Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise Information versus Communication In a recent article on Lombardi Software and in particular their Blueprint business process mapping solution, I referred to John C. Maxwell’s assertion that “information is giving out; communication is getting through.” It is an interesting perspective in that traditionally process mapping has been viewed as a way of providing an overview of the intricacies of the internal “architectures” that define and drive the modern enterprise. It has rarely (if ever) been considered a communication tool or facilitator. And herein lays the reason for its “boutique” status that has limited its practice to a select few “techies” who are perceived as being more system-oriented versus people-oriented.

1. Ottawa, Canada
2009
Using Business
Process Mapping
as a
Communication
Facilitator in the
Global Enterprise
White Paper
A Knowledge Leadership
Publication By
Procurement Insights Author
Jon Hansen

2. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: INFORMATION VERSUS COMMUNICATION . . .................2
A TOOL FOR EVERYONE ……….. ………………………………………. . . . . ……………3
TRADITIONAL PROCESS MAPPING: A ROADMAP TO FAILURE? . . . ........................4
IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT DESTINATION ..........................................................................4
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROACTIVE COLLABORATION.................................................6
THE TOOLS OF POSITIVE OUTCOME . . . ...........................................................................6
AN INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE …………………………………….. …………………..7
A FINAL POINT . . . .....................................................................................................................8
ABOUT LOMBARDI SOFTWARE . . . ....................................................................................10
Appendices
APPENDIX A ...............................................................................................................................13
APPENDIX B. . . ..........................................................................................................................14
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3. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
Executive Summary: Information versus Communication
In a recent article on Lombardi Software and in particular their Blueprint
business process mapping solution, I referred to John C. Maxwell’s
assertion that “information is giving out; communication is getting
through.”
It is an interesting perspective in that traditionally process mapping has been
viewed as a way of providing an overview of the intricacies of the internal
“architectures” that define and drive the modern enterprise. It has rarely (if
ever) been considered a communication tool or facilitator. And herein lays
the reason for its “boutique” status that has limited its practice to a select
few “techies” who are perceived as being more system-oriented versus
people-oriented.
With the introduction of the Lombardi solution, this has all changed, or to
borrow a phrase from a well known high tech marketing campaign, “finally,
a process mapping solution for the rest of us.”
The purpose of this white paper is to examine the emerging practice of
leveraging process mapping and its related solutions as a communication
tool to gain a more complete and accurate picture of how an enterprise
actually works. I will then examine why the Lombardi offering is on the
leading edge of this new paradigm.
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4. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
A Tool for Everyone
“Business process mapping is one method being used to raise process
awareness and consequently improve an organization’s processes. Process
mapping should not be seen as a tool solely for analysts and quality
managers, but as a widespread, everyday technique for employees right
across an organization to get involved with understanding and improving
their own processes.”
Supply Chain Management BPO Professional
February 13, 2009
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5. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
Traditional Process Mapping: A Roadmap to Failure?
In a career that has spanned enough years to bore my children and their
friends with the “I remember when” phrase that usually implies the kind of
experience or insight that seems to come only with advancing age, I have
both studied and witnessed first hand the significantly high rate of supply
chain initiave failures.
In fact as recently as 2007, studies have indicated that 85 percent of all
initiatives fail to achieve the expected results, in some instances costing
organizations millions of dollars. And this poor showing is not limited to
supply chain programs only. IT-based programs have an equally dismal
record of performance, while outsourcing projects fair even worse with a
little more than 90 percent of all initiatives missing the anticipated savings
mark by a wide margin.
While there are many reasons for the plague of failures, what is interesting is
what I refer to as the “commen elements” of unrealized expectations. One
such element is the consistent utilization of traditional process mapping
applications to establish the purported roadmap to success.
Long considered to be an integral part of any program, almost every
consultant talks about the need to “understand the flow” of a business to
“present a realization of how things are,” and therefore enable the
organization to mitigate risk and increase efficiency.
As the globalized supply chain becomes more complex, and additional
practice-centric tools such as supply chain mapping, which is an enhanced
version of value stream mapping, are introduced one cannot help but wonder
why the results have to date been so poor.
After all, isn’t the whole concept behind creating and using a map based
upon the premise of guiding you to the desired destination or outcome?
Identifying the Right Destination
In my seminars, I often refer to a 2007 Aberdeen study involving Chief
Financial Officers “CFOs” in which the general consensus was that “too
often finance executives in Corporate America simply don’t believe that
purchasing departments are really bringing in the savings they claim.”
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6. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
According to the study, the primary reason for this disconnect is deeply
rooted in the fact that finance and purchasing do not “speak the same
language.” As a result, there is often a misalignment of understanding that is
reflected in contradictory and competing objectives where individual
depatmental interests determines the course of action instead of enterprise-
wide operational symmetry.
This somewhat myopic view of how the enterprise operates is rooted in the
fact that the stakeholders within the organization that are usually charged
with leading process transformations are narrowly confined to either the
finance or IT departments. And the corresponding process mapping tools
these departments utilize have traditionally been equally narrow in terms of
their “user-friendliness.” As a result, the communication efforts with
stakeholders from other areas of practice both within and external to the
organization have by and large been reduced to an exercise in gathering the
information that aligns with the perceived goals established by the project
champions.
In essence, and governed by a belief on the part of the champions (i.e.
finance or IT) that this is “where we need to go,” the process mapping
exercises involving other areas of the enterprise are usually centered on an
identify-and-alter mindset versus an understand, integrate and adapt
approach. This of course is why change and/or compliance management is
such a large part of most programs. In other words, we have selected the
destination, now let’s use process mapping to help us tell everyone how we
are going to get there.
The problem with this approach is that no one stops to ask the question are
we mapping the road to the right destination for all stakeholders?
To emphasize this point, and referencing the Aberdeen study once again,
CFOs rejected 73 percent of the savings claimed by purchasing as being
irrelevant. This is a significant number as the processes that have been
implemented to drive the savings from a purchasing standpoint, did not
reflect the savings objectives of the finance department . . . two different
destinations or outcomes. Based on this result, which department’s roadmap
is likely going to be maintained?
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7. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
The Importance of Proactive Collaboration
Winston Churchill once proclaimed that “history is written by the victors.”
He also said that “history will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” With
process mapping, who is recording your organization’s history in terms of
the processes that define the operational enterprise, and what medium are
they using to outline the business flow that got you to the present
destination? Of equal if not greater importance, what tools will be used and
by whom to develop the roadmap to future destinations or outcomes?
Asking these questions represents the acknowledgement of the need for a
much broader engagement strategy that necessitates the utilization of tools
that captures and incorporates different perspectives into a collective, best
result outcome. What this means is that process mapping, should “not be
seen as a tool solely for analysts . . . but as an everyday technique for
employees right across an organization.”
Or as one respondent to a recent Procurement Insights survey concluded,
“with new flattened supply chains, business processes now need to be
mapped across organizations and across business partners,” which means
that traditional process mapping practices have to extend to become
“network-centric” thereby better enabling the “multi-partner collaborative
process.”
If you accept the concept of the “multi-partner collaborative process” being
an essential element of the emerging process mapping practice, the primary
obstacle between intent, exectution and meaningful outcome, are
intrinsically linked to the tools that are made available to facilitate a
common understanding between diverse stakeholders. More to the point,
and taking into account the non-indegenous skill sets of an expanded user
community, is the process mapping tool easy to learn and use?
The Tools of Postive Outcome
In a recent article I wrote profiling Lombardi Software’s Blueprint Solution,
I highlighted the fact that “traditionally, process mapping has fallen within
the purview of the IT department, where the intricacies of functional
requirement and technological configuration meet to deliver a program that
automates business process.” I went on to say that “to most, the applications
that have been developed to chart this “course of understanding” represent a
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8. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
forboding degree of complexity that has usually limited their use to a select
few.”
I later concluded that the degree of complexity, which prevented those
individuals within different groups or departments (who best understand
their own area of operations better than anyone else) to make a meaningful
contribution in terms of process reviews, was a major factor in the high rate
of initiative failures.
Enter Lombardi’s Blueprint solution.
By removing the barriers of complexity that were the hallmark of first
generation process mapping software applications, Lombardi has positioned
itself as the “universal translator” for the diverse and seemingly disparate
departmental processes that exist within the global enterprise.
Through an intuitive, on-demand user interface that represents the next
generation in process mapping methodology, Lombardi has put the power
(and benefits) of process mapping at the fingertips of anyone and everyone.
Once the process elements of individual departments have been captured and
defined, the powerful, correlative functionality of the Blueprint program
creates an integration metrics that establishes and maintains a collectively
cohesive enteprise-wide operation model.
An Intuitive User-Interface that Duet Can Only Hope to
Emulate
In a white paper I wrote titled “SAP Procurement for Public Sector,” I
discussed the vendor’s acknowledgement of the importance of developing an
intuitive, familiar interface as a means of increasing end-user adoption.
Through a collaborative initiative with Microsoft that was first launched as
the Mendocino Project, and was subsequently renamed Duet, SAP’s efforts
to create such an interface was based on their recognition that end-user
compliance was one of the main barriers to a successful implementation.
In an effort to remove said barriers, the company actively sought to leverage
user comfort with known applications such as Excel to provide access to
certain functions within the SAP architecture. The obvious reasoning was
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9. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
that by promoting the utilization of SAP through a familiar, easy-to-use
interface, end-users would be more inclined to use their application.
The fact that Lombardi has already perfected a familiar, easy-to-use
interface that makes Blueprint’s functionality similar to working with
PowerPoint, and did so within the framework of a web-based, on-demand
model means that this is a solution that is worth more than a cursory look.
And given that Lombardi’s other applications such as the critically
acclaimed Teamsworks solution which boasts an impressive client list that
includes organizations from both the private and public sectors including
Dell, Barclays Global Investors, Ford Motor Company, Hasbro, National
Institute of Health, El Paso Energy and Intel, has built a strong following,
Blueprint is almost certain to be a frontrunner for process mapping for many
years to come.
A Final Point
One of the many advantages of a web based, on-demand solution besides
ease-of-use and affordability is the opportunity a prospective end-user has to
take it out for the proverbial test drive.
And in line with the saying that a “picture paints a thousand words,” the 30-
Day Free Trial offered by Lombardi provides a means to experience
Blueprint’s many features first hand. So as the final point to this white
paper, I am pleased to provide the following link;
http://getblueprint.lombardi.com, content to let you reach your own
conclusions.
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10. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
We built Blueprint to let you:
Document processes in a fraction of the time
Outlining gets you started documenting in seconds, just like outlining in PowerPoint. Inline editing (no more toolbars!), flexible layouts, and automatic
diagram generation means no drawing, yet you still have the power to make a diagram look the way you want it. Structured inputs keep you focused on
what’s important. And since Blueprint is online, you can collaborate and chat with any of your colleagues anywhere in the world in real-time. No tools to
install. No new languages to learn.
Always have the right version, evergreen documentation that is constantly up to date
No more posting version 4.35 to the shared drive. No more emails with 10 versions to manage. Blueprint handles all of this for you. Every change is
captured instantly – and you can roll back to older versions at any time. Three different views of a process – map, diagram, and documentation – let
people see the detail that they need. There is no better way to get a central repository for all your process documentation.
Get more out of your process documentation
Need to provide documentation for an audit, train a new associate, or execute your process in a BPM Suite (BPMS)? Blueprint gives you several ways to
leverage your hard work. Export your documentation to PowerPoint automatically with the click of a button or export your process to any BPMS – like
Lombardi Teamworks – for execution.
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11. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
About Lombardi Software
Lombardi is a leader in business process management (BPM) software for
companies, systems integrators and government agencies. We offer award-
winning BPM technology, know-how and services to help our customers
succeed with their process improvement initiatives.
Lombardi is behind some of the largest, most successful BPM
implementations in the world. Our customers include Allianz Group, Aflac,
Banco Espirito Santo, Barclays Global Investors, Dell, El Paso Energy,
FETAC, Financial Services Authority, Ford Motor Company, Hasbro, ING
Direct, Intel, Maritz Travel, National Bank of Canada, National Institute of
Health, Safety-Kleen, T-Mobile, UCLH, Xbridge and numerous
governmental agencies. For more information, visit www.lombardi.com.
© Procurement Insights 2008-2009
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12. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
About the Author
Jon Hansen has studied and written extensively about e-Procurement and the
changing face of procurement around the globe. In addition to being a
highly acclaimed international speaker, his Procurement Insights Blog
reaches 300,000 syndicated subscribers each month worldwide, and is
currently available in several languages. He has written more than 200
articles and papers on subjects ranging from supply chain optimization and
the utilization of agent-based modeling in the software development process
to the evolution of sustainable purchasing practices and the impact of
traditional ERP-centric implementation methodologies on the high rate of
supply chain initiative failures. Funded by the Government of Canada’s
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program Mr.
Hansen’s work in both identifying the existence of Commodity
Characteristics as well as defining and recording their impact on “best
value” purchasing practices represented a seminal breakthrough that led to
the establishment of new theories surrounding the practical utilization of
synchronized platforms in achieving sustainable coordinated savings and
overall process efficiencies.
Other white papers by Jon Hansen:
The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping
Procurement Practices
Talent Attraction and Retention in a Global Economy
SAP Procurement for the Public Sector
Strategic Sourcing Practices in Higher Education
Yes Virginia! A Profile in Excellence
To obtain copies of the above referenced white papers, or to inquire about
Jon’s availability to speak at your next conference or seminar contact
Jennifer Cameron at jenncameron@sympatico.ca, or 819-986-8953.
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13. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
Using Business Process
Mapping as a
Communication
Facilitator in the
Global Enterprise
White Paper
Appendices
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14. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
APPENDIX A
Page 2 (John c. Maxwell Reference); Bridging the Operational Disconnect
within the Collective Enterprise (Lombardi Software Profile), Procurement
Insights Profile of Lombardi Blueprint Software (February 7, 2009)
Page 3 (A Tool for Everyone); Q&A Forum on LinkedIn,
http://www.linkedin.com/answers?viewQuestion=&questionID=415645&as
kerID=15318179&goback=%2Eait%2Emid_1012379073
Page 4 (Aberdeen Study Reference); Bridging the Communications Gap
Between Finance and Purchasing, Procurement Insights Post, (January 31,
2008) and CATA Supply (Chain) Practices Forum on Viadeo,
http://www.viadeo.com/hub/afficherubrique/?hubId=002wi7sn2ek47v2&for
umId=002fxrh9626fdd2
Page 6 (Winston Churchill Quote);
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/history_is_written_by_the_victors/150112.ht
ml, Thinkexist.com web site
Page 6 (Procurement Insights Survey); Q&A Forum on LinkedIn,
http://www.linkedin.com/answers?viewQuestion=&questionID=415645&as
kerID=15318179&goback=%2Eait%2Emid_1012379073
Page 7 (Duet Reference/SAP White Paper); (Duet) The Mendocino Project:
A Brilliant Strategy by Microsoft and SAP to Sidestep Anti-
Trust Legislation?, Procurement Insights Post, (December 21, 2007) and
(SAP White Paper) SAP Procurement for Public Sector (White Paper),
Procurement Insights Publications, (January 18, 2008)
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15. Using Business Process Mapping as a Communication Facilitator in the Global Enterprise
APPENDIX B
Use the following link to access the Forrester Report in its entirety:
http://www.lombardisoftware.com/downloads/wp_forrester-blueprint-
process-discovery-and-execution.pdf
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