Business Processes

Context

Every day we hear of performance measures being introduced with the apparent aim of improving some service. Unfortunately almost all will not achieve this stated aim because they usually concentrate on a partial view of the issue and put the onus on the poor employees who are expected to make the system work. For most improvement issues the problem is in the system and it dictates the outcome. Some have estimated that at most employees operating a system can contribute only 5% towards outcome differences.

The issue, therefore, is to address the processes that are being used to deliver outcomes. The experience of JDFWorks started in the early 90s before the term business process re-engineering became fashionable and then discredited. The internal processes of Stent were addressed to develop an internal integrated team structure that aligned with the experience that it wished its customer to experience. It swept away many assumptions that were in place for purely internal convenience. Following on from an EPSRC project supported by the Innovative Manufacturing Initiative that was focussed around improved business processes through the application of new technology, John spent two years on partial secondment from Balfour Beatty running the programme for Construction as a Manufacturing Process.

Since that time John has maintained his interest in business processes and delivered numerous new processes. This is underpinned by a clear understanding of system thinking.

Association

In 2006 he initiated the complete reappraisal of business processes in Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services to be able to deliver a comprehensive business management system that retained local feel while capitalising on common processes and procedures.

To deliver this vision an association with Mark Pearce of Pearce Consulting Ltd was built. The business management system was successfully deployed with Mark’s consultancy based on the Nimbus Control software application. JDFWorks and Pearce Consulting have joined forces to offer business process knowledge and improvement techniques to clients.

Facilitation

For a large part of his career John has facilitated meetings. In industry networks he is frequently invited to facilitate breakout sessions because there will be lively debate and provocation to bring the best out of people. In addition to this general application, which he enjoys some specific areas are noted below.

Bidding strategies

At the early stage of a bid just as in design it is cheap to make changes. The further into the process the more cost is involved in change. Having a semi-structured workshop at the early stages of a bid can save a lot of heartache whether it involves process, technologies or both. An example was working with a consortium on deciding the best options to explore for technical solutions to the approaches to a under river road crossing.

Reviews

There are many occasions when some aspect of a business needs to be reviewed and decisions made about the best actions. There may be hidden views that do not get expressed resulting in a disappointing outcome because the proposed actions do not have the necessary buy-in. In such cases it is important that the workshop is conducted to elicit honest views without any criticism becoming personalised to the detriment of the content. John has facilitated many reviews over the years including ones involving more than one organisation.

Engineering

Construction engineering can be conservative or highly creative. Seeking imaginative cost effective deliverable solutions is the key to winning work. Workshops that build on a team’s strengths can provide the challenge that many find give the stimulus to avoid the safe conservative approach. John facilitates such meeting to make this happen.

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