Business Process Improvement (BPI) Projects - The Top Ten Reasons Why They Often End In Failure
Have you been involved in a failed business process improvement (BPI) project? Do you know what went wrong? Discover the top ten reasons why BPI projects often end in failure, and learn what you can do to prevent future failures.
Online, April 20, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Business Process Improvement (BPI) is widely recognised as being one of the best ways of reducing operational costs and/or increasing profits. However, the vast majority of Business Process Improvement projects end in failure - they fail to deliver the expected savings or profit increase; they cost far more to implement than originally estimated; in the worst cases, they fail on both counts.
I have worked as a freelance BPI consultant for more than ten years now, and the brief report below is based on my experience of the main reasons why BPI projects fail. I am sure you will find this report to be valuable if you can answer yes to one or more of the following questions:
- Have you been involved in a business process improvement project that failed to meet expectations?
- Are you a business owner or CEO who realises that your business needs to have more efficient business processes in order to remain competitive in your particular market?
- Are you a manager, team leader, or supervisor who is having budget reductions imposed on you from above, and you realise becoming more efficient and streamlined is the only chance you have of staying within these budgets?
- Are you just about to start your first business process improvement project, and you would welcome some advice from an 'old hand' at BPI.
BPI Mistake Number 10 - Handing over total responsibility for the project to expensive BPI consultants:
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against BPI consultants - I am one myself after all! However, it is important to realise that their number one objective is different to yours - yours is to reduce your operational costs and/or increase your profits; theirs is to make as much money as possible for their company. I have worked on lots of projects where consultants have been given a completely free rein, and the results have always been the same - escalating project costs.
Used correctly, BPI consultants are a valuable addition to any business process improvement project - the secret is to give them a tight framework to operate within, and to keep the responsibility for the project in your hands, rather than in theirs. By doing this, you will benefit from their knowledge and experience, whilst at the same time keeping a firm control on project costs.
To read the nine remaining mistakes visit BPI Mistakes.