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The greatest obstacle small business operators face in adopting business process management is themselves. That factor could account for the underutilization of BPM by small businesses -- and the reason BPM vendors have targeted the small business sector as a huge potential market. Of course, the abundant offerings of vendors can be confusing, and the trade jargon can be daunting. Still, the reluctance of small firms to fully utilize BPM often comes down to one thing: attitude.
I agree with John that for small businesses, or any businesses in fact, one of the biggest obstacles to improving processes is attitude. Its not only a traditional mindset of "we've always done it this way", its also a time issue. Most businesses are up to their eyes in running the business and doing the work that has to be done that they don't have time to think about how to do things better.
It is the time issue alone that can make an investment in a consultant with proven process improvement experience worth every penny. A good consultant can work with people without having to consume hours of their time. If they are also experts in the implementation of a specific BPM tool, they can guide the solution to the strengths of the product and avoid common pitfalls, so that the implementation effort can be significantly reduced. But don't believe it is quick an easy.
From day one of a project, its a challenge to implement a BPM solution for an important workflow in less than 10-12 weeks (my experience from insurance and banking industries). 80% of that is consulting time and the remaining is time for workers with a real job to do.
Another option is to consider adopting more collaborative applications that do not require heavy analysis and implementation up front, and can allow the benefits of an organized work environment to take hold before going in and re-engineering the operations completely.
Improving the way employees work and interact is essential, but paying through the nose to do so also does not make sense. Carefully consider whether the software vendor currently pounding on your door can deliver what you need with minimal fuss and investment.
It is the time issue alone that can make an investment in a consultant with proven process improvement experience worth every penny. A good consultant can work with people without having to consume hours of their time. If they are also experts in the implementation of a specific BPM tool, they can guide the solution to the strengths of the product and avoid common pitfalls, so that the implementation effort can be significantly reduced. But don't believe it is quick an easy.
From day one of a project, its a challenge to implement a BPM solution for an important workflow in less than 10-12 weeks (my experience from insurance and banking industries). 80% of that is consulting time and the remaining is time for workers with a real job to do.
Another option is to consider adopting more collaborative applications that do not require heavy analysis and implementation up front, and can allow the benefits of an organized work environment to take hold before going in and re-engineering the operations completely.
Improving the way employees work and interact is essential, but paying through the nose to do so also does not make sense. Carefully consider whether the software vendor currently pounding on your door can deliver what you need with minimal fuss and investment.
