SickChicken

What are we doing?

Seems like an important question doesn't it? But often it is a question which is never asked. We don't think about what we are doing, we just do it!

Mapping our processes.

Sometimes it's useful to just sit down and figure out what we are doing. Sketching it out graphically can help us to understand what it is we do, and how we do it. It also gives us a way to visualize the process, and sometimes see things a bit more clearly.

What are our core competencies?

If we know what we are doing, then we can also ask, what are those things we do well. Of course there is a flip side to that coin. What are those things we don't do well. Then there is that third crucial question: What are those things that we should do well?

What value do we add to the organization?

OK, we do a lot. Great! But... What value does it add to the organization? Is what we do really worth doing? Sure we do it well, but do we even need to do it? What would be the effect if we stopped doing it?

Build, Buy, or Leave

When we know what we are doing, what are core competencies are, and the value we add to the organization, we have built a base of information from which we can determine whether we ought to continue the process, buy (or outsource) the process, or just plain don't do it.

Missing Processes

There are "ghost" processes in our organizations. These are things that are done outside of the formal channels. They get done mysteriously without anyone being officially assigned to do them. Sometimes, of course, these are processes we would rather live without, but sometimes they are important to the company. Then too, there are the processes that are "lost", they used to do them, but now they don't, and we don't even know who they are, or how they did them.

6 Core Process Sets

Customer Acquisition

Order Entry

Production

Order Fulfilment

Customer Care / Returns

Administration