Understanding How to Organize Process

Process drives the work we do. We can evaluate processes on two axis – complexity and strategy – that help us decide the best way to manage and improve the processes.

Process complexity and dynamics are what types of tasks are involved in the process. Is it a simple, repetitive procedure with a few rules for handling cases outside of normal operation? Or is it a complex procedure with lots of decision points and special case rules? Think of this like driving somewhere. Driving to your local grocery is a simple procedure, with few possibilities of exceptions. Driving across the country has a ton of variables and dynamism to it.

While complexity can help drive the decision to automate, I strongly recommend that when thinking about it don’t ask if it can be automated, only ask what would be involved if a human were to do the job or how it is done with current technologies. Starting with the answer of automation leads to automation for automation’s sake, and that is a waste.

Dynamics is how much the process changes – some change rarely while others change rapidly to keep pace in response to changes in product or external factors (such as regulations).

Strategic importance asks about the value the process contributes to meeting requirements. Is the process a core competency, or an enabling process that needs to be accomplished to ensure that you can do something else that meets the core requirements? Needless to say, one company’s strategic process is another company’s routine process, which is why more and more we are looking at organizations as ecosystems.

Processes are in a hierarchy, and we use levels to describe the subdivision of processes. We’ve discussed the difference between process, procedure and task. At the process level we usually have the high-level process, the architecture level, which are the big things an organization does (e.g. research, manufacture, distribute), mid-level processes that are more discrete activities (e.g. perform a clinical study) to even more discrete processes (e.g. launch a study) which usually have several levels (e.g. select sites, manage TMF) to finally procedure and task.

Level of Process	Includes	Key Ways to Address
High-Level Process	How key objectives are met, highly cross functional	Organization design. System Design
Mid-level Process	How a specific set of departments do their major work blocks	Process Improvement
Low-level process	How individuals conduct their work in sub-blocks	Knowledge management, task analysis, training

Levels of Process

To truly get to this level of understanding of process, we need to understand just what our process is, which is where tools like the SIPOC or Process Scope diagram can come in handy.

To understand a process we want to understand six major aspects: Output, Input, Enablers, Controls, Process Flow, People.

Complex and Complicated as Tools for Process Understanding

Simple processes usually follow a consistent, well-defined sequence of steps with clearly defined rules. Each step or task can be precisely defined, and the sequence lacks branches or exceptions.

More complicated processes involve branches and exceptions, usually draw on many rules, and tend to be slightly less defined. Complicated processes require more initiative on the part of human performers.

Complex processes are ones that require a high level of initiative and creativity from people. These processes rapidly change and evolve as time passes. Successful performance usually requires a connection to an evolving body of knowledge. They are highly creative and have a large degree of unpredictability. Most complex processes are viewed at the system level.

Sources

Benedict, T. et al. BPM CBOK Version 4.0: Guide to the Business Process Management Common Body of Knowledge. ABMP International, 2019.
Harmon, Paul. Business Process Change. Morgan Kaufmann, 2019.
Nuland, Y. and Duffy, G. Validating a Best Practice. Productivity Press, 2020

Process and procedure complexity

People are at the heart of any organization. They set the organization’s goals, they manage it, they deal with suppliers and customers and they work together to produce results.

We manage this by processes. Process are on a continuum by how complicated and complex they are. Simpler jobs can be reliably done by following procedure. More complex ones require the ability to analyze a situation – using established rules – and decide which of several alternative paths to follow. In even more complex cases they analyze, diagnose, design, redesign, program, plan or schedule. In some cases, they create new products, processes and new ways of being. Very complex jobs require individuals who can analyze and solve very complex problems.

These complex, knowledge driven processes get difficult to provide as work-as-prescribed. The work involves thought and creativity, and finding the right balance is a continual balancing act of knowledge management.

Process, Procedure and Task

A task is the steps for doing a particular piece of work.

Procedure are activities made up of a series of tasks.

A process is an upper level description of a series of activities required to accomplish an objective. Processes are made up of procedures or tasks. They have inputs and outputs.

Process	Procedure	Task
Flow of sequences of activities that transform input elements into results	Specific and required way to carry out a process	Describe the correct steps to perform a specific task
What we do By Whom Where it takes place When it happens	How the work must be performed	How to accomplish a specific task within a process with very detailed directions
Orchestration the work	Mandatory method	Mandatory guidance
Can link to 0, 1 or more procedures	It may consist of 0, 1 or more task instructions	Focus on the instructions of 1 task
Transversal by business units	Cross functional or only 1 business unit	Only 1 business unit
Participate more than one role	Participate more than one role	Participate only one role
Encapsulates activities	Explains how to do but doesn’t get to all the details of how it is done	All of the detail of all the steps to follow in an activity
Provides the workflow model at the highest level using BPMN	Document with both narrative and images, usually in the form of use cases and workflow diagrams	Document with the maximum detail that explains step by step the instructions that must be carried out in an activity

Process, Procedure and Task Differences

This is the middle of a traditional document hierarchy and forms the Functional set of documents.

Task Analysis

What is Task Analysis?

A task analysis breaks down a complex task into its components – the steps involved and the knowledge required. To do a task analysis, you observe the work and interview a subject matter expert (SME) or key performer.

What do you want to identify in a task analysis?

Why someone would learn the skill
Prerequisite skills, knowledge and attitudes
Special materials or tools required
Warnings of dangers, both overall and at specific points in the process
The critical steps (no more than five to seven, otherwise you should split it into another task) and their sequence
Whether the sequence is critical or flexible
Any other steps necessary to complete the task and their sequence
How critical any given substep is
Conditions that must be satisfied before going on to the next step
Reasons for doing steps at a particular point
Signs of success for each step (for confirmations)
Signs of failure for each step

What is the process for doing a task analysis?

Review any documentation, manuals or process maps
Observe at least one expert and take notes as you observe
Either slow down experts during the task to ask questions or interview afterward
Identify each step
Document what you saw and what the expert told you, then ask for the SME’s reaction, there will almost always be gaps identified
Expect the process to be iterative

What should you ask the SME?

What is the SME doing?
Why is it important, or what is the rationale?
Why is the SME doing it that way?
Is there a warning necessary?
How does the SME know what to do next (if there is a choice between two or more actions)?
How can the SME tell if a step was done right?
How can the SME tell if a step was done wrong or incompletely?
How is the sequence critical?
What does the SME do that isn’t documented?

While often viewed from the training perspective, task analysis is a core quality tool that is utilized in procedure writing, automation, user interface development, problem solving and so much more.

SIPOC diagrams

I am a huge fan of a SIPOC which stands for suppliers-inputs-process-outputs-customers. A SIPOC diagram is a quick broad overview of all the elements of a process and serves as a great visual tool.

Start with the process

Provide the key steps of the process in the middle column and briefly describe its key steps. A SIPOC diagram is a high-level process map and is designed to get a birds-eye overview of the process. Do not include decision points or feedback loops.

Identify the outputs of the process

Focus on the key outputs of the process. In this step, write down the three or more main outputs. Use nouns for the most part and avoid categorizing your outputs into good or bad ones – that’s not the point of the diagram.

Identify the customers

List the people who benefit from the process. These don’t have to be the literal “customers.” E.g., if you are working on a diagram for an internal process, the “customers” are your coworkers. Think of who benefits from this process. Who would be upset if the process is not complete?

List the inputs for the process

List the inputs required for the process to function properly. Just like with every previous step, focus on the most important ones. Three to six main inputs should do.

Identify the suppliers of the inputs

List the suppliers based on what inputs the process uses. Be sure to mention any specific suppliers whose input has a direct influence on the output.

Tag: process analysis