improvement measures, measure the effects, identify problems and issues, and consider improvement measures again .

Don’t forget to follow up on site

When implementing business process improvement plans, it is also important to follow up on-site without fail.

Changes in business processes are directly related to the personnel in the field. If management tries to change the process without explanation, confusion in the field is inevitable. If you neglect to follow up, you will not only not be able to obtain the understanding of the person in charge, but you may also not be able to obtain their cooperation.

In order to prevent such a situation, it is important to have the person in charge understand the purpose of the improvement in advance . Also, even after starting operation, let’s improve it while receiving feedback from the person in charge .

Be aware of QCD

To improve the business process, it is also important to be aware of the balance of QCD.

QCD is an acronym for “Quality”, “Cost” and “Delivery” .

• Quality : Improve quality
• Cost : Maintain/reduce costs
• Delivery：Shorten delivery time

Business processes can be optimized by promoting efforts to achieve a state in which the above three elements are in a balanced state.

3 frameworks used for business process improvement

Incorporating a framework is effective for improving business processes. Here, we introduce three frameworks used for business improvement.

The framework for business improvement is introduced in detail in the next article. Please refer to it as well.

PDCA cycle

The PDCA cycle is a method for continuous business improvement by turning the action cycle in the order of “Plan”, “Do”, “Check”, and “Action”. Taking the initials of each, it is called PDCA.

By repeating the process of “goal setting/planning → plan execution → verification/evaluation → consideration of improvement proposals” in a loop, we will repeat improvements and lead to successful business process improvements.

ECRS

ECRS is an acronym for “Eliminate,” “Combine,” “Rearrange,” and “Simplify.” It is a framework for business improvement from four perspectives.

By examining the following elements, it is a method that leads to the discovery of issues in the current business.

• Eliminate : Are there any unnecessary tasks that can be eliminated?
• Combine : Is it possible to combine multiple tasks into one?
• Rearrange : Is it possible to improve efficiency by rearranging the order and location of processes?
• Simplify : Is it possible to simplify complex operations?

Since it makes it easier to find issues, it is effective when you are unsure of where to prioritize improvements.

BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation)

BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) is a framework for modeling the steps of a planned business process from start to finish .

Specifically, it is a diagram that details the information and flow of business activities. Flowcharts are used to visually represent a series of tasks and information in an easy-to-understand manner, so you can visualize and understand the process of your tasks . Also, by including detailed information in the diagram, you will be able to notice the gap between the purpose and the reality of doing the work.

If you want to improve business processes! 4 recommended tools

The introduction of tools is effective for improving business processes. Here are four recommended tools that companies want to use to improve their operations.

Qasee

” Qasee ” is a cloud-based system that analyzes business data and derives improvement methods .

You can accurately grasp the work man-hours from the data automatically acquired by installing the software on the business PC. As a result, you will be able to accurately visualize and understand business costs for each task or project.

In addition to being able to analyze the work status and productivity of employees by accurately grasping work man-hours, it also has functions that support employees’ efficient work styles, so it is possible to eliminate waste and improve productivity.

App Remo

” AppRemo ” is a workflow system that can use Excel application forms .

You can upload an Excel file to leverage your existing Excel application format. It can be introduced smoothly because there is no need to change the conventional operation method.

In addition, both administrators and applicants can use Excel functions, so there is no need to learn how to operate the tool. The chat function makes it easy to ask questions, and it can also support telework operations.
MeetCap

” MeeCap ” is a process mining business visualization tool that performs visualization and automatic analysis based on collected work log data .

It is used by companies in a wide range of industries for business analysis and attendance management during telework. Since it is possible to visualize and understand work and work conditions, it can be used to prevent long working hours during telework and to evaluate personnel.

It is a useful tool for companies that want to understand the attendance status during telework and companies that want to improve productivity.
[Teachme Biz] Example of business process improvement

Teachme Biz has been introduced by companies in various industries, including manufacturing, service, and retail. Among them, we will introduce the business process improvement cases of two companies.

Work that used to take a day can be completed in an hour

Mipox Co., Ltd., which manufactures and sells polishing films, introduced Teachme Biz in order to prepare the procedure manual required for obtaining ISO certification. With the introduction of Teachme Biz, work that used to take a day on a personal computer can now be completed in an hour using a smartphone . In addition, tasks such as “searching and managing” have become easier, leading to a significant reduction in time. The ease of reading the procedure manual has also led to the effect of reducing mistakes during work.

Succeeded in building a new system remotely

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., which operates an air transportation business, needed to create a flow manual for the introduction of a new system, so they introduced Teachme Biz. The bases involved in the promotion of the project were three distant locations: France, the distributor, India, and Japan, which provided introduction support. However, by sharing images and videos using Teachme Biz, they were able to overcome distance and language barriers and promote mutual understanding . The project to introduce the new system was completed without delay, and the information sharing platform was built.

summary

In recent years, due to the shortage of human resources and changes in work styles, companies have a growing need to improve their business processes. In order to improve business processes, it is necessary to first visualize and understand the current business, determine priorities, and implement improvement measures.

The process of improvement can be difficult. However, by subdividing the on-site business processes, clarifying the issues, and utilizing frameworks and tools, it will be possible to effectively and efficiently implement measures.