First Things First -- Process BEFORE Technology

Here's a brief story I encountered while leaving Newark International Airport following a recent business trip. Hard to believe, but true.

After a long flight home from the West Coast, I took a short train ride to the long term parking facility, located my car (which is becoming more difficult with age it seems), and proceeded to the parking exit. Note that it's been a while since I've used the long term parking facility, as I normally use a car or taxi service, so I was largely unfamiliar with their new "high tech" customer solutions.

As I pulled up to the pay station (expecting the attendant to inform me of my charge), she immediately looked at me with the gaze of a very frustrated woman who's obviously done this before. In a short tone, she barked out an instruction suggesting that I had passed an automated ticket booth, from which I should have inserted my ticket and noted the charge. I complied with the instruction, quietly wondering why this woman was in the booth at all, given the fact that the machine and I pretty much had this thing licked. I concluded of course that she must be there to collect the money, so I proceeded to pay her. Not a good assumption as she pointed me back to the machine to insert my payment. OK, I get it, I interact with the machine for this too...no problem, thinking that this is a pretty good solution. I wait for the machine to give me my receipt, an obvious assumption given how the first two steps went. Nope...wrong again. This time she wants me to drive to her and pick up my receipt, at which point she presses a button, lifts the gate, and I'm on my merry way.

I can't help thinking about all the time and money went into implementing this slick new solution, that probably cost an arm and a leg, had little to no impact on cost savings, destroyed customer satisfaction, and obviously put the employee in a perpetual stae of 'grumpy'. No...what this was, is yet another example of "technology for technology's sake".

When I work with organizations on business impovement, one of the most important themes I try to drill home is PROCESS FIRST, then technology. You don't implement technology on top of a broken process. Nor do you attempt to fix a broken brocess with technology only.

The right path is to measure the effectiveness of the process before you begin. Establish a baseline. Understand how the process works today ('As Is' State). Look for places to improve the process. Define changes. Examine the effect of each potential change on overall performance. Then, and only then, define the technology, systems, skills, and organization needed to support the new process. Develop cost benefits and business cases. Re-examine the degree to which performance will be improved over baseline. And then your almost ready for implementation.

It's a simple principle, but one that often get overlooked. Try to pay some attention to this in your everyday life and you'll probably see many similar examples. Then, use these as lessons learned, and start living by the mantra- "First Things First"- process first, technology later.

For the past 18 years, Bob has served in a variety of capacities, ranging from Internal Auditing and operations management, to business process consulting and executive change management. He has worked for over 50 clients across numerous functional areas and process disciplines. His clients cover multiple industries spanning North America, South Africa, Europe, and the Pacific Rim.

Bob currently serves as Chairman and CEO of e Performance Group International, LLC, a company that delivers a unique web based platform for online benchmarking and best practice sharing for business professionals and executives.

In addition to his role at ePGI, he continues to provide private consulting, executive workshops, and selective speaking engagements to industry leaders worldwide in the area of benchmarking, business improvement and best practice adoption.

Bob can be contacted at rchampagne@epgintl.com or by calling directly @ 908-656-1179.

---

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Boot Camp

Service Level Agreements, or "SLA's" are tricky but useful mechanisms... Read More

Factoring Financing: How to Grow Your Business Without Debt or Loans

What is factoring?Accounts receivable financing, also known as factoring, is... Read More

Five Problem-Solving Success Tips

The ability to solve complicated problems quickly is more important... Read More

Comparing Ancient Programs from the East to Modern Programs like Stephen Covey.

Comparing Corporate and Personal goal attainment programs that have developed... Read More

Create Your Dashboard for Success

Driving down the road our eyes frequently scan the vital... Read More

Objects in the Mirror are Further Than They Appear

Definition From http://www.merriamwebster.com -- "Virtual: - being such in essence... Read More

Questions To Ask Employees You Want To Retain

Times of cost cutting and downsizing has dramatically impacted the... Read More

New Leadership For A New War

Military analysts call this "asymmetrical" war (as if war has... Read More

Interviewing: How to Stay Out of legal Hot Water

Some interviewers ask great questions; others ask dumb questions; and,... Read More

Managing Performance: Don?t Let Slackers Bring Down Your ?A? Players

As a manager, it is your job to ensure that... Read More

Riding the Waves to Success

Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few... Read More

New Job, New Culture: Do You Fit In?

It seemed like a good decision at the time. A... Read More

Effective Meetings - Quick Survey

Here's an easy quiz to check the health of your... Read More

Leadership in Troubled Times

Leadership in Troubled Times The... Read More

Influencing Change - A Guide for Sellers, Coaches, and Supervisors

When people or groups make a decision to purchase something,... Read More

Diversity in the Workplace

As you look around your office, is everyone just like... Read More

Selecting A Collection Agency

If you run a business, you are sure to have... Read More

How to Attract and Retain the Right People

If you're one of the many executives struggling with finding... Read More

Three Ways to Transmit Loud and Clear

The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but... Read More

Internal Control - The Why and How

Many retailers do not have good internal controls in place... Read More

3 Steps You Can Use Developing Leaders In Your Industry

With the economy bordering on a recession, every company is... Read More

You Cant Not Communicate

Most of us would like to be better communicators. As... Read More

Management Training: Are You Satisfied With The Results?

If you're not satfied with the results of your management... Read More

The Top 10 Things They Don?t Teach You In Business School

Here are 10 subjects that academia should be teaching their... Read More

Knowledge Management - Keys to Successful Communities of Practice (Networks)

How can I make my community of practice truly effective?How... Read More