Adopting "Systems View" while Process Improvement

Systems view refers to analyzing a problem situation as a system of interdependent processes that exchange input and output. This view helps to identify the important processes and their relationships as far as maximizing the organizational efficiency and goal achievement is concerned. This leads to the main principle of process improvement which is to emphasize on the importance of managing processes that creates output rather than managing individual tasks. Thus adopting systems view is important while performing process improvement. Another advantage of applying systems view is to perform an IT intensive System analysis and design where in we could define specific IT requirements on each point that requires processing of input to output. These IT specific requirements can then be mapped on to the integrated IT infrastructure that supports the Reengineered Business Process Automation systems.

Take the case of a document approval process in a typical bureaucratic setup. While reengineering this system by applying “systems view”, we identify the bureaucratic levels involved which process the paper into some form of output that goes down the levels (and sometimes up the levels too). We use techniques such as Business Activity Maps and DFDs (Data Flow Diagrams) to represent input, output, data storage and data flows. The models created out of this analysis can be easily mapped to a feasible IT enabled process automation system such as a Document Flow management Software implemented on the company wide LAN. Now since, all interested people can view, edit and comment on it almost simultaneously, the process of document approval is improved in its degree of accuracy (reduced human errors), reduced delay times and reduced cost of paper and distribution.

Article Copyright - Deepesh Joseph (2003-2020)

Research Reference:

1. Williams C. (2007). Management (4th ed., ). Thomson South Western.