Process leaders learn what process excellence means

Courtesy Photo | Lisa Hershman, executive officer, DeNovo Group explains how training supports DLA's end-to-end processes during Enterprise Process Training in February. (Courtesy photo)  

FORT BELVOIR, VA, UNITED STATES

04.09.2015

Courtesy Story

Defense Logistics Agency   

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - DLA Strategic Plans and Policy offered two days of Enterprise Process Management training in February. The training focused on how to use the results of auditability to improve the larger scope of end-to-end process management.

Although the training targeted process leaders, everyone plays a role in process excellence, because they are involved in one or more of the agency's DLA’s end-to-end processes. Process owners lead the agency’s implementation of process.

A major theme of process excellence is finding the balance between standardization and innovation. DLA is at a strategic crossroads, said Barbara Robertson of DLA Land and Maritime. It can move toward process excellence, focusing on standardization to realize efficiencies, or it can focus on customer-tailored goals that, while effective, might be less standardized.

“I’m not going to tell you to reorganize by process; everyone needs the same metrics,” said Lisa Hershman, chief executive officer of the DeNovo Group, which provided the training. “What I will tell you is to remain functionally organized, but manage by process. Everyone should align around shared metrics. Standardize when possible, and customize when necessary.”

To explain this challenge and offer high-level strategies to tackle the problem, Hershman’s team used a metaphor. They used an image of a major highway with off-ramps to show the balance between standardization and innovation.

The major highway represents efficiency, which is increased by process excellence, Hershman said. The off-ramps represented necessary deviations from the standard to address a specific problem.

“The challenge of deciding when to stay on the major highway versus taking an off-ramp is something that DLA must overcome to continue audit readiness and achieve process excellence,” Hershman said.

Hershman used the movie “Moneyball” as an example of how to redefine a problem, a necessity in process excellence. One critical point in the movie was redefining a baseball team's “problem” of how to win games.

Many teams chose the solution of focusing on huge fees for players who hit home runs. Their logic ignored other players who hit singles or got walks. Their manager redefined the problem from "How do we get more big home run hitters?" to "How do we score more runs than our opponent?” Then, using data, management could focus on metrics such as scoring runs in a variety of ways versus only home runs.

The two-day event shared results of interviews with roughly 30 DLA senior leaders. The data from the interviews confirmed several enterprise strengths, such as common use of process management language and a willingness to move to the next level. It also revealed some opportunities and challenges, including establishing good metrics and alignment, recognizing the limits of information technology, and replacing the confusion between business cycles and business processes with integration.

“Common terminology, consistent messages, discipline, agility and good governance are crucial to the success of DLA’s efforts,” Hershman said.

One question was concerned with measuring processes across supply chains.

“Measurement drives behavior; you must be careful when measuring to ensure it’s reasonable for a particular line item or commodity," Hershman said.

Hershman stressed the need for a well-defined strategy, including goals and objectives.

"Before re-engineering a process, define what you’re trying to solve, and is your measurement causing unintended consequences,” she said.

Trainers also addressed the future of enterprise process management at DLA, which was the subject of a few questions from attendees.

“[The EPM concept of operations] describes the concept as of today, but we need everyone’s help to evolve the end game and record it in future updates as EPM matures, said Angie Evans, DLA Strategic Plans and Policy. “We ask for your help to relay this training experience back to your leadership to help define what the end to end process strategy will be for the agency.”

• Date Taken: 04.09.2015
• Date Posted: 04.09.2015 09:25
• Story ID: 159500
• Location: FORT BELVOIR, VA, US