Mark Twain once said “To stand still is to fall behind”. This is true for individuals and businesses alike. Business processes that are static (or not being improved) are slowly deteriorating. That’s why process improvement is an organic part of any organization’s growth strategy.
In the biennial BPTrends survey titled The State of Business Process Management conducted in 2018, 93 percent respondents from around the world reported having implemented multiple process improvement projects. 53 percent of the respondents were motivated to do so by the need to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Clearly business process improvement isn’t a buzzword devoid of meaning. It is a way of doing business for successful organizations.
If you’d like to be more structured in your process improvement efforts, here’s a quick primer to help you along.
What is business process improvement?
Business process improvement is the practice of employing various methodologies to analyze business processes and identifying areas where accuracy, efficiency, or effectiveness can be enhanced.
There are various business process improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean Management, Total Quality Management, and more.
For process improvement strategies to succeed, the right choice of business process improvement software is critical.
The need for business process improvement software
Compelling process improvement software helps facilitate many business benefits. Organizations primarily implement a business process improvement software in order to
- improve process turnaround time
- eliminate waste or friction in processes
- improve quality of products and services
- increase compliance with regulations
- boost customer satisfaction
- meet business goals effectively
If the chosen business process improvement software isn’t a good fit for your organization, it can introduce inefficiencies in your process instead of eliminating them.
So what do organizations need to look for when choosing process improvement software?
Features of highly rated business process improvement software
The leaders in the process improvement software market offer some common but important capabilities. Using these features as a checklist can help you identify the perfect business process improvement software.
1. Simple and intuitive
Simplicity and ease of use are very important features in process improvement software. The interface needs to be intuitive and empower business users to build processes and automate them effortlessly.
It should also feature drag-and-drop form builders that allow users to capture as much data as required. They must be able to adapt from simple to complex processes with ease.
2. Integrations
One characteristic of efficient processes is smooth and automatic transfer of data between systems. You can do this by integrating your business improvement software with other applications you use. Integration is an important capability to look for when you’re choosing process improvement software.
3. Mobility
Businesses that move at a slug-like pace are not likely to survive competition. In order to shorten process completion time, mobility is a critical feature to have in process improvement software. With mobile support, users can perform assigned tasks from remote locations on devices of their choice. This frees up productivity constraints, allowing businesses to function at their best.
4. KPI-based reporting
Measuring progress is a necessity for process improvement. Without benchmarks, it’s impossible to gauge if there is any change. Business process improvement software provides dashboards that you can customize with relevant key performance indicators (KPIs). This helps monitor processes while they are running and identifies bottlenecks before they cause problems.
5. Cloud-based hosting
Process improvement software with cloud-based hosting offers multiple benefits in comparison to applications with on-premise hosting. Cloud servers ensure that your business has minimal network downtime. They have centralized database, which makes organizing, storing, and retrieving data effortless.
6. Role-based access
Competent business process improvement software keep data secure with role-based access. This helps you safeguard confidential information from unauthorized access.
The right process improvement plan can set your organization on the path of continuing growth. Remember that it’s best to take a long-term perspective to process improvement rather than seeking immediate results.
How Kissflow Process can help
Kissflow is a no-code business process improvement software that is built with ease of use in mind. It has an uncomplicated interface that helps you set up automated processes quickly. It integrates effortlessly with your existing applications to power higher productivity.
Kissflow is built to scale and keep up with increasing business complexity. Real-time analytics and reporting provide valuable insights into process performance.
Try out Kissflow Process today to see how your processes can be improved.
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