How to Improve Flow

If you wanted to improve flow in a business process, how would you do

it?

1. What principles would you apply?

2. What steps or procedures would you follow?

3. What work products would you produce as a result?

4. When you assess a business process, where would you look, and
what would you watch for, in order to find and eliminate barriers
to flow?
5. How would you know that the process and the flow of work in
that process were measurably improved-in ways that your
customer’s experience and value?

These are a few of the key questions that Mr. Alec Sharp and I will help
you answer as part of a proposed 3-day public workshop experience
coming this fall.

Why Proposed?

One of the top needs that I keep hearing from LED members is a desire
for training on how to apply lean concepts, tools, and principles in
transactional, service, or office settings.

I’d like to help address that need, but I need your help to make sure
I’ve targeted the right concepts, tools, and principles.

Here is what I am asking of you:

1) Take a few minutes, read the Overview and then scan the
detailed list of topics. Could you let me know if this would be
of value to you?

• Send me a note at Improving Flow - Proposed Offering or

click on this link to register or get more information

2) Is there something else that you would definitely attend if it

were available?

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 • Please describe what it is that you desire; better yet, email
me at What I Really Want or feel free to contact me at
(214) 995 1960 so that I can discuss it with you

Overview of Proposed 3 day Workshop:

Here is an overview of what you will experience.

The first 2 days focus on 3 sets of skills.

1. Creating workflow models

2. Conducting a structured assessment of a business process

3. Designing an improved business process

You’ll get your first chance to learn key concepts and apply useful
guidelines as a result of several practice activities associated with a
case study.

Mr. Alec Sharp will be leading the first 2 days.

Day three, will focus on improving flow. Repeat after me, “Flow, not
Joe.”

Throughout day 3, you’ll have your second chance to strengthen what

you have learned, by placing key concepts, principles, models in the
context of lean in general, but also in the context of an award winning
lean engagement whose “secret sauce” is the very same approach
that you’ve just learned.

You’ll be able to view and ask questions about many of the actual work
products produced during the engagement (especially from the
structured assessment) and to discuss lessons learned, including a set
of 7 principles for improving the flow of knowledge work.

Then via a simulation, you’ll have the opportunity to identify and

remove barriers to flow, and to use measures of flow to calculate the
impact this has on lead time, productivity, quality, and cost.

Why “translate” perfectly good knowledge into Lean

terminology?

Think about the functions and roles that have some type of process
improvement responsibility. In many organizations, this may be:

1) Business Leaders

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 • Chief Process Officer

• VP Process Improvement or Business Excellence

• Process Owner

• Initiative leaders or Program Managers with IT, CMMI, or Process

Improvement responsibility

2) Operations/Business Excellence, or Continuous Process

Improvement

• Process Improvement Specialist

• Six Sigma Black Belt

• Lean Six Sigma Black belt

3) IT or Systems Engineering

• Business analysts

• Business process or systems architects

• Systems Engineering Process Group (SEPG) internal consultant

One of the things that Alec and I both have learned is that each of the
sets of functions and roles listed above tends to think about work and
processes using different underlying mental models. It’s only natural
to rely upon the specialized function or discipline “dialect” that we
each have learned to use to diagnose and describe the work that we
see and do. So even though we all may be “looking at” the same
work, what we tend to see and how we describe what we see, tends to
be very different.

Ironically, this often is a cause of waste, rework, delays, and cost in the
very processes that we are intended to improve.

To help bridge this gap, we’ve built in some “cross-discipline” learning

opportunities.

Here is an example.

Alec defines a “business process” like this:

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“A business process is a collection of interrelated activities, initiated in
response to a triggering event, which achieves a specific, discrete
result for the customer and other stakeholders of the process.”

He goes on to clarify that when uses the word process, he means “an
end to end, cross-functional, business process” where ideally the same
“work item” moves through the whole process and is transformed into
a countable result.

In Lean Speak 101, this is known as a value stream. In everyday

English, it is called “work.”

Why this Workshop?

Overview:

Business processes matter.

Above all else, they matter to the enterprise, because business

processes are fundamentally how value is delivered, whether
externally or internally. So, understanding how to work with business
processes is a vital skill for a wide range of business and IT
professionals – business analysts, process architects, application
architects, functional area managers, and even corporate executives.
But too often, the available courses and literature either float around in
generalities and familiar case studies, or descend rapidly into technical
details, arcane theories, or incomprehensible models.

This workshop is different – in a practical way, it shows how to discover

and scope a business process, clarify its context, model its workflow
with progressive detail, assess it, and design a new process.
Everything is backed up with real-world examples, and clear,
repeatable guidelines.

Professionals around the world have benefited from this workshop and
the methods it provides.

Description:

Participants will first learn exactly what a “business process” is, the
key factors to consider when dealing with them, and the most common
pitfalls and how to avoid them. On this foundation, the course moves
on to specifying the scope and goals of a business process, modeling
the current workflow, assessing it, and applying three critical process
redesign techniques.

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On completion of the workshop, you’ll be able to:

• Describe the key factors that differentiate process and functional

approaches
• Employ a variety of techniques to keep stakeholders involved,
and promote “process orientation”
• Identify a “true” business process, and specify its boundaries and
goals
• Model process workflow at progressive levels of detail using
Swimlane Diagrams
• Stop process modeling at the appropriate point, and move on to
other techniques or phases
• Conduct a structured assessment of a business process
• Develop a process redesign while avoiding common (and
serious!) pitfalls
• Explain a set of 7 principles to improve flow
• Recognize and assess frequently occurring patterns of flow in
knowledge work
• Use selected measures of flow to quantify improvement of flow
and the effect this has on key customer and business results
(lead time, quality, cost, waste, and productivity)

Key principles are illustrated throughout with workshop exercises and

discussions..

Detailed list of topics

• Thinking in process terms – concepts, terminology, principles, and

techniques

• Variations on what is meant by “process,” and the impact on

process identification

• Three guidelines for well-formed processes

• What makes a process a “business process?

• Real-world impacts of incorrectly identifying business processes

• A clear method for determining when one business process ends,

and another begins

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• Example – using this method in identifying “true” business
processes

• Summary – five rules for business processes

• Impact of process identification for application and process

architects

• A brief history of “business processes” – the rise, fall, and rise again
of “BPx”

• Hammer’s legacy – understanding functional and process

perspective

• The good and the bad, part 1: Why functionally-based organizations

are a good thing

• The good and the bad, part 2: Why functionally-based organizations

introduce process difficulties

• Reconciling the two – philosophies and methods for helping

functions and processes get along

• Introduction to modeling techniques – when to use decomposition,

when to use flow diagrams

• What makes for an effective “swimlane diagram?”

• A five tier framework for relating business objectives, processes,

applications, and data Modeling techniques for each perspective

• Achieving progressive levels of detail – working through scope,

concept, and specification levels

• Understanding the six enablers of a business process

• A three-phase approach to completing a process-oriented project

• A reading list

• Discovering your enterprise’s business processes

• “Process areas” – families of related business processes

• Depicting process areas with an “overall process map” or “process

landscape”

• The role of standard process areas such as “Customer Relationship

Management”

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• Why top-down process identification often leads to incorrect results

• A bottom-up method for process discovery

• Beginning your analysis by clarifying terminology – a structured

approach

• Introduction to the major case study

• Hands-on practice with process discovery – team work and

group debrief

• Framing the process – scope, issues, and goals

• A critical concept in all business analysis – separating the “what”

from the “who and how”

• Four components of the “what” scope definition – the essence of the

process

• Three components of the “who and how” scope definition – the

current implementation

• Tips for ensuring you haven’t defined the process smaller than it
really is

• Case study – hands on practice with documenting process

scope

• Initial assessment of the "as-is" process and goal-setting for the “to-
be” process

• A compelling and blame-free format for the case for action, and
methods for communicating it

• Clarifying strategic direction – the process “differentiator”

• Case study – hands on practice with process assessment and

goal specification

• Workflow models – techniques for modeling process workflow

• Components and terminology in workflow models (“swimlane

diagrams”)

• The most common errors in workflow modeling – missing the point,

“deception by sanitization,” and a rapid descent into detail

• Avoiding errors with three questions to drive the development of

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 your initial swimlane diagram

• A real-life example of applying the three questions

• Principles and guidelines – making your models useful, and knowing

when not to model

• Guidelines for actors – who or what can or cannot be an actor on a

swimlane diagram,

• Guidelines for steps – naming, multi-actor, and sequential, parallel,

and collaborative steps

• Guidelines for flow – what that arrow really means, common errors,
parallel vs. exclusive flows

• Representing the basic concepts in BPMN (Business Process

Modeling Notation)

• Additional symbols, keeping it simple

• Managing detail – controlling the detail of your models, knowing

when to stop

• Real-life example – why detail must be managed

• Controlling detail – three levels of workflow model (handoff, service,

and task)

• Definition, use, and example of each of the three levels

• Business modeling vs. specification modeling, and the problems

with being too precise

• When to stop – how to know when you’ve crossed the line and
aren’t modeling workflow anymore

• Making the transition to use cases, procedures, and task

specifications

• Techniques for facilitating an as-is workflow modeling session

• The basics – participants, resources, and tools

• Facilitated session ground rules – specifics for “process” sessions

• Tips and guidelines to ensure you’ll actually get through the process

• A reminder – the three questions to drive your initial “handoff level”

workflow model

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• After the initial pass – five questions to validate and extend the
model

• Case study – hands on practice with developing the initial

workflow model

• Progressing to further levels of detail

• Tips for designing the to-be process

• Three common redesign problems, three techniques to avoid them

• Final assessment of the as-is process – a framework for assessment

and its role in redesign

• Surfacing and challenging assumptions – using a “challenge

session” to generate improvements

• Characterizing the to-be process – generating creative

improvements

• Uncovering unanticipated consequences – using an enabler-based

assessment to avoid problems and understand the requirements for
process change

• Factors to make the new process sustainable

• Creating the new workflow – turning the to-be characteristics into a

workflow mode

• Review of selected work products from a structured assessment; a

quest for the secret sauce

• Lean Speak 101 - Knowledge Work Version

• 7 Principles for improving flow of knowledge work

• Waste in knowledge work

• Flow - definition and anatomy

• Enablers and flow

• Barriers to flow - recognizing patterns that frequently occur in

knowledge work

• Waste and flow

• Measures of flow – lead time, cycle time, value-creating time; rolled

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 throughput yield, productivity

• Assessing flow- “where to look, and what to watch for”

• Simulation-Hands on Practice in finding and eliminating

barriers to flow and quantifying the related business
improvement results

Food for Thought

What do you get when you put a Canadian (Alec) and a Texan (Robert)
in the same room?

• Exposure to English as a second language?

• Copies of their books?

• The chance to shape your own personal learning curve?

• How about access to 50 years of process improvement

experiences?

I also promise you two things:

1) The per day cost for LED members will be less than the per
day cost to attend an LEI offering ($800, currently)

2) There is no single offering comparable to this, anywhere, at

any cost at this time. (If you find one, let me know and we’ll
both go to that one instead.)

When I was early in my career, I had the opportunity to learn first-hand

from seasoned practitioners. They authored books and gave talks at
Conferences; some even still personally facilitated workshops on
occasion. They made lasting contributions to the field; the types of
people we might refer to today as “thought-leaders.”

Sadly, those folks are no longer with us. But Alec and I are. And
though our rates may be lower, we could consider raising them if it
becomes a deal-breaker.

Instructor – Alec Sharp:

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With over 25 years of consulting experience, Alec has provided hands-
on process modeling and improvement expertise throughout North
America, Asia, and Europe – this workshop is based on real-world
experience, not textbook theory. Alec has also delivered hundreds of
Workflow Process Modeling workshops, and top-rated presentations at
international conferences, including “The Seven Deadly Sins of Process
Modeling,” “Crossing the Chasm – From Process Model to IT
Requirements,” “Getting Traction for ‘Process’ – What the Experts
Forget,” and “Five Common Errors in Process Improvement.” Alec is
the principal author of “Workflow Modeling” (Artech House, 2009)
which is a consistent best-seller in the field, and is widely used as an
MBA text and consulting guide.

Instructor – Robert Damelio:

Another 25 yr person, Robert is a consultant, author, and President of THE BOTTOM

LINE GROUP, a Dallas, Texas based management-consulting firm. He has worked
extensively with both Fortune 500 and Government organizations to help them strengthen
operations, increase productivity, provide customer-perceived value, and enhance
customer satisfaction. His primary areas of expertise are process improvement, process
management, and change management particularly as they apply to knowledge-intensive
work in service, professional, administrative, and “non-manufacturing” processes.
During the last 10 years especially, Robert’s focus has increasingly been on helping
leaders within Client organizations plan, implement, and measure the results of their
major organization change and improvement initiatives.

Robert is the author of The Basics of Process Mapping. He has read Alec’s Workflow
Modeling and likes it. Many of you may know Robert from his current ASQ Lean
Enterprise Division leadership role, as Chair of Lean body of knowledge and certification
committee.

Target Audience:

Business analysts who are responsible for requirements specification;

process analysts involved in business process re-design or
improvement; business managers and content experts who will
participate in process re-design or process-oriented application
development efforts; process or application architects responsible for
developing, coordinating, and promoting an enterprise-wide view of
business processes.

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