Some thoughts on process management in 2020
As 2020 was coming to a close, I thought it might be interesting to hear from some process management professionals about how the year went. I solicited the help of two of my peers in the industry - Jean Suh at Capital Group and Jerome Deveix at Salesforce. Check out the stories below to see their thoughts on 2020, goals for 2021, and advice for organizations considering investing in process management in 2021.
Jean Suh - Capital Group
Operational Excellence Lead - Business Process Management
Meet Jean
I am currently an Operational Excellence Lead at Capital Group, where I lead the Business Process Management Center for Enablement (BPM C4E). My team partners with business units and business teams to strategically deploy our Business Process Management (BPM) program by generating awareness, identifying advocates, and creating and facilitating training for BPM engagements. When I am not working, I can be found playing catch with my two boys or trying to keep up with my wife and daughter!
2020 year in review snapshot
Capital Group is one of the world’s oldest and largest investment management organizations. To support the scalable growth of operations, we have grown and matured our transformation practices over the last half-decade. Specifically in a large business unit called Investment Operations, a major part of this evolution was a formal investment in BPM in 2019. After spinning up this BPM program in 2019, we were poised for a big 2020 – then Covid hit. Unexpectedly, the grassroots interest in what Operational Excellence was doing generated more pull and led to an expansion of BPM to the broader enterprise, despite the disruption brought on by the pandemic! This resulted in close to 50% growth over what was projected coming into 2020.
Regarding the process management strategy, Covid had no material impact. However, we did make some key tactical changes. Prior to the pandemic, our intention was always to do as much training and process design work in-person as possible. Obviously, this had to change in 2020. Like pretty much everyone else, we relied heavily on virtual communication technologies. This meant we needed to tweak our training content to fit a virtual platform while still maintaining the highest level of training standards. Thankfully, the teams adjusted very well to this change which allowed us to keep pace with the increased BPM demand.
It is worth mentioning how our “pre-Covid” BPM efforts paid dividends during the pandemic. We saw that teams who came into the year with a defined process framework were operating from a position of advantage. Leaders were able to examine their defined processes and determine if there was coverage for key operational processes due to work-from-home policies and changing work logistics. These conversations were able to happen immediately due to having documented processes. We also noticed project teams were able to leverage the standard process documentation we helped build to execute strategic system changes in support of process improvement efforts more easily this year. Since we tag all systems as they appear in the process framework, the project teams could easily gain insight into where outgoing systems were being used in the business. This information could be obtained in minutes as opposed to weeks and greatly expedited the work done to support the changeover of systems.
Looking ahead
As we enter 2021, the Investment Operations business unit at Capital Group will be looking to integrate the discipline of knowledge management into the business and blend that with existing BPM efforts. We feel this will create a robust platform for onboarding new employees and supporting existing workers with needed resources. Finally, as the company weighs “return-to-work” options, our Office Services department will be updating their standard processes to reflect necessary changes due to Covid. These process changes will be communicated to employees to support any potential return-to-work efforts.
What do you have to say to organizations who are on the fence about investing in process management in 2021?
To me, the business case is clear, but you will need time and attention to craft it in the right way that will resonate with your organization and your leadership. Do not undersell the cost or effort it will take, but the benefit on the other side should be a no-brainer. Sticking with the status quo means you will have the same issues with process understanding and execution in perpetuity. I think most leaders of strong organizations have an appreciation for the fact that change takes work (both time and money) but that, for many, where they are today is not sustainable and they cannot really see themselves managing processes the same way into the future. If your business case provides a path for a better process management future, you should get buy in fairly easily. Execution on the vision is another subject – we will have to cover that another time.
Jerome Deveix - Salesforce
Founding Member - Finance Transformation Process Excellence Team
Meet Jerome
As a founding member of the Finance Transformation Process Excellence team at Salesforce, I oversee Lean Six Sigma training and certification efforts as well as provide quality management for process improvement projects across Salesforce’s 1600-employee global Finance department. Outside of work, I can be found cruising the Bay Area on my Zero SR/S and scoping out new hiking and biking trails.
2020 year in review snapshot
Salesforce is a growing and innovating organization. Keeping everyone moving in the same direction is critical to our success. To help with this, Salesforce utilizes the V2MOM method for aligning and prioritizing what we are going to accomplish during a given year. With Covid impacting the entire world in early 2020, Salesforce leadership was quick to pivot and refocus our 2020 V2MOM based on forecasted challenges due the Covid response. The outcome of this refocus led to a narrowed list of projects for the year, allowing our teams to adjust to work-from-home realities while still pursuing key organizational goals.
Covid had less of a direct impact on me personally and the BPI team in general, as many of us had experience working from home and were prepared for the logistical challenges. However, some priority changes regarding process documentation did occur. For example, documenting new processes within Finance was disrupted since the department was navigating its first “virtual close” in company history. Additionally, Salesforce has some key process management outsourcing partners who were forced to decentralize their operations overnight to continue successfully supporting the business. These challenges notwithstanding, the process team still managed to conduct all necessary process management responsibilities successfully. Not surprisingly, 2020 also forced us to refine and improve many of our remote communication strategies which should pay dividends in 2021 and beyond.
Looking ahead
Regarding process management plans in 2021, Salesforce intends to continue in those practices which have garnered success thus far: Strategic process documentation efforts across key functions in global Finance, distribution of process standards into the business, consistent oversight and management of those process standards, and focused process improvement projects supportive of our 2021 V2MOM.
What do you have to say to organizations who are on the fence about investing in process management in 2021?
Investment in process management can pay dividends – but understand the “calorie burn” associated with it before beginning (noted as an obstacle on our V2MOM). Like any other business asset, a certain amount of maintenance is required to ensure business processes continue to add value. Look at standardized and managed processes as corporate insurance – it is costly, but it eventually pays off. Process management can provide some much needed operational “breathing room” in a time of stress (2020, anyone?). Additionally, think of all the business goals you have – most of them are achieved through processes. If you do not understand the intricate sequence of related activities, it will be next to impossible to pinpoint how you will get from where you are to where you want to be. With every downturn comes opportunity – do you have any budget surplus from lack of travel, general expenses, or overhead spending? If so, consider preparing for future disruptions by reinvesting that into a process management program.
Happy New Year from all of us (just me) at SimplifyingProcesses.com!
