The driving force for the entire process improvement comes from business needs and the service level and quality that the business department expects IT to provide (through the SLA specification). The IT department analyzes the gaps in the existing process through an enterprise vision (where do you want to go?), The industry's best experience (how to achieve our wishes?), And an assessment and review of the status quo (where are we now?) After identifying the gaps, plan the overall process improvement direction and focus by considering risks, problems, and opportunities.
Under the guidance of process improvement planning, the IT department needs to collect information from multiple parties (such as customer satisfaction surveys, internal rationalization suggestions), collate and summarize specific process improvement suggestions. After management approval, the IT department coordinates resource implementation process improvement recommendations, and evaluates and reports on the implementation process and results. The improved process will be able to better adapt to the business needs of enterprises and the expectations of business departments for IT services.
At the same time, there will be various changes in the enterprise (such as enterprise mergers and acquisitions, business structure adjustment), so the services provided by the IT department must be adjusted as the business changes. IT departments need to seize opportunities from change and strengthen the flexibility of service processes and the ability to adapt to changes. This is also a realistic motivation for continuous process improvement.
17 steps for continuous process improvement
The typical operation process of continuous process improvement recommended for the IT department of the enterprise is shown in the figure. The detailed steps are as follows:
1. Develop an annual plan for process improvement
⑴ The person in charge of the process and quality group determines the annual process improvement target based on the business goals of the enterprise and the IT department's annual development plan.
⑵ According to the determined process improvement goals, the person in charge of the process and quality group coordinates the heads of IT service processes. After considering the best experience of ITIL and the current service management process, the basic IQ is formulated. 》 Should include at least the following:
◆ IT department overall process improvement direction and staged process improvement ideas
◆ Current service management process status and industry best experience
◆ This year's process improvement goals and motivation analysis
◆ Preliminary process improvement ideas and related reference information
◆ Process improvement plan and related persons in charge
⑶ The process improvement committee of the enterprise IT department evaluates and approves the plan.
2. Periodically review the progress of the annual plan
At the formal monthly or quarterly review meeting, the process and quality team, together with the process leaders, report the progress of the annual plan to the IT department process improvement committee. The process improvement committee reviews and monitors the implementation of the process improvement plan and makes timely plans for the plan Make adjustment arrangements.
3. Collect improvement suggestions
(1) Collect suggestions for improvement across the IT department
Under the guidance of the "Process Improvement Annual Plan", the Process and Quality Management Group is responsible for analyzing possible improvement opportunities at the IT department level from daily work and the following information sources, focusing on the connection between different processes and the new IT service management process Requirements, monitoring and management platform requirements, etc., to identify and summarize process improvement points. Sources of information include:
◆ Demand from business department and operation department
◆ IT service management industry standards (such as BS 15000)
◆ Customer satisfaction survey results
◆ Process improvement suggestions made by internal employees
◆ The result of communication with management
◆ Business goals of company and IT department
◆ Results of formal audit (if possible)
◆ Results of internal process review
◆ Benchmark and change trend of process KPI indicators
◆ Feedback after implementation of process improvement actions
◆ Review after the end of the project that the IT department participated in or initiated
◆ Changes in business and new technologies
(2) Collect individual process improvement suggestions
Under the guidance of the "Process Improvement Annual Plan", each process leader analyzes the possible improvement opportunities of the process he is responsible for from the daily process execution or the following information sources, focusing on the process design principles, roles, efficiency, process specific activities , The use of tools, the definition or acquisition of KPI indicators, etc., from which to identify and summarize process improvement points.
4. Periodically evaluate and determine the list of process improvement points
Monthly, the process and quality management department heads convene regular meetings to summarize the process improvement suggestions from the process and quality management department and the process leaders. All suggestions are evaluated and screened based on a unified evaluation standard and the "process improvement annual plan" A list of process improvement points planned to be implemented. The unified evaluation criteria should include at least:
◆ The possible benefits (short-term benefit or long-term benefit) and impact scope of this process improvement proposal
◆ Urgency and priority of implementation
◆ Ease of institutionalization or implementation (training, procurement, installation, etc.)
◆ Whether external procurement is required
◆ Possible risks and obstacles in promotion or deployment
5. Formulate detailed plans for each improvement point
The Process and Quality Management Department, together with the person in charge of each process, formulates a detailed plan for each proposal in the list of process improvement points planned to be implemented, including:
◆ The scope and goal of the improvement proposal
◆ Benefits of the proposal for internal or external IT department
◆ Specific improvement methods and improvement implementation plan
◆ Implementation of improved resources and cost requirements
6. Review process improvement points and improvement plans
The Process Improvement Committee is responsible for reviewing the list of process improvement points and detailed improvement plans submitted by the Process and Quality Management Department, through the comprehensive business objectives, industry experience, current status and specific recommended characteristics (such as cost, resource, and time requirements) To decide whether to approve each improvement proposal, veto or defer consideration.
Typical operation flow chart for continuous process improvement
7. Identify major improvements
The process improvement committee needs to determine whether there are major improvement points and the priority of implementation for each proposal approved for implementation. Major improvement points are usually relatively complex and have certain risks. The improvement suggestions that need to be organized and coordinated by multiple parties over a period of time or that need to be implemented through the purchase of third-party products or services. Operation to ensure the success of the implementation. E.g:
◆ Introduce new service management processes in the IT department (for example: problem management process, service level management process, etc.)
◆ Introduce a new monitoring platform to meet the monitoring of a KPI indicator (for example: establish a platform to monitor the availability indicators of all middleware platforms)
8. Implement non-significant improvements
For non-significant improvement suggestions, the process and quality team will directly implement the process in accordance with the priority level. Common non-significant improvement suggestions include:
◆ Optimization of specific activities in a single process
◆ Update and perfect the templates and documents involved in the process
◆ Customized modification of process tools (such as Service Desk)
◆ Establish a unified external service catalog of the IT department
9. Implement effectiveness evaluation
After the implementation of the non-significant improvement proposal is completed, the process, quality management team, and the person in charge of each process shall conduct an evaluation of the implementation effect for the expected goals, scope and benefits of the detailed proposal.
10. Determine whether the desired effect is achieved?
The process and quality management team, together with the person in charge of each process, evaluates the effectiveness of the implementation of non-significant improvement proposals and determines whether the expected results are achieved. If the expected results are not achieved, the original process system shall be maintained and relevant communication work shall be done.
11. Institutionalize the improved process
When the expected effect is achieved, the process and quality management team will formally update the relevant documents, templates, forms and other records to form a new process system, and at the same time formally release and notify the relevant team.
12. Approval of the establishment of a major process improvement project team
For major process improvement points approved for implementation, the process improvement committee approves the establishment of a process improvement project team, appoints a project manager, and allocates appropriate resources and funds according to the detailed suggestions for process improvement. The process improvement project team was temporarily established as needed, and was solely responsible for the implementation of this major process improvement proposal and reported to the process improvement committee.
13. Formulate major process improvement project plans
⑴ Process improvement project manager, on the basis of the detailed plan of the previous proposal, coordinate the project team members to formulate a major process improvement project plan. The plan must cover the trial operation phase of process improvement (including the scope of trial operation, planned time, expected effect, how to collect and analyze the information reflecting the effect of trial operation, etc.).
⑵ After the project plan is approved by the Process Improvement Committee, the project manager is responsible for organizing the implementation and monitoring, and regularly reporting the project status to the Committee.
14. Trial operation and feedback analysis
Within the trial operation period determined through consultation with relevant departments, the project manager will organize resources to conduct trial operation. The project manager is responsible for solving the problems in the trial operation in time, listening to the project feedback and collecting the trial operation data. And after the trial operation is completed, feedback analysis is performed based on the trial operation results, and a trial operation evaluation report is prepared. The assessment report should include at least:
◆ The overall completion of the trial operation project objectives
◆ Problems and solutions in process \ tools
◆ Recognition and suggestions of relevant personnel for process improvement
◆ Suggested amendments to the initial goal
◆ Suggestions for future promotion, if necessary, institutionalize some of the processes
◆ Suggestions for further trial operation
15. Judging whether the trial operation evaluation has passed?
The Process Improvement Committee evaluates and reviews the results of the trial operation and decides whether the trial operation will enter the promotion and implementation phase.
16. Determine whether to further test run
The process improvement committee decides whether to further test the operation or to suspend the test operation. If you decide to suspend, you need to maintain the original process system and do related communication work.
17. Promotion
(1) Based on the feedback from the trial operation and the evaluation recommendations of the Process Improvement Committee, the project manager proposes the deployment plan and detailed schedule, and organizes the implementation of the promotion work, including:
◆ Clarify the scope involved, the affected departments and personnel, need the cooperation of all parties
◆ Notify all teams of the improved process, specifications and methods and related documents and carry out relevant training
◆ For the change of system / tools, organize relevant personnel to carry out promotion, deployment, implementation and testing
⑵ After the promotion is successfully completed, the project manager will deliver all relevant documents to the process and quality group, and the process and quality group will be responsible for standardizing and institutionalizing the improved process.
