Preliminary considerations
One of the difficulties that Entrepreneurs face is being able to establish, with a high degree of success, the situation that their Company is going through, comparatively with the local market and the international market, as well as its operation, organization and internal functionality.
We consider it vitally important to establish the elements it has, by reviewing some points, which may be indicative of the current situation and from which we can start the analysis, leading us to determine the state and possible modifications, constructions and actions that needs to be done. In the same way, internal meetings should be started to prepare the work teams, responsible for the future actions of the organization.
The Entrepreneur must make an inventory of the existing elements in the organization, the most relevant:
Flowcharts of operations, maps or process trees, organizational structure, definition of functions and responsibilities, rules and procedures of activities, Philosophy and purposes of the Company, Vision, Mission and strategic plans.
As well as the types of measurements and indicators of the different actions that are carried out within the same activities.
Now, to follow a coherent methodology, to investigate and establish the current situation, it is necessary to follow a series of steps that allow the entrepreneur to visualize the state of their organization, by developing a theme, by which we can review the different aspects inherent to its processes and activities.
For this purpose, we have prepared a series of concepts, which in their development will be explained systematically, following these steps in order:
1. Organizational Diagnosis
2. Strategic Planning
3. Integrated Information System
4. Strategic Service Plan
With the analysis of these steps or stages, you will have an objective vision of your Company and will also implement and start up a series of efforts focused on the gradual improvement of your activity and the generation of measurement systems for your processes.
In each of the installments, we will detail the content of the steps, in the form of modules, which will be systematically shaped until the development of all the concepts.
These modules are designed in a very simple way, but they are extremely synthetic, to avoid the accumulation of the material that illustrates the content, and they are prepared in a manner consistent with the subjects that are the object of the study.
To the businessmen interested in the matter, we suggest you keep an eye on the publications that are being made. In these, the points stated will be detailed one by one. The publications will be fortnightly from the first of July.
Organizational diagnosis
Previous steps
To achieve the Organizational Diagnosis, it is necessary to carry out a series of steps, which, once completed, lead us to an Evaluation, prior to completing the following steps:
1. Compile the existing information in the Company, stated in delivery No. 1 (Please review previous delivery).
to. Flowcharts of operations, b. Maps or process trees, c. Organizational structure, d. Definition of roles and responsibilities, and. Activity rules and procedures,
F. Philosophy and purposes of the Company, g. View, h. Mission, i. Strategic plans and objectives, j. Management meters.
2. Check the validity of each of the elements to initiate the necessary preliminary processes.
Outdated items should be discarded. At this point it is definitive to establish how up-to-date the material is and if it can be a sure object of analysis, to start from it in the consequent tasks.
It is preferable to start from scratch, than to have elements of judgment that are not in use or do not reflect current events.
3. Prepare the Minutes where the found elements are registered, with a clear and precise indication of their current status, or of their selection to restart the reconstruction process.
4. Form work teams, assigning each team its members, responsibilities, scope of work, characteristics of the material to be delivered and duration term.
In addition, its form of organization, operation, tasks and functions of each should be suggested.
5. The fundamental teams to carry out the work would essentially be the following:
to. Detailed survey of operations.
This team must be made up of specialists in the graphing (Flowcharts) of the operations. It is advisable to have Industrial Engineers, or their equivalent, coordinated by a specialist in process surveying.
b. Analysis and construction of the process map
This team should be made up of analysts specialized in the review, adjustment and modification of the processes and the elaboration of maps or trees of the same, with the supervision of an Expert in this type of work. This equipment is vital, because the operational functionality of the Company depends on it.
c. Functional and organizational analysis.
This team must be made up of specialists in Organization, Functions and Systems, who together with the Management team that follows, are responsible for determining the processes, functions and structure of the Company's systems. Corresponds to the team, the study, analysis and modification of the flows of operations, the simplification and rationalization of work.
d. Management, Administration and Systems.
This team is made up of members of the Company's Senior Management, assisted by specialists in Organization, Administration, and Systems, who will ultimately verify the work carried out by the previous teams.
Each of the steps described above must be confronted with the different work areas defined in the processes, and their decisions must be agreed with those responsible for the same areas, with whom they will establish the respective management measurements in each area and the summaries of the entire Company.
Now, we are going to assume that the information necessary for the analysis and subsequent organizational diagnosis does not exist and, consequently, it is essential to prepare the missing documentation. We are going to review the procedure that must be carried out in each of the steps:
1. When there are no diagrams of operations
We must use the equipment formed in the previous delivery, called "Detailed Survey of Operations" (Please review previous delivery), who will proceed to carry out the detailed survey of the different operations carried out in the company, with the collaboration, assistance and supervision. of the responsible personnel, in charge of executing these operations, who will ultimately be the people in charge of verifying them.
This process must be carefully performed, without omitting any details, even when we find inconsistencies in the steps. With these flow diagrams, the respective trees or process maps are made.
2. When there are no maps or process trees
In this case and having carried out the previous step, we proceed to prepare the processes, using the work group called Analysis and Construction of the process map, see previous installment, with which we elaborate the respective process maps.
As a recommendation for this step, we must note that the specialist who advises, must be of trajectory, so that he can assist with the proper ownership of the people who are preparing the respective maps.
Process functionalization
A fundamental aspect that the process map must contain consists of the logical-functional analysis of these processes, prepared by experts, that allow processes to be given security and functionality, because they become the basis of functions and positions, as well as, once revised, they are the result of the simplification of the work.
3. When the Organizational Structure does not exist
When the Organizational Structure does not exist, we must start from the Processes, already functionalized, to create this Structure, we base ourselves on the processes and generate, with the team proposed in the previous installment (see,
Functional and organizational analysis), the following Steps:
3.1 Tree or Process Map, revised, in which we find in each process the different functions and positions that comprise it.
3.2 Preparation of the organization chart of the company, with the corresponding description of functions, responsibilities and positions.
3.3 Elaboration of the Norms and Procedures, contained in each process.
3.4 Review of the previous steps, by the Systems Management and Coordination Committee, already planned.
4. When the Philosophy and purposes of the Company do not exist
When this situation arises, it is necessary to use the Committee, previously foreseen, to begin to review the following topics:
4.1 Philosophy and purposes of the company
4.2 Vision (Already modified, by virtue of the Philosophy and managerial consensus)
4.3 Mission (Already modified, by virtue of the Philosophy and managerial consensus with the additional inclusion of at least two or three hierarchical levels)
4.4 The respective Minutes of the decisions taken in each of the steps that we have been detailing must be prepared.
It is possible that the preceding steps may find discrepancies between the members of the Committees and senior management. This situation should be totally settled, clarifying, reviewing, modifying if necessary, but establishing a consensus between the different levels of the company, who are responsible for developing and successfully completing the entire process of location and operation of the new company, generated for the changes made.
Let's see: from the exercise of each one of the steps we derived some conclusions, which were analyzed by the respective Committees, determining the adjustments and modifications to the detailed operations, which were reviewed and rationalized, as appropriate, by the respective members of each Committee, to get to the corrected process tree, which leads us to the generation of activities and functions, the result of which in this case, consists of the definition of positions and the generation of the Company's organizational structure.
Obviously, this result is the appropriate response to the functional form of the Organization, where existing errors have been corrected, deduced from the elaboration of the steps and especially from the construction of the process tree that indicates the operations in detail., already rationalized, in which we have simplified the work and disappeared the operations without object or duplicates and we have made the fluidity of the process effective.
This product clearly and precisely reflects the final and final operations of the study of the process and allows us to elaborate the respective functions of the positions, these being those corresponding to the adjusted activity in the analyzes carried out by the members of the Committees, and statements, in the previous writings, as a result of the fundamental work.
So far, I think everything is going well. However, if there are doubts about it, or the steps are not very clear, that is, the result of the steps presents some considerations and inconsistencies, please review and review carefully the detail of the steps, and there you will find the answer. But if still, the concept is not very clear. I kindly ask you to write to me so that I can answer and clarify what is appropriate.
Another result is the possibility of preparing the respective procedures and manuals for each of the actions, in accordance with the new operations defined for the different processes, which gave rise to the preparation of the elements or parts. These elements or parts later will serve us, to incorporate them also in the design of the Information System.
These parts, those already reviewed and adjusted, come to constitute the basis of the systems, or rather, the structure and foundation for the development, of the Integrated Company Information System, which we will talk about in the following installments.
Obviously, we are deducing by simple analogy, the Organizational Diagnosis, including the considerations, adjustments, modifications that must be made, which leads us to the definition and determination of the objectives, which will allow us to determine the Strategic Planning, which we will see in the next step.
This Diagnosis and its recommendations will lead us to set out with greater precision the orientation of the Company, its objectives, its goals, its projections, all within the consensus born of the Committees and now supported by the entire business group. Let us not lose sight of the fact that the commitment acquired includes all levels of the organization, because from now on, everyone is responsible for execution, in accordance with the defined objectives.
Strategic planning
This point will be analyzed in the next installment, but we wish to obtain some information on the preceding steps, because the determinations that are developed below are derived from them and from which we are most interested in knowing your opinions. Results and inconveniences found, please indicate your appreciations.
Now, it is precise and necessary to have the conclusions that emerged from the execution of the previous steps, since these contain the basic elements that will allow us to project and sustain the Planning.
Keep in mind that Planning is a projective nature, that is, we try to foresee the future of the Organization and its representativeness within the social environment. Therefore, it is extremely useful to start from the conclusions emanating from the previous steps.
Well, what we are trying to do is give consistency over time to the Vision, Mission and Objectives foreseen by the consensus of the different levels of the organization, product of the analysis and reflections obtained by the study groups, which built them. We say that for the groups, for the simple reason that these appreciations should have emerged as a determination of the groups, formed according to plan, as the operations and processes were analyzed.
In this step of the Planning, the decisions of the levels of the organization regarding the aforementioned aspects must be involved, since there must be commitment and responsibility in obtaining the expected results, from everyone, these being important elements in the development and execution of the Planning, with the obvious leadership of a leader who propels them into action.
Most of the strategic approaches generally fail due to the lack of a leader to guide them towards achieving the proposed objectives. This point is very important, because the execution of the decided approaches must be adjusted to the extent of the deviations and the achievements obtained.
Given the general context, let us now go on to point out the actions that we must take to obtain the results that we expect from our Strategic Planning. It is convenient to take into account in the Strategic Planning, the three general aspects that this action contains, such as:
The Strategy aspect, made up of the Vision, the Mission and the Purposes, which represent, in their order, the following:
View. It corresponds to the prospective part, materialized in the projective, which indicates the location of our future thinking about what we want our company to be, within the regular context of the activities to which we dedicate our effort, in the local environment., regional and international.
Mission. It corresponds to the activities that we must develop to give consistency to our Vision, manifested through the different actions, resources and specific plans, as grounded as possible so that its scope is effective, in the times and terms that we have stipulated.
Purposes. They are the specific tangible goals that give shape to our projections, represented by the execution prospects that we consider feasible, based on the possibilities that we have at our disposal.
The Planning Aspect, made up of the Objectives, Actions and the Organization, which represent, in their order, the following:
Goals. They are the aspects that we consider viable, which we can achieve in the exercise and development of our activities and that constitute the foundation of our company.
Actions. These are the activities and efforts that we must develop to make the achievement of our purposes affordable, with the collaboration of all levels of the organization.
Organization. It corresponds to the organic and functional structure that we must put into operation to achieve the various goals that we intend to achieve.
The two postulates reviewed were reviewed and implemented: The Strategy aspect and the Planning aspect, now we are going to move on to the third aspect related to execution, which is made up of the following contents: Operationalization, functionality and measurement.
Execution aspect. This aspect is synthesized in the following:
Operationalization. It corresponds to the way of carrying out the plans already foreseen with the consensus of its participants and actors, who must make their development viable and real, because the firmness of the structure for obtaining the achievements depends on this action. proposed. In other words, they make feasible and make useful the efforts we make to strengthen each of the plans and programs that we execute.
In another way, this aspect gives life and consistency to the plans and programs that make up our actions and also base the reality of our achievements, because of this, our real possibilities are established, in the achievement of goals. This activity is an element of great importance in achieving our purposes.
Functionality. It is the flow of the different operations that are carried out through the organic structure, in development of the different processes, which base the activities that have been foreseen for the achievement of the expected goals. This set of actions emanating from the organization must act with sufficient agility so that the processes are not altered or delayed in their execution, with the consequent damage to the actions that follow or are planned.
The responsibility of the actors is in direct proportion to the part of their daily tasks in the process, there must be awareness of the importance of their participation in each of them. This attitude is born from the involvement of people, in carrying out the work process necessary to obtain a good result. Let's not forget that the motivation of the people involved, carried out before, is directly proportional to the results obtained. I consider it important to insist on this aspect, due to its immense significance of the different processes.
Measurements. All of the above must be linked to the information that the different actions of the participants are duly recorded and obviously analyzed in their results. This means that the Information System, which we will talk about later, must contain not only the indications of the management carried out, but also the goals expected in each of the different steps carried out in the operations that are being executed.
Let's not forget that these management meters must be previously built, by the members of the working groups, in each process.
Now, we will touch on a very important aspect of these measurements, which is the possibility of adjustment and correction that arises from the application of the meters, as soon as they indicate possible deviations or changes, because here lies the versatility and improvement of the proposed objectives. The Company's management must analyze the results and act accordingly.
This last point, regarding execution, represents the vital part of the whole process, since the greatest difficulties that arise in the realization of the plans, originate during their execution, for which reason their success and achievement lies in the observance Careful of the different points outlined, and of which we have tried to be as specific as possible, to help in the successful application of all the management, object of our collaboration to the businessmen.
We consider the observance of the steps outlined, very carefully, so that this help and collaboration is really a true base in Business Management. Please follow it without skipping any steps, to achieve good results.
Integrated information system
Having reached this point, we began the construction of the most important element of our management, information.
Which must be efficient, timely, real, medictive, of results.
We are going to make an inventory of the elements that we have developed so far, and which become the pillars of our work, let's see what they have been:
Previous steps of the ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS (Deliveries 1 and 2)
1. From these analyzes we take those that are very important to us, like this:
- Flowcharts of operations, Maps or process trees, Organizational structure
These elements, in their order, give us the following information:
- Flowcharts allow us to review and find the operation, which must be analyzed to find the logic of each of the actions carried out in the company, must be subjected to a judicious review that leads us to avoid double steps, collars bottle, meaningless operations, unnecessary, disconnected activities and allows us to rationalize activities.These flow charts, once rationalized, become the basis of our programming exercise in Systems, with a view to obtaining the true operations that we must carry out and the sustenance of the Databases, indispensable in the construction of the Information System. They become the Design of the operations of the System.
In turn, the Maps or process trees, once rationalized, indicate:
- What are definitively the activities that we must develop for the operation of the company. They allow us to establish the inherent and logical functions for the formation of the positions of the organization. They allow us to describe the procedures of the operations. They allow us to establish the relationships of functionality of the different areas of the company. Finally, they allow us to prepare the organization chart of the company, reflecting the work areas found in each sector.
2. With the previous elements we proceed to carry out the diagramming indispensable for the execution of the programming of the Integrated Information System.
Now, what is the diagramming? It is the design of the flows of operations and obviously of information, which must be registered in the Information System, which contains and informs the states of the process in its different phases of operations processing.
To achieve this purpose, the following steps must be taken into account:
- The design of the Databases, represented by the different work areas, deduced from the process tree. This design must be very careful, so that data is not missing or the Base is overloaded with unnecessary information. The interrelationality evident in the process map, which allows the flow of information, with the obvious registration within the System, in each of the Bases, which are related to the flow. The processing of the information that flows and its incorporation in the respective accumulated registers. The affectation of the respective value balances and the incorporation of the values for their subsequent process. Incorporation in the reports of the information needs of each of the areas, taking care not to saturate the process with results. The establishment of information levels,depending on the hierarchy of positions and data volumes, the careful design of the reports produced and the accessibility and rank of the users.
3. Regarding STRATEGIC PLANNING, we must take into account the aspects related to:
- Functionality. Let's see what is described in Report 6. “It is the flow of the different operations that are carried out through the organic structure, in development of the different processes, which underlie the activities that have been foreseen for the achievement of the expected goals. This set of actions emanating from the organization, must act with sufficient agility so that the processes are not altered or are delayed in their execution, with the consequent damage to the actions that follow or are planned. ”Measurements. It corresponds to the management meters that must be incorporated into the Information System, so that it produces the results information that the operations are generating.
Now let's see what Report No. 6 said. “We will touch on a very important aspect of these measurements, which is the possibility of adjustment and correction that arises from the application of the meters, as soon as they indicate possible deviations or changes, because here lies the versatility and improvement of the proposed objectives. The Company's management must analyze the results and act accordingly. ”
It is the analysis of the Hardware elements, that is, the computational elements that will allow us to have the information, up to date, in a timely manner and with the correct correlations, already established.
On this matter we want to make some observations, fundamental to our judgment, so as not to have unforeseen situations. The main ones are the following:
1. Select a brand team or teams, with enough specifications and characteristics to provide an efficient service. The manufacturer must have representation in the country, duly accredited and with adequate technical solvency to support the teams and collaborate in the selection of the Software (programs), essential for proper operation.
2. The aspect related to the Software (Programs), must also be analyzed with its own technical personnel and ask the equipment manufacturer for advice, to be sure of selecting the most appropriate programs for the needs of the company and the characteristics of the equipment.. This aspect is vital.
3. Carefully check that the selected equipment meets the expectations of processing, in sufficient form, taking the precautions advised by the technical team, both from the manufacturer and from the technical human personnel who are in charge of these tasks.
4. Plan with the officials and those of the equipment manufacturer, the backups that technique and common sense advise to have, such as reserve on hard drives, the possibility of a double processor, depending on the characteristics of the network, mirror disks and especially the selection of the technical characteristics of the communications to be implemented.
5. Another important aspect for the company is the training and education of the personnel who must take responsibility for these tasks and have planned in advance the levels of reserve and knowledge of the employees placed in the second levels of responsibility, so that at a given moment, they can take over the functions, in case the first fail.
6. The preparation, assembly and preliminary testing of the facilities, both network and communications, anticipating the widening that must be carried out in the future. This aspect represents an important support in the operation of the System, especially for future growth.
7. The assembly of the selected programs in the equipment, as well as the generation of the designed Databases, represent a solid base for future processing, provided that the appropriate precautions are taken. It is preferable to completely restart this step than to start modifying elaborate designs on the fly.
8. In the case that there are in the company, computer equipment and that it is only trying to improve the platform, all the suggested measures should be taken to avoid operational difficulties with future data processing.
9. The phase of installation and testing of programs, equipment and installations is crucial, when the recommendations expressed in these writings have been forgotten or have not been taken into account. Therefore, any measure that tends to ensure the quality of data processing not only strengthens security, but also prevents disruption and new unforeseen costs.
10. In the same way, the previous test processes, before giving the service the SII, have a significant value because they allow to detect the failures and inconsistencies of all the processes, with special emphasis on the production of reports of results or simply indicative of the process. on trial.
11. The data used for testing programs and processes must be consistent, that is, represent true values, similar to the real ones, so that the tests with them give the expected results and also allow the process to be validated.
12. The same rigor must be established for the tests on the terminal screens of the users, particularly those that generate data for the System, or correspond to the data input for the processes.
So far, regarding the Integrated Information System, designed and implemented in the company. He resides the truthfulness, opportunity, alert, indication of steps, or aid for the different users, who wait for the System, their conduction, help, indication of the following activities and indications on the actions to be taken, in what time and with what data.
Also as the System we have incorporated the measurement of results, the data and reports produced by it, must correspond to reality and also indicate the steps that we must correct or modify.
