I ask you, how can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you have been?  Do you know who is doing what and what role that is in the organization no matter who sits in the role?  Do you know where your manual processes are and how you might achieve efficiencies with system support?  Do you know what rules are necessary to ensure when you follow the process that you are in compliance?  Are you aware of the boundaries and how the HR process may be impacted by the Recruitment process, or how the supply chain process may be impacted by procurement. 

It is always amazing that there is someone who indicates process is not important, or we don’t need to do that until we get into designing the system and writing the specs.  Process Analysis needs to happen up front to determine where the opportunities are for change, how change will be instantiated and communicated, what training will need to take place, does the system support the process or not?  Are there other systems that are integral to the process?

Here are some questions to ask yourself and ensure you have the answers and your processes analyzed to provide a framework and foundation for everything else in your implementation.  The foundation will be there for testing, training, security, roles, compliance and ultimately change and communication. 

Questions;

What is the purpose of the process, outcome and result?

What are the Roles and how will they change?

What are the steps?

What are the business Objects?

What are the rules?

What is manual and where does the system support the process?

What training and testing will be necessary to ensure the process is working as planned?

What are the boundaries between processes and what is the impact on pre and post process?

How will all the changes be communicated and managed?

So if you think process is not important, look to those implementations where you have been involved and determine points of failure.  And on those that were supported by Business Process or Use Case Analysis how they had an impact on success. 

I remain amazed that there are still consultants and professionals who do not understand the value of understanding and anlyzing process at the beginning of an implementation…not in design, not in construct, not in transition, not in deploy but in the beginning to provide a foundation for all stages, phases and tasks involved in an implementation.

1. How many systems will need to be integrated into the ELM solution?
1. HR
2. CRM
3. Finance
4. Supply Chain
2. How do you envision the “end state”?
3. Competencies, are they all developed, configured?
4. Reports?  What do they currently have?  Additional? 
5. What metrics are of interest to the organization?
6. The challenge is to seamlessly connect skill and competency profiles, learning objectives, performance and succession planning data, employee development plans, training metrics, and financial tracking with the LMS.
7. Is Integration Broker up and running? With PeopleSoft integration technologies, an application is integrated once to the hub. Publish/Subscribe
8. Are you planning to Allow a learning event to be triggered from any management solution such as CRM, HR, or supply chain.
9. Prepackaging integration points to HRMS and FMS. Do you have a list?
10. Policy and Procedures documents?
11. Approval Requirements? Rules?
12. ePerformance?
13. Table Values?
14. Table Loading Sequence

How to Create Competency Models
Brief Refresher on Competency Models
Competency models are simply lists of characteristics required to do a job well. For example, the competencies for a patrol officer might include:

• Attention to Detail
• Problem Solving Ability

These competencies typically have definitions. For example:

Attention to Detail: Pays attention to details to ensure they are correct.

Competency definitions are most useful if they include a scale which helps identify low and high levels of the competencies. For example:

Attention to Detail: Pays attention to fine details to ensure they are correct

• Low: Shows concern when errors are made in detail but does not make special efforts to fix them.
• Medium: Is careful in work and takes the time to ensure details are correct.
• High: Is very careful in work, checks final result, puts in extra effort to re-do work when it is not up to their personal standards.

Typically, there are around seven to ten competencies for a job. While one could often justify having more competencies the models become too hard to use.

Tools for Building Models
There are three main tools used to build competency models. They can be used alone or in combination.

1. Select from Existing Competency Dictionaries
   Many consulting firms have dictionaries of existing competencies. They may even have lists of jobs with associated competencies.  In addition, PeopleSoft is delivered with vanilla competencies that can be reviewed. A client can simply select and edit competencies from the dictionary that they feel relevant to the job.
2. Use an Expert Panel to Define Competencies
   An “expert panel” normally consists of HR, one or more managers of the job being discussed and one or more incumbents of the job being discussed and a consultant. The expert panel discusses the job and decides what competencies are required.
3. Research on the Competencies Required to Do the Job
   The most scientific way to determine the competencies required for a job is to do research. Typically this is done by doing structured behavioral interviews of high performers and average performers. The interviews are analyzed and the differences between high and average performers become the basis for the competency model.

Selecting a Tool
The key issues in selecting a tool are:

• What can you afford (in time and money)?
• How well do you understand the job?
• How much do you want to learn about competencies?

Here are some common scenarios and the appropriate tools:

• Small company with limited resources
  Often small companies find they can only afford the cheapest, quickest approach which is to select from a competency dictionary. This does not add a lot of value but is better than not using competencies at all.
• We already understand competencies and we understand the job
  If the job is well understood and you already understand competencies then you may find that selecting from a competency dictionary meets your needs.
• We need to understand the job better and we want buy in
  Using an expert panel typically helps you ensure that you develop competencies that are well tailored to the specific job. Just as importantly, you get buy-in and understanding from the people who will be using the model. For most situations, this would be the method of choice.
• It is a critical job and it’s worthwhile to get it right
  For a large population job, such as flight attendants in an airline, or critical jobs, such as senior auditors, it is often worthwhile to do a research project. It is also useful if you suspect that there may be competencies that an expert panel would be unaware of.
• We want to really understand competencies
  A research project is the best way to really understand what competencies are all about. An HR department might well want to do one or two research projects to learn about competencies before retreating to faster, cheaper tools such as expert panels or selecting from a dictionary.

Caveat
Generally, far too much effort goes in to building a model, and too little effort goes into using it. In general it may make sense to try to get a rough model together quickly, start using it, then refine it based on what you learn.

Role of Consultants
Companies new to competencies should probably use a consultant to help them get started. However, in general it is best if the consultant is the teacher and coach while the company (usually HR) does the actual work of building the model.

If the consultant does the work they will gain a deep understanding of competencies and jobs. You, the client, will get a piece of paper.

How many people do you know who live through change programs but never change. they are survivors who maintain the status quo with a vigor. These are the people leaders must convince one by one. They are comfortable and do not want to be uncomfortsble. The leaders in the organization must understand that the usual operational models may not work. Change cannot be done piecemeal but must be a highly coordinated project that permeates the entire organiization.

Change that is implemented in pieces is doomed to fail just as systems implemented in pieces often fail due to lack of integration. Change must be managed as dynamic like balancing a mobile. If you move one part of a mobile it impacts everything else and often throws it off balance. Implementations and change are similar, you must always look at the entire picture not your little corner of the world. The “What’s in it for me” message is needed to be answered but only in the context of what’s in it for the organization and the success of the organization that includes me. The change message must be the same throughout the organization and every communication must deliver the same message that relates change to vision.

Messages must b clear, consistent and endlessly repeated and even then the message may not get through to the survivor who manages to get through the changes in the organization without ever changing. Ultimately, that one person can defeat an entire project and have an impact on the organization. They are the one piece in the mobile who remains the same when all others change and the result is an imbalance in the project or the organization.

Let’s see, where were we…ah yes discussing change in organizations. Are you in an organization that understands their strategies and core values? Do they remain fixed while practices adapt to change. There are times when strategies must be adjusted and practices will change, but the core values are the foundation that remains the same.

There is a difference between what should never change and what in the organization should be open to change. To understand the vision of an organization it is imperative that you understand the core values or ideology and what the organization is seeking in the future. Core values and core purpose are those fundamentals that do not change and tells you where you are. The future is where you may be going and that can change as the world and economy changes. Can your organization demonstrate core tenets this well?

Can you articulate the core values of your organization? Living in Orlando provides an example or core values in an organization that is demonstrated to the world daily. Not only can employees articulate the value but anyone familiar with Walt Disney Company’s core values have a clear understanding of imagination and wholesomeness, product excellence and service to the customer.

Let’s ask your employees what core values do you personally bring to work? These core values are values you would communicate to your children, hold regardless of the rewards and will continue throughout your work and home life. Will these values be as important 100 years from now as they are today? If you were in charge of your organization, what core values would you espouse?

So it has been established that we need to clearly articulate our core values. Next let’s talk Core Purpose. An organization has a core purpose and that is to reach for a star but never quite get there. The purpose of an an organization lies in it’s reason for being. Well of course it is to make money and provide value to shareholders. Hmmmm is there more to the purpose of your organization than that? If it wnt away tomorrow what would the world miss by not having your organization exist? Keep asking why and you will begin to discover the purpose of an organization. A hospital might indicate we have an ER, why? We pay our nurses a percentage more than any other hospital in the region, Why? We provide educational opportunities for the community, Why? Keep asking the why questions to identify the purpose.

An organization can demonstrate competence just as an employee can but purpose provides what your organization stands for at the end of the day.

In conclusion, if it isn’t core, it can be changed. So what will you change and how will you foster that change. Answer all these questions as you begin any change process or initiative in an organization or implementation.

Consultant “Do you have your processes documented?” Client: “Of course, let me show you the ringbinder where we keep them. I had to use them the last time we did an upgrade and they are somewhere here. Oh yes, here it is the red ringbinder in the back of the overhead on my cubicle. What? Do the executives review them…you have got to be kidding.”

Consultant: “Can you show me how they cross all the organizational boundaries? Where they start and where they end? What are the results and who is the owner of the process? Who is getting value at the end of the day?” Client: “Huh?, I just keep the binder of the visio documents, I don’t know who uses the process documentation.” And so on, and so on.

Process is not something to keep in a binder on the shelf, but something to review on an iterative basis. Do your processes remain static? Are the roles always the same, do they change? If so, how and who integrates the change into the organization to ensure it is accepted? It is important to identify the stakeholders, the change agents, the processes that change and how they change. Is the change a result of a policy change, a change in the system, a role enhancement, a performance concern either system performance or performance of an associate? There is an impact to the organization which will effect systems, people, process, procedure outcomes or results that must be addressed.

Who owns the process? The process owner is the person who gets value at the end of the day. What does that mean? It means the highest level ownership in the organization, the role that ensures that part of the organization is achieving the results expected and the results that support the organizational vision and direction. I wonder how many associates can explain how what they do will impact the direction and strategy of the organization..in fact, how many can articulate the vision or strategy of the organization?

Process is the absolute foundation of the organization and determines where any implementation or upgrade will go and whether or not it will be successful. It is the foundation for system, customizations, training, testing, and ongoing support of the organization so again I ask…where are your processes? In a binder on the shelf, or in the forefront of organizational and strategic discussions?

Process, Process, Process. How many times have you worked with organizations who insisted they wanted to improve their processes? Hours were spent analyzing the “as is” and the “to be”. Requirements were identified, opportunities, and efficiencies evaluated. Improvements were possible in system, process, policy and performance and the road to the future was determined.
And then, it stopped. It was time to address the system and ensure the technology was upgraded but what happened to the opportunities? The opportunities were sacrificed to ease of technological implementation, to the ways we have always done it and to meet the “go live” date identified. Bring it up as “vanilla” as possible and move on. Who would look to the policy decisions that needed to be addressed, how would people be trained to improved performance and when would the “to be” processes be tested and documented? My guess would be never or perhaps the next time someone realizes things are going awry.
Managing your processes constantly is a key factor in navigating the problems that arise in the organization. Managing process helps to manage change. Change is not an option but a daily reality. Whether organizations want to change or not…they will. Organizations must make investments in process and change. What investment has your organization made in process and change? A few weeks of process analysis or an ongoing strategy to evaluate process and change? Only with change will new organizational capability be present in an organization.
Ability to perform and the capacity to scale is a task that needs to be addressed in the process analysis process. How many databases do you have with the same data, but no integrity? How do your processes link your stakeholders to the business? Have you even determined who your stakeholders are internal and external to your organization?

How to you get through the day? What do you do to keep on keeping on? Here are some suggestions:

1. Take advantage of your power hours. Are you an early riser who tackles your morning to-do list with all the gusto of a cat capturing a canary or are you a night person who seems to get more done after 11 p.m.?
Either way, take advantage of your own time cycles and energy to accomplish the optimal productivity.

2. Focus for five minutes. Focus on the tasks at hand. The most difficult thing for a creative, energetic person is to maintain the focus. Try to complete a task rather than context switching from one task to another.

3. Create “to do’s”. Write down the item you need to do and place it somewhere where you can see it – your patio door, refrigerator door, car dashboard, calender, iphone, bathroom mirror, inside your reading glasses. Posting lists and notices for items you wish to accomplish in a highly visible place, helps remind you to get them done.

4. Use your calendar: Do you have a task that has been lingering on your to-do list for days, weeks or even months? Use your calendar, your phone reminder, outlook reminders, google reminders and set a date to complete that task. Break the task down into reasonable amounts to work through to completion.

5. Reward, reward, reward. Give yourself credit as you accomplish even a small part of the task you set out to do. Keep gold stars handy for recognition.

6. What is the hardest thing you have to do? Usually if you complete it at the beginning of the day, you will move through the day more quickly. The more you leave those tasks to low energy times, the less you will accomplish.

7. Make a decision. Putting off a decision on what to do with that piece of paper won’t be any easier tomorrow than it is today. Train yourself to categorize every item that comes across your desk as something to do now, delegate, dump, or defer. Defer does not mean placing it back in the pile and pretending it does not exist. That is the pathway to failure. It means putting it in a dated tickler file, scheduling a time to do it, or moving it to a someday to-do list on your calendar and completing it to avoid the guilt and stress that are inherent in putting things off til tomorrow.

8. Find a team to work with or a mentor to give you encouragement along the way. Celebrate your success.

9. Finally make promises, keep promises, give yourself rewards for accomplishment, enlist the help and encouragement of friends to keep you moving along. Maintain your calendar and check your “To Do’s” each morning and cross some off at the end of each day. Nothing feels better than crossing off or eliminating something from your list.

10. Identify what you need to accomplish, set a timeline for accomplishing that task and maintain documentation to support what you have accomplished.

And how do you keep on keeping on when you are on a team of negative noras who constantly complain? You focus on your own achievements, stay positive in the face of all negativity, and ask for solutions rather than complaints.
Just keep on keeping on in the face of adversity, negativity and complaints and be grateful each morning your feet are above ground!!

It seems Business Process templates are used on every project with varying degrees of success.I have used Rational, Visio, PDF’s, and templates that have been developed to encompass a modified Rational approach.

The current project is reviewing all the delivered processes and using them as a basis for the development of the “to be” processes for the implementation. New projects always result in a search of the “PeopleSoft” now Oracle website to find the delivered processes and each time it is a matter of wading and searching to find them.

Daniel, who is one of our business analysts on the project found this link which has provided an excellent resource for our process development work.

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17355_01/hf91bpm0/index.html

Oracle also has a PDF of the 9.1 processes. Let us know where you are in your business process work and how you developed your “to be” processes for your implementation.

Objective of the Meeting
The purpose of this discussion is to provide a foundation for decisions and definition of your system and
processes during the Discovery Sessions. The discussion will center on some of your current
information and discuss ideas for the forthcoming implementation. Please participate to the best of your
ability.
There will be information and additional research that may be required following the discussion sessions.
What is needed for Process Analysis:
• Ability to conceptualize future state
• Roles: Who does what in the process
• Boundaries: Where does the process start –end.
• Pre-Post Conditions
• Rules: Regulations
What are your pain points?
Are there points in the process that could be eliminated?
Are there manual processes that you would like to have supported by the system?
What changes are you most apprehensive about in changing process?
Keep the following points in mind as we discuss process:
Points of Discussion
Base Benefits
Do you have Benefit Programs?
–What differentiates the Programs?
How many Medical Plans?
How many Dental Plans?
How many Vision Plans?
Plan Summaries, Plan Documents
Benefits
Describe your benefit types: (Examples)

• Long-Term Care

• Medical

• Legal Services

• Wellness Credit

• Vehicle

• Uniform

Base Benefits Dependents/Beneficiaries
• Child
• Employee
• FostChild
• Grandchild
• DPAdult
• Dom Partnr
• DPChild
• Other
• OthQ Dep
• Stepchild Child
• Spouse
• ExSpouse
(Provide any manuals or reference procedures if applicable)
I am sure anyone who has conducted informational/discovery sessions will have information and questions to add to this blog. Please feel free to send additions or comment.