The evolution of processes: a strategic axis of digital adoption

People, processes, and technology are the vertices of the triangle upon which any company supports both its business lines and its internal structuring. In a context where there is an increasing rush to incorporate and more difficulties to define, the importance of the processes or workflows that, hand in hand with people, sustain any organization on a daily basis stands out.

In this article, we aim to show the methodology we use at Raona and some of the points that must be considered regarding processes so that the symbiosis that must be generated between them, people, and technology is optimized and, therefore, digital adoption (people) (technology) does not become a whim of chance. To do this, we will review four phases that must be considered when evolving processes and that must be executed from a change management perspective: identification, definition, deployment, and adoption.

Identify

In most organizations with a certain level of digital maturity, there are countless processes that, mediated with technological participation, support the day-to-day operations of their business.In some cases, these processes are strategically identified and defined. In more operational cases, the organization’s progress and staff turnover will form techniques based on trial and error, or survival, bringing manual methods, time investment in low-value-added tasks, and, in many cases, frustration for the people in charge.For any process evolution approach, a discovery and identification phase of potential needs will be necessary. In this phase, it is recommended to use different methodologies through questionnaires and working sessions with end-users, with whom, through Design Thinking techniques, we can extract a list of processes with their importance, their difficulty to change, and a high-level outline of their implications. This will allow us, in turn, to establish a prioritization that guides our work.

Lifting

We can hardly evolve something if we do not know and understand it in detail. In this second phase, attacking each process individually, we will try to: on the one hand, draw the process as it is being carried out today, identify the phases, the tasks in each phase, the actors involved, and their responsibilities; on the other hand, we will try to identify, drawing from the current method, the objectives and aspirations of the process.

This second part of the analysis will be fundamental so that in the definition phase, we can propose new, more comfortable or efficient ways to achieve the same result.One of the most common techniques for lifting the process is Shadowing, in which an external and expert consultant observes, together with the employees themselves, how they execute the process in a real scenario. This technique can be complemented with some ideation dynamics when identifying the objectives and aspirations of the process.

Define or Reformulate

Once we have drawn a process, the most difficult and creative phase begins: redrawing it again, optimizing it. Throughout this phase, interdisciplinary work between the main process managers, the change management consultant, and the technical consultant is essential.At least these three roles will be required in the operational iterations to ensure the corporate viability of the changes, identify the necessary actions at the communication and training level, and, finally, ensure the technological viability of the proposed changes.Depending on the type of process, there will be countless possible areas for improvement, both from a digital point of view (automation, applications, artificial intelligence, etc.) and from a human perspective (task redistribution, role substitution, etc.). All of this must be validated with the process managers so that the new process definition aligns with their actual objectives.

Deploy and Adopt

After validating and finalizing the definition phase, it is time to test it. Again, at this point, we identify a functional duality: first, the viability of the new reformulation must be verified in a real and controlled environment; and, in the same way, the change management plan must be executed on a small scale so that, when the final deployment comes, its launch and subsequent adoption are ensured.

Focusing on change management, it will be essential to identify a group of Early Adopters who, with enough proactivity and vision, can provide feedback and suggest improvements for the global launch.

At this point, all the requirements identified in the definition phase must be translated into specific communication, training, and dynamization actions, in a strategic and paced manner.

With the completion of the pilot with Early Adopters, it is highly recommended to encourage a space for collecting barriers identified by them in the plan, in order to establish the pertinent remediations for the final launch. At this point, the global launch is available, which should be complemented with support, especially in the early stages, through a digital corner, a frequently asked questions space, or a navigable process mockup that allows identifying the considerations of each phase and actor involved.

Regarding change management, it is essential to consider the three strategic vertices: people, processes, and technology. Their interaction and symbiosis can make a difference when evolving any work area. Highlighting the importance of processes, as well as a proper methodology for their optimization, can improve the change process of any company.