A company only runs as well as its processes. It is why business process management is critical when managing a company. Process meaning, processes define how employees carry out certain tasks. When structured properly, processes boost efficiency and productivity.
However, as with any system, these mechanisms require control. By investing in process control, an enterprise can harness all the benefits of BPM. However, not every business owner or manager is clear about the value that process control adds to a company. For that reason, learning a few basics of how to control processes should give you an advantage.
What is Process Control?
It refers to the management of business processes to ensure that they maintain the same standards. As a company evolves, so does its needs. For that reason, the mechanisms put in place have to accommodate those changes. Through, you can watch out for any inconsistencies, abnormalities and other flaws that might affect how a business runs. After identifying the errors in a process, you can employ the right measures to correct them. Control guarantees that a company is operating optimally.
You can control processes in two ways.
Manual Process Control: With the manual approach, there is no specific way to apply control measures but you can identify key steps that must be taken in the process. But you may need to take judgement and discretion to make the right decision.
Example: Businesses Processes you may need some flexibility to adapt to a situation. For instance, unacceptable or improper behaviour may lead to disciplinary action.
Every situation is different, but you need a process to follow to make sure everything is done correctly to conform with the law and workers rights. But when human and varying results you can’t apply the same process to everyone as you will need the ability to flex to different situations.
Automatic Process Control: The other alternative is automatic control which delivers a high degree of consistency. Automatic control typically applies to production and manufacturing processes. It minimises human error and increases productivity.
The Value of Controlling Processes in a Business
If you are to spend time developing controls for business processes, you should know what benefits they bring.
Profit: By controlling the processes in an enterprise, you can increase profitability by reducing inefficiencies. A system that is operating at less than the maximum can cost a lot of money. Analysing processes allows you to pinpoint any issues that might be affecting efficiency and solve them accordingly. You can get rid of the problems before they eat into the bottom line.
Compliance: Controlling business processes ensures that you are compliant with various regulations. Different enterprises have to adhere to specific rules failure to which can result in serious penalties. Effective controls make certain that all regulatory standards are observed.
Safety: Process control improves safety. In some instances, especially in manufacturing, a single oversight can lead to catastrophic failure of an entire project or operation. Besides the monetary losses, a company could end up with injured workers. Controlling each process can help reduce the risks of accidents, thereby enhancing safety.
Quality: With adequate control of business processes, an enterprise maintains the quality of its goods or services. By removing abnormalities in a business process, you reduce the risk of mistakes that can compromise standards. Delivering high-quality products drives customer satisfaction and, consequently, revenues.
Save Money & Resources: Organisations can save money as the efficiency provided by effective controls eliminates resource wastages. By controlling business processes, you can identify redundancies in the system that might be costing you. Reduced risks and compliance also prevent you from spending money on legal issues.
Who can Benefit from Process Control?
Process control can be used for every business. Any organisation that has processes in place, as each one should, must invest seriously in controls. However, process control tends to be more prominent in sectors that manufacture mass materials and products. The manufacturing and engineering industries are the biggest beneficiaries. From oil refineries to electricity generating companies, controls play a significant part in maintaining product quality.
Process control is crucial to every organisation. It ensures that established systems run as they should by pointing out any inefficiency that might compromise the bottom line. Know the right tools and strategies to use to control business processes as necessary.