Clearly define process goals, strategically design process development goals: Your path to effective process improvement

The path to peak performance: Clarity in process goals and development goals as the key to effectiveness

Often, the process goal remains exactly the same and the process development goal only influences the way in which the process goal is to be achieved.

To illustrate the difference between process goal and process development goal, let's look at an exemplary process - sending outgoing invoices.

1. Process goal - speed and precision:

The process goal defines what the process should actually achieve. For example: “Send a correct invoice within 24 hours of payment.” Here, the focus is on the result that the process should produce.

2. Process development goal - Diverse perspectives:

A process development goal describes how the process should be further developed in the future. These could include goals such as:

· Stabilize the number of complained invoices at a level of 1%.

· Minimize expenses per invoice issued.

· Improve the forecasting capacity of the process.

From the comparison, it quickly becomes clear: The process development goal is not the future process goal. The clear distinction between process goal and process development goal creates a clear path to not only targeted processes to define but also a continuous improvement to enable. This clarity not only serves to improve understanding, but also forms the basis for effective process optimization. It makes it possible to take targeted measures and systematically address development goals.

The essence of process optimization: 5 theses for sustainable improvements

1. Prevent downtime through clear process development goals:

Unclear process development goals ensure one thing in particular: Standstill in process development. A process becomes “randomly different” and not “systematically better.” Without a defined process development goal, there is no “better” or “worse” to evaluate process changes.

2. Stakeholder involvement for accepted development goals:

The development of accepted process development goals requires a central question: Who are the stakeholders? In addition to the process participants, these are often also stakeholders who “stand outside the process.” It is therefore useful to ask: “Who has an interest in this process continuing? Sometimes it's even worthwhile to involve customers directly in the discussion!”

3. Clear separation in the actual recording:

When recording the IST processes, it is useful to separate the discussion of process goals and process development goals. The process goals must be 100% clear to those involved, while unclear process development goals can be tolerated when recording the IS.

4. Clarity creates solutions in hardened discussions:

When discussing stalled processes, it is necessary to check whether the goal of process development is clearly defined. Clear goals enable targeted discussion and finding solutions.

5. Prioritize for maximum efficiency:

The goals of process development are in competition with each other. It is rarely possible to improve everything at the same time. It is therefore important to discuss which processes can achieve the greatest (economic) effects. Focus on this and ask: What steps can we take (today) to get closer to the process development goal?

The clear distinction between process goal and process development goal is an indispensable element on the path to effectiveness. This clarity not only enables targeted process design, but also ensures that continuous improvements can be tackled systematically and efficiently. In this way, companies not only remain competitive, but also achieve sustainable progress in process optimization.

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