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Process Design

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I looked up “Process Design” and found:

“The activity of determining the workflow, equipment needs and implementation requirements for a particular process. Process design typically uses a number of tools including flowcharting, process simulation software and scale models.” 

Hmm… that is good but “So What”?  Why should a service provider care about process?  I have heard some say that process is secondary to automation.  Okay, sounds good, but then we have to consider, “What are we going to automate?”

Every Certified Process Design Engineer knows that when it comes to process we are talking about activity.  The key is that we need just enough process and just enough governance to meet requirements.  Process design contributes to our ability to balance speed and agility with stability.   Having good process design allows for a smooth service belt that delivers value to customers and also gives a service provider the ability to meet business and customer demand at a cost that won’t break the bank.  We could invest in all the best talent and tools in the world but without good process still not achieve the outcomes that we had hoped for. Good process design is agnostic to any framework or standard that you might follow in your organization and is critical for every service provider to meet their desired outcomes. 

There are many frameworks and standards that define best practices for achieving quality IT service management (ITSM) - ITIL, ISO/IEC 20000, COBIT, CMMI, DevOps, Knowledge-Centered Support, etc.

While each describes processes and controls (what to do), none provide clear, step-by-step methods and techniques for actually designing, re-engineering and improving processes (how to do it).


For more information on how to design, re-engineer and improve processes for yourself or for your staff:  “Certified Process Design Engineer”  or  “Certified Agile Process Owner”
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