BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
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B usinesses are generally judged by the quality of the products and services they deliver , not their internal processes . This makes it easy for managers to kick the can down the road on improving them . “ If it ain ’ t broke , don ’ t fix it ,” they may say , sweeping inefficiency under the rug and maintaining the mentality that a less-than-optimal status quo is easier and takes less time than redesigning workflows and investing in new technology to improve operations .
This mentality is ultimately harmful , as illustrated by a study from the Harvard Business Review . Their findings from an extensive , 10-year study of 12,000 companies on the importance of Operational Excellence found that companies that adopted the best management practices increased their profits by an average of US $ 15mn , or 25 %, which shows that companies that accept their bad processes are leaving huge amounts of money on the table .
Historically , marketing departments have led the charge , embracing new technologies and driving business transformation . As the first touch point in the customer journey , and arguably the most crossfunctional department in an organisation , marketing is uniquely positioned to lead
APRIL 2019