1. Indiana Jones
and the BPI
project of DOOM
Kevin Watt
VP Process Innovation
Westaedt
www.westaedt.be
Cue the music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bTpp8PQSog
2. Indy knew his next business process improvement
(BPI) project would have as much importance to his
archeological career as finding the holy grail, so he
knew he had to chose wisely.
3. With the help of the company Westaedt.
He learned that in order to get the
“Jellybean of the ancients”, he had to
invest as little time and capital as
possible on potentially unsuccessful BPI
Projects.
4. Indy knew that success didn’t mean completion! Completion
doesn't matter unless the deliverables are put to productive
use in ways that change and improve how the business
operates. . . . . . That’s Success!
5. Dubious BPI propositions are
sometimes hard to spot. There are
some however, that are more
easily identified.
Improvement projects that have
no chance of success!
7. Size matters: Any business improvement project with more than 7 core team
members and a completion date more than 8 months after launch is dubious. Any project
with a core team of 20+ members and more than two years to make its deadline has a
chance of success that is technically greater than a snowball in hell -- but not by very much.
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8. Indy says
These can be made successful!
Break them into smaller projects, each
with no more than seven core team
members and six months from start to
finish.
Another benefit of doing this is that large
BPI projects tend to let “work dodgers”
hide in the pack. Now they can run, but
they can’t hide.
9. There’s no point: When all is said
and done, businesses process improvement
has three main forms of benefit:
1. Increased revenue,
2. Decreased costs,
3. Better-managed risks.
Any other supposed benefit is either a means
to getting one or more of these, or it isn't a
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benefit at all!
10. Indy says
Try fostering the attitude:
NO revenue/NO cost-reduction/NO risk
management = No project
By following this discipline your life will be
made a lot easier, because simple cost-cutting
and revenue consideration will clear most of
these BPI projects from the table before they
even reach your desk.
11. No one wants to come out and play: No business executive was
willing to “come and play” and sponsor the project! Then forget it! Business change is
SCARY!! Even when high-level executives are willing to stick their necks out and take
risks to make it happen. If no business executive wants change enough to sponsor the
business process improvement project, it won't lead to anything useful. . . . . . . Ever!
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12. Indy says
Talk to whoever is responsible for project
governance and point out that since nobody
seems to want the project's results enough to
serve as a sponsor, the company should invest
its resources in a business process
improvement that business leadership does
want.
When you go to politely crack your whip, do
NOT go empty handed. Have at least 2-3
cherry picked BPI projects on hand, so that
they can review them and make an informed
decision.
13. 4
A cardboard sponsor: Sometimes a BPI project has a
sponsor in name only. These are easy for the business process
manager to spot: The sponsor is never available for update
meetings, ducks important decisions, fails to commit resources
to the project and informs the project manager when issues
arise, “Not my problem, you deal with it."
14. Indy says
All projects are about business change.
Therefore include the tasks, deliverables, and
participation required to make business
change happen in all projects.
This means the project plan will now include
specific tasks that have business participants'
names on them.
If your “Sponsor” doesn’t show up,
recommend to the executive committee that
because the “Sponsor” is often unable to
attend, the company is better off cutting its
losses than continuing.
15. Summary of indicators:
1. Size matters
2. There’s no point
3. No one wants to come out and play
4. A cardboard sponsor
Indy swears by this and his BPI project success
rate has never looked healthier!
16. Kevin Watt
VP Process Innovation
Westaedt
Kevin.watt@westaedt.be
www.westaedt.be
Thanks Indy!
Image inspiration from Flickr: St3f4n, Hyku, kwl
