Company can be seen as a sum of processes that respond to customer needs by creating, producing, supplying and invoicing goods and services. (Hamscher)
What is a process?
A process can be defined in many ways, including as:
- A controllable set of activities which are carried out by people (or resources) to transform an input (provided by an internal or external supplier) into an output that is of value to the customer (who may also be internal or external).
- A structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specified output for a particular customer or market. It implies a strong emphasis on how work is done within an organization (Davenport).
- A specific ordering of work activities across time and space, with a beginning, an end, and clearly identified inputs and outputs: a structure for action (Davenport).
- A collection of activities that takes one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to the customer (Hammer and Champy).
- A structured change, i.e. there is a pattern of events which an observer may recognise across different actual examples (or occurrences) of the process, or which may be made manifest, or implemented, in many different occurrences (And Warboys).
- A set of logically related business activities that combine to deliver something of value to customer.
- Chains of events, activities and decisions.
- A way of doing something.
Business processes represent a company’s core asset. The purpose of a process is to ethically serves a loyal customer using minimum resources. A best practice process is ethical, effective, and efficient. Every process should be perfectly designed to bring the expected results. The aim of each process is to create value added along the entire value chain (from design to post-sale assistance). Value added steps in a process are those in which you add something to a product or service for which the customer would be willing to pay. It is therefore entirely focused on the customer.
In a successful process the customer and customers’ perception of value is defined. The goal is customer’s loyalty.
A well-defined and designed process commands the flow of work and all its possible paths in meeting the company’s goal or objectives.
It is important to know that, at the base of each process, are people, employees of the company.
If you are not satisfied with your current performance, it is your responsibility to find a way how to more thoroughly define, study and improve the business process or series of processes that cause inadequate business results.