Process Improvement
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6 Tips to Improve Your Processes Right Now
Optimized processes can offer big returns and many organizations have numerous untapped opportunities for efficiency and profitability. But, how do you identify those opportunities and improve your processes to make big gains? Read on to find out. First, let’s cover off some of the top challenges you’ll face on your process improvement journey: Complacency from…
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How To Succeed on Your Next Process Improvement Initiative
A culture of continuous improvement can create never-ending quality, efficiency, innovation, and profitability opportunities in any business. Process improvement is at the heart of this culture and we’re going to show you how to succeed on process improvement initiatives. 70% of process improvement initiatives fail due to reasons such as overcomplicating process improvement, poor leadership…
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How to Number the Steps in Your Process Like A Pro
Be sure to number the steps in your process if you are building accompanying procedural (step-by-step) documents. When detail and precision are required, a visual process workflow alone is not enough. If you like, you can scroll down to the bottom of the post for the video tutorials. A cross-functional visual process map (known as…
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How to Build a Basic Process
Building a process doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, keeping it as simple as possible is a much better approach. In this lesson, we’ll go over the 3 basic parts of a process and the 3 steps to building a process. Once you start getting into the details of a process, it will naturally…
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How to Use Decision Objects Within a Process Map
So you’ve built your basic linear process and you’re feeling good about it. You’ve been able to map out the most efficient way to take the trash, you’ve shown grandma how to install an Iphone app in 3 easy and visually-appealing steps and you bedazzle your coworkers in the lunch room with process maps on…
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3 Fantastic Process Mapping Alternatives to Microsoft Visio
There are many, many desktop and web-based applications available for process mapping and diagramming and I have personally used dozens of them. There’s just too many to write about. Many of these applications do the same thing, for the most part, so I will give you 3 suggestions as alternatives to Microsoft Visio. If you…
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5 Tips for Building a Great Operations Manual
An operations manual may come in various names (operations manual, operating procedures manual, standard operating procedures, etc.) but they all have the same intention. They should make your business better. A great operations manual can be considered the backbone of a company and, yet, not every company has one, or uses it effectively. Does this…
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Operational Process Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts
Paper-dependency is killing operations in a technology world. Have you ever stopped to think about the waste that comes from being too paper-driven in your day-to-day operations? The costs could be upwards of 20% of your company’s overall expenses. How could it possibly add up to that much? Read on while I plead my case…
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How to Choose Process Mapping or Diagramming Software
Choose a process mapping solution that fits your needs. Many organizations find themselves using Microsoft Visio for process mapping, organizational charts and architectural diagrams. Often times, this is because it’s a suitable choice for that organization. However, just as often, it happens to be the “familiar” or “default” choice instead of the “purposeful” choice. Selecting…
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Business Process Management and Robotic Process Automation
We’re hearing a lot about Business Process Management and Robotic Process Automation these days. So what are they and what’s the difference? Business Process Management (BPM) is a holistic view of process management for your business. It covers the planning, organization and management of an organization’s processes. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) looks to automate repetitive…