My original plan is to write a short blog high-levelly summarizing my working experience with business processes these years. However, challenge from my husband after his first reading is that it’s so concise that even someone as intelligent as him cannot grasp what the point here; therefore, it definitely needs more meat, more detailed explanation, and more examples. My first reaction is “I am not going to write to layman”; well, having a second thought, backing to the basics and getting it right may not be a bad idea. So, it turns out to be a series.
I used to joke (link) that as a self-marketing strategy, everyone can be bold enough to call themselves end-to-end business process experts. It’s more like self-deprecating; by no means, I do not see the value from such roles. However, it’s just easier said than done, to have or to be process experts.
Why we talk about processes for corporate? On one hand, there is no need for us to re-invent wheel every day; if the same things repeatedly happens, it’s more efficient and effective to set up standards so that everyone knows what to do and who to talk to. On the other hand, companies are structured by functions and hierarchy so that the communication and performance can be managed properly; therefore, we really need someone to look at cross-functional and cross-level cooperation and communication.
Based on my experience, if you ask someone from corporate operation functions what you are doing? Properly, you will get an answer that he or she is working for business processes; which means 3 things in my view
- It’s important
- It does not work so well so that it takes everyone’s attention
- There are different perspectives to look at it
For me, process is more like a mindset. It’s a powerful approach to understand and analyze things so as to help you solve puzzle. It’s the natural “output” of effective and efficient economic activates. Using it effectively can help us understand the big picture as well as the details:
- What are the goods, information, and financial flow to serve the common goal
- How different functions and different parties are involved and how they depend on each other to achieve the common goal
However, it’s just one approach of many and one perspective to view the world; it needs to be adapted with the economic development level; miss-use or over-use would lead to inefficiency as well and maybe kill the innovation.
Thinking Really Matters 