9 Steps to establish a process centre of excellence

The primary goal of any business is to establish itself as a successful enterprise that runs on well managed efficiency. This comes from a pragmatic set of principles when organising a process management centre of excellence (CoE). Creating a progressive venture means work is required when setting the foundations into place.

Solutions are, therefore, required when implementing any such business management plan on a grand scale. This is why many enterprises are using those offered by the business process management approach, to help organize their productions.

Embedded within this methodology are nine key steps for creating a process centre of excellence.

• Attain Executive Sponsorship

• Define Goals and Success Criteria

• Define Governance Structure

• Establish a Process Management Architecture

• Set-Up Process Management Library and Repository

• Establish Change Management Practice

• Take Process Inventory

• Prioritize Process Selection Based on Strategic Objectives

• Start Executing Process Management Projects

Attain Executive Sponsorship

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Holding any business centre of excellence together is the executive sponsor. They will ensure that the process management scheme is maximized, as their sole purpose is to provide support with their invested interest. Also, making sure to properly understand all the procedures in and around the enterprise, they need to be driven to help reach full efficiency.

Define Goals and Success Criteria

This means identifying what factors are driving the business in question, along with evaluating what has worked previously. Any process management centre of excellence needs to be fully aware of what it's looking to achieve. Establishing this early on is the key to success, as clear parameters need to be set. This can then help to chart how the business has progressed in the past and will continue to progress.

Define Governance Structure

Establishing how a centre of excellence is going to be run and by whom, needs to be done first and foremost. Scheduling meetings is essential because a coherent structure for the governing body itself has to be clearly stipulated. Individual roles for team members also have to be implemented too, so everyone has a strong idea of what part they will be playing in the overall scheme.

Establish a Process Management Architecture

When a business process management centre of excellence is looking at the more technical aspects of its day-to-day operations, a clear balance must be met. This simply means combining the theory and strategy with the more practical aspects of the company in question, such as IT and resources. Providing the management with a backbone, it will ensure that any organisation is fully realised.

Set-Up Process Management Library and Repository

Obviously there are going to be many components to an organisation that make up the whole. What this means is that, whilst the core repository will function at the top of the business strata, there will need to be the ability for it to adapt and grow as the company evolves. Key components will remain the same at the top, but when applied to more localized functions of the enterprise they will then be integrated in order to adapt accordingly.

Establish Change Management Practice

It's imperative that any business can evolve to meet the ever-changing needs and requirements asked of it. This will involve many different factors, such as management, operational and cultural. Management will look at the processes of the business themselves, along with operational which view how people interact with the business and cultural, which considers the institutional status-quo. Any process management centre of excellence will then need to take all of these into consideration and how they will effect change happening over time.

Take Process Inventory

All the processes within any organisation need be properly categorized in order to ensure operations are fully streamlined. This will include looking for any inefficient aspects of the company from the bottom level-up. Communicating with all aspects of the business will be integral for success here.

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Prioritize Process Selection Based on Strategic Objectives

It's imperative that any process management CoE pinpoints the projects and processes that will yield the highest rewards. This doesn't mean to start on the biggest projects first though. Starting on the smaller scale processes first, then working up will mean that nobody takes on too much at once. These processes can then be clearly prioritized a lot more easily.

Start Executing Process Management Projects

Now comes the point at which the first projects are undertaken. This will involve a constant evaluation of everything that occurs. After that, when the first reports come back they can then be used to modify and refine, as they start over once again.

This is only the beginning of realizing the full potential a company can reach using this methodology. Any CEO's hoping to establish a process management centre of excellence should be able to continually build upon this. After that, they should then see a model for success emerging.