Assignment 1:
Assignment task
You are asked to complete the assignment as you read through this book from Chapter 13 through to Chapter 26. There will be questions to guide you during most, but not all, of the chapters. For options 1 and 2 outlined below, you are not required or expected to answer each of the questions within each chapter. These questions are only provided as a guide. You will need to use your initiative, and if information is not provided (for example, some metrics) create your own assumptions with regard to the required information. You should not be judged on your assumptions, only on your outcomes and approach.
The question(s)
You or your lecturer may select one of three ways of completing the assignment:
- Option1: One single presentation. At the completion of your assignment you, or you and your team, will make a presentation to senior management. You will answer the following questions:
Why has this been the most successful BPM activity we have ever conducted?
What did you do and how did you do it? The presentation must take no more than 30 minutes, and must answer both of these questions.
- Option 2: One single report. The same as Option 1, except that you will complete a report instead of the presentation. If is suggested that you use the report template in the extra reading referred to in Chapter 15 (Launch Pad phase).
- Option 3: One chapter at a time. This option is completely different to the first two options. It requires you to specifically answer each of the questions outlined within each chapter, or as instructed by your lecturer.
Assignment 2:
The new Chancellor, John Steward has outlined his strategy to regain the number one spot in the State within the next four years. The strategy includes the following aspects:
- Attract thought leaders as lecturers in key focus areas; increase the quantity and quality of publications; which should improve the profile of the university.
- Improve university collaboration with key organizations within the State, including joint research, guest lectures and internships.
- Expand the reach of the university, leveraging online channels, open a university in Asia and work more closely with renowned feeder high schools, including inter-state high schools.
- Improve the operational performance of the internal organization: obtain more results with less effort (and costsj. This will include the purchase of a new single Finance and Student Administration solution
John Steward has requested you, a respected independent external process consultant, to drive a process improvement program to improve operational performance and to implement the new solutions.
Prior to taking on this role, you have separate discussions with the key stakeholders and realize that the organization has a low level of process (BPM) maturity. You conduct a workshop where you perform the Red Wine Test. This highlights clearly that the key stakeholders have high ambitions and expect much from this program. You make it clear that in order to be successful all key stakeholders need to be united and in agreement with the desired business outcomes; they need to demonstrate this by making time for the program; and all communications must show university staff and students that they are behind the program.
The first challenge you face with regard to this becomes evident when you start planning the workshop for the completion of the TOM; many of the key stakeholder attendees are too busy to attend.
Outcome of the Red Wine Test:
- Kate Redmond (Board member)-wants to be part of the global top ten universities and become part of more corporate Boards of renowned organizations to promote the university even further.
- John Steward (Chancellor)-wants the BPM initiative they are undertaking to be used in the MBA course as a textbook example of how to conduct a process improvement program.
- Peter Ant (Operations Manager)-wants the university to be one of the top ten best places to work, thus overcoming the current low morale
- Kylie Sands (Vice Chancellor)-wants the university to maintain its identity and to increase the number of professors celebrating the completion of their 25, 30 and 40 years at the university.
- Mark Spike (Head of Marketing)-wants the university to gain recognition for its successful recruitment drive and wants to increase student intake by 100% in three years.
- Sue Splash (CFO) -wants to make the university the most profitable one in the country.
Assignment guiding questions
- What key information did you require during this phase and what source did you use?
- How did you resolve the challenge of ensuring all key stakeholders attended the workshop to determine the components of the TOM?
- How did you approach this project-using Table 5.1 and Figure 13.24?
- What components did you decide to include in your TOM and why?
Assignment 3:
Pete Ant (Operations Manager-comparable with a Chief Operation Officer) has been selected by John and you to be the main Business Lead for the BPM program. Pete has been complaining about the lack of performance, but never felt empowered to undertake a major initiative to correct this.
Pete and John run workshops to complete the details of the TOM, as well as the benefit framework.
Assignment guiding questions
- How would you update the Value Chain and what is your rationale?
- Please provide at least one more principle for each dimension of the TOM.
- Please specify which part of Figure 14.13 and Table 14.2 should be chosen for:
Student administration processes
Partner processes
Research processes.
Assignment 4:
You are running an executive workshop(s) to obtain a high-level process view and identify key areas for improvement and areas impacted by the move to a single Student and Finance solution.
During the workshop the following aspects of the move are discussed in relation to the benefits they will have:
- the number of students taking up study at BuProMan should increase as the university will provide an earlier response to student applications;
- students are more positive about the university and write positive comments in social media;
- tighter revenue collection processes and better reporting;
- reduction in administration support by making fewer mistakes and simplifying the tasks;
- increase in corporate sponsorship and reduced turnover of sponsors.
The executives hope that the employee satisfaction will increase and the employee churn will decrease.
Assignment guiding questions
- Which seven people/roles would you invite for the Executive Workshop and why?
- What are the six key outcomes you would like to achieve from this workshop?
- How would you classify the processes from the value chain into the Process Worth Matrix (use Table 15.2) and why?
- How would you quantify the benefits?
- What high-level metrics have you determined will be useful and why?
Assignment 5:
You elect to conduct several Understand phase workshops to: process model (map) the current processes; gather high-level metrics; and complete the People Capability Matrix.
You have also elected to conduct a Voice of Customer exercise from a student point of view. You may wish to complete Figure 16.11 for the on-boarding of new students process(es).
Figure 16.11 Voice of Customer for on-boarding of new students process(es)
During a workshop the process consultant requested the participants to specify their key problems and the root causes of the student on-boarding process which is considered to be lengthy with many errors and delays.
Assignment guiding questions
- Which processes did you complete process models for?
- What high-level metrics did you collect and what did you learn from this?
- For which processes did you complete the People Capability Matrix and what did you learn from this?
- What quick wins can you identify based on your analysis so far?
Assignment 6:
You have been asked to conduct some Innovate workshops.
It is important to leverage the information you obtained in the previous phases.
Assignment guiding questions
- Who would you invite to the Innovate workshops and why?
- What workshop techniques have you chosen to use (see Tables 17.1 and 17.2) and why?
- What improvement, leveraging existing IT applications and functionality, would you recommend?
Assignment 7:
During the Launch pad and Understand phases it became evident that major changes will occur for the staff. For example, there will be less focus on data entry and more on providing student service.
Assignment guiding questions
- Determine the relationship between the extent of cultural activity and the chosen BPM approach and describe its impact.
- Describe the key roles for a student on-boarding officer and his or her required skills.
- What type of training would you recommend and why?
Assignment 8:
Only answer these questions if you are completing the Option 3 approach to the assignment.
Assignment guiding questions
- What would be the three IT components that you recommend for the student administration system and why?
- Would you use an agile or waterfall approach for the development?
Assignment 9:
You are about to implement the improvements highlighted in the previous phases.
Assignment guiding questions
- What approach do you recommend to implement the proposed improvements?
- What communication have you already used to inform the stakeholders about the implementation?
- What communication will you now use to inform the stakeholders about the implementation?
- What are the key risks for implementing the proposed changes and how will you mitigate against them?
Assignment 10:
You are completing the Realize value phase steps in the course of each of the phases of the assignment.
Assignment guiding questions
- Ensure that you complete for each phase of the related Realize value step. How did you achieve this?
- Complete the benefit summary plan as far as possible.
Assignment 11:
You now wish to inform the executives how you will embed the benefits of this BPM activity into the organization.
Assignment guiding questions
- How have you evaluated the project results (New Student Enrolment)?
- How have you embedded process governance for the student on-boarding process?
Assignment 12:
Project management is being performed throughout the project.
Assignment guiding questions
- How have you incorporated BPM project management into the project?
- What are the differences between BPM project management and "normal" project management?
Assignment 13:
During the BPM activity you have to look after people change management.
Assignment guiding questions
- What type of communications did you undertake for each of the various stakeholders?
- What action did you take to mobilize the forces of cultural change?
Assignment 14:
Assignment guiding questions
- When you speak with the Board members, what are the key questions you will ask them and what would you request from them during the project?
- If you want to initiate a business transformation program for the entire organization, who is the key sponsor you wish to have the support of?
- What role does the program sponsor need to play?
The finale group project
1. The professor instructions and comments
Deployment of FE7 Framework for University of BuProMan
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate in a practical way the various aspects of a BPM activity using the 7FE Framework. It will enable you to put the framework into action in a given organization.
Project Statement
Your team has been invited to provide a consultation to the well-established University of BuProMan. The team will get its briefings from 14 entries listed with a title "Assignment" in the textbook in parts starting from chapter 12 on pages 133, 189, 234, 270, 300, 356, 395, 412, 431, 452, 466, 502, 531, and 555.
Actions
The team will need to answer all questions at the end of each of the 14 parts. However, all answers must be organized in a report reflecting all stages of the FE7 Framework and submitted as a whole. Remember, this is a consultation report the BPM experts (yourselves) are presenting to the organization's management.
The report may make use of the following template, indicating minimum page numbers per section (26 pages + cover page):
1. Introduction to the organization.
2. Introduction to the FE7 Framework.
3. Mapping FE7 into the organization (redress the selected steps in each framework's stage).
4. FE7 stages for the organization (one by one, redressing given questions).
5. Recommendations and Conclusions.
B. Each group starts with agreeing one of their members as a coordinator (in charge of monitoring the team's progress and reporting to the professor is issues creep up during the work).
C. Divide work amongst the team and do the assigned tasks on weekly basis, otherwise, it will be impossible to complete the project by week 6.
D. The report and a group oral presentation must be completed in week 6, so schedule plans accordingly.
Activity Forums
All groups must use this activity to manage their Group Project, and activities must be recorded weekly as follows:
- The group's coordinator will create an entry and post the week's (or next week's) plan, as agreed between all group members. This entry also shows what task is assigned to each group member.
- Each member creates an entry and posts his/her details on the assigned task. Discussions on this entry may ensue from other members.
- Other entries may be created by any group member to facilitate the exchange of ideas and successful completion of the project.
- The contents of the forum entries may be part of the final report submission and/or presentation.
Attachment:- Group project.zip