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News and Insights

Anjuli Desai | February 11, 2020

With the new year in full swing, it’s an ideal time for federal agencies to look into updating their current processes. The rise of shared services and consolidated IT systems is pushing agencies to establish standardized procedures as quickly and effectively as possible so that they can stay on top of the ball. While some outdated techniques might only require a small tweak here and there, organizations who want to transform their systems completely can benefit from Business Process Reengineering, or BPR.

Business Process Reengineering is the total overhaul of current workflows, with a goal in mind intended to improve efficiencies or reduce costs. For an agency that wants to move forward with a BPR initiative, the first question may be, “where do I start?” At GovStrive, we offer a four-step approach to transforming an organization’s processes, but this strategy works best when combined with the efforts and leadership of an agency. Take a look at these five key factors in making a BPR initiative successful. 

   1. Agency/Leadership Commitment and Sponsorship

The first step to moving forward with a BPR initiative is ensuring that your entire party is on board for an internal change. This is called agency buy-in and applies to the leaders of a change initiative within an agency and the employees who will be affected by this change. To be fully committed to a Business Process Reengineering initiative, agency leaders must communicate a transformation that will be happening in the near future. This includes a catch-up on why the agency is choosing to implement new strategies and how its employees will be affected.

2. Inclusion of the Right People

Once buy-in has been achieved across the board, leaders of the proposed BPR initiative can recruit subject matter experts to contribute their insights on how to go about the transformation. Specialists in the field who are eager to draw up a road map can make contributions regarding subjects that agency leaders may not have the right expertise in, such as IT or HR. They should be provided with direction by a supervising team member, such as a senior manager, who has a high level of knowledge of the agency’s current business processes and how the departments work as a whole.

3. Clear Understanding of the Business Needs 

Implementation of a BPR strategy requires an understanding of current processes and a precise vision for the future. Once an agency has illustrated an exact business need, comprehension and discussion of the resulting impacts of the Business Process Reengineering initiative will follow. With thorough communication regarding current and desired business processes, the team can then get a better feel of how much work is needed. By developing a solid understanding across the board that recognizes a need, an agency will establish what changes should be made before diving into the overhaul process. Without this clear vision for the future communicated between leaders and employees, a BPR initiative could be a waste of work that would have been more useful as a simple tweak or two to current systems and processes. 

4. Crucial Change Management

Conduct crucial change management by identifying the agency’s KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators. These are the details that make up a BPR initiative as a whole and include factors such as the time it will take to overhaul current processes, costs, operational redundancies that can be eliminated, etc. The next step is to create a roadmap for your desired transformation. These are best created with the help of models and flow charts. Additionally, keeping the “end game” in mind is essential to managing the desired change. Business Process Reengineering is more than just the adoption of new practices, but also should be tied to higher-end goals while simultaneously improving human capital. A well-thought out change management strategy is crucial for success. This also includes a robust communication and employee engagement plan. 

5. Ongoing Continuous Improvement 

Don’t forget that BPR initiatives are ongoing procedures that need to be continuously reviewed and updated. How frequently an agency updates its documentation is a key factor of the workload within a change of processes, and regular updates and re-reviews are just as crucial as the overhaul itself. Maintaining proper training for employees, updating documentation and communication within the agency surrounding the newly implemented processes establishes a method of ongoing continuous improvement. 

Learn more about Business Process Reengineering and how GovStrive can assist you and your agency in its next transformation initiative. 

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