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Process Implementation

The Hard Part of Process Improvement

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Agenda

Introduction Process Design/redesign Measures Implementation

Challenges How to overcome them Implementation steps

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Introduction

Bob Fantina Business Process Analyst at RIM Past Experience:

AT&T – Piscataway, NJ Lucent Technologies- Liberty Corner, NJ Merrill Lynch – Princeton, NJ Motorola – Plantation, FL NorthwesTel, Whitehorse, YT

Author Practical Software Process Improvement

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The Steps

Draft the ‘as is’ What happens today

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The Steps

Validate the ‘as is’ Identify and meet with pertinent stakeholders

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The Steps

Validate the ‘as is’ Identify and meet with pertinent stakeholders

80/20 Rule

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The Steps

Create the ‘to be’ Meet with the pertinent stakeholders

Workshop format is best.

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The Steps

Validate the ‘to be’

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The Steps

Establish viable measures

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Measurable Concepts

Call response time Mean time to repair Number of defects found per phase Number of defects introduced per phase Etc.

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Measurement Constructs

Base Measure(s)

Derived Measure(s)

Indicators

RawInformation

Combined base measures

Evaluation ofcaptured

data

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Indicator

Analysis

Derived measure Derived measure

Measurement Function

Base Measurement Base MeasurementData

CollectionLevel – Single

Attribute

Two or moremeasures

Measure usable for decision-making

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Indicator

Analysis

Derived measure Derived measure

Measurement Function

Base Measurement Base MeasurementData

CollectionLevel – Single

Attribute

Two or moremeasures

Measure usable for decision-making

(Target) (Actual)

(Formula to combine basemeasurements)

(Variance fromtarget to actual)

(Formula to combinederived measures with

associated decision criteria)

Information in a context for decision-making

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Process Implementation

You have now established: The ‘as is’ The ‘Should be’ Viable measures

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Now Comes the Hard Part

Implementation

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Exercise

Silent Brainstorming List reasons you have experienced that have

caused problems in implementing a new process.

(5 minutes)

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process Why is this so hard?

Resistance to change People are accustomed to doing things a certain

way. Even if they are unhappy with the process, they see the need for other people to change what they are doing.

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process Why is this so hard?

Fear of Learning Something New Sometimes people lack the confidence to learn

new skills. A process change often requires the learning of new tools, methodologies, etc.

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process Why is this so hard?

Fear of Failure If someone is successful in what they do, they

may not want to change it.

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process Skepticism

Seen as current management fad or buzzword.

“We’ve been down this road before.”

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process Why is this so hard?

Turf issues A new or redesigned process may make

information that was previously in the hands of one or two people more readily available. For some people, this may pose a threat to their expertise.

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Implement the New or Redesigned Process These may be masked by the ‘time’ excuse.

“This will slow us down.” “We don’t have time for all this paperwork.”

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Succeeding in Process Implementation

The Step to Success

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Assure Executive Ownership

Who is responsible for the success of the implementation? This may be the project sponsor, but it could

also be someone else with a significant stake in the success of the new or redesigned process.

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Communication

Let impacted stakeholders know well in advance that a change is coming. Provide information, when it is known, about

the change. Maintain communication on an ongoing basis.

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Assess Readiness

Determine who is impacted

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Assess Readiness

Determine who is impacted

X

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Assess Readiness

Readiness: The degree to which a stakeholder group is receptive to the implementation of the new or redesigned process. High Readiness: Stakeholder group views the

change as desirable. Low Readiness: Lack of interest; views the

changes as negatively impacting individual work, the organization, etc.

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Assess Readiness

How ‘ready’ is each group?

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Assess Readiness

How ‘ready’ is each group?

H

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Disruption Assessment

How disruptive will be change be to the impacted stakeholders? High disruption: Lots of turmoil, cost,

confusion and loss expected during implementation.

Low disruption: Very little turmoil, cost or loss of work.

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Assess Disruption

How ‘disruptive’ will the change be to each group?

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Assess Disruption

How ‘disruptive’ will the change be to each group?

H

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Readiness vs. Disruption

Evaluate readiness vs. disruption for all impacted stakeholder groups.

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Readiness vs. Disruption

Evaluate readiness vs. disruption for all impacted stakeholder groups.

H

H

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Overcoming Barriers

Low Readiness/High Disruption Meet with these stakeholders individually.

Determine their objections; often what they state is not the real reason.

For example, no one is going to say that the new process encroaches on his/her turf.

Determine how to overcome their hesitancy. Easier said than done.

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Overcoming Barriers

Resistance to change: Frequent, ongoing communication.

Give people the opportunity to get used to the ides of the change.

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Overcoming Barriers

Fear of Learning Something New: Communication should include that training,

mentoring and coaching will be provided prior to rollout.

Assure impacted stakeholders that they will not be left on their own to learn the new process.

Also assure them that everyone will have training, mentoring and coaching; no one will be singled out because he/she ‘just isn’t getting it.’

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Overcoming Barriers

Fear of Failure: Closely related to ‘fear of learning something

new.’ Assure impacted stakeholders that no one

expects them to become expert overnight. Learning the new process and becoming proficient with it will take everyone some time, and management is invested in providing support for as long as it takes.

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Overcoming Barriers

Latest Buzzword Syndrome: Engage management

At the start of the project to create or redesign the process

Periodically during the project At the start of training At the start of process implementation.

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Overcoming Barriers

Turf Issues: The most difficult to determine, and to

overcome. Encourage this person to become the SME for

the new process. If you have an idea early on that someone has

turf issues, try to involve him/her in the design of the new process.

Engage upper management.

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Overcoming Barriers

None of these is a ‘silver bullet.’ Combinations and variations of each will be

required for successful implementation.

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Training

Know your audience Different impacted stakeholder groups may

require very different training. ‘One size fits all’ may not work.

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Pilot

Select a subset of the impacted stakeholders, if possible. The new or redesigned process may not lend

itself to usage by a subset of the organization. The timeframe for the pilot should be short,

but sufficient to go through the process, end to end.

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Pilot

Training should be provided to the pilot participants before it is delivered to the larger group. Adjustment made as a result of the pilot may

alter the training.

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Pilot

Piloting should include close mentoring.

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‘Tweak’

Some adjustments may be made based on the pilot. Feedback received during the pilot should be

used to make the necessary adjustments before rollout.

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Rollout

After the pilot (if a pilot is held) Scheduled as far in advance as possible.

Let people know it is coming. Provide coaching and mentoring as

necessary. Be aware that both will probably be more

necessary than many of the participants will realize.

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Continuous Improvement

Capture the pre-determined metrics. Assure that the process is providing the

expected benefit. Adjust as necessary.

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Questions or Comments?

Process Implementation