CRE8 Center For Realizing Excellence

Re-engineering  according to experts Michael Hammer and James Champy is the "fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed. Re-engineering asks the question "why are we doing this at all" and encourages leaps forward, not incremental change. Re-engineering assumes the majority of process steps and structure are non-value added and encourages an organization to toss out everything and start over with a brand-new picture. Reengineering starts with a high-level assessment of the organization's mission, strategic goals, and customer needs. Basic questions are asked, such as: Does our mission need to be redefined? Are our strategic goals aligned with our mission? Who are our customers? In this assessment, an organization may find that it is operating on questionable assumptions, particularly regarding the wants and needs o...

A Digital Workflow Consultant can smash paradigms and innovate your organization.   However to be successful this consultant needs to be skilled in workflow technology and process improvement (LEAN, Six Sigma, BPM, TQM) so they are able to clean up processes before automation, look for ways to reduce re-work, improve quality, and innovate processe. A skilled Digital Workflow consultant can:  - interview internal groups (and customers/vendors) to determine the level of improvement each process requires (efficiency, quality, service, frictionless, governance) and incorporate these factors into the workflow/application design,  - identify how related technologies such as capture, recognition, machine learning, electronic content management, workflow, robotic process automation, and artificial intelligence need to interact with workflow technology to improve processes, and - develop project plans to identify timelines, project dependencies and risks, requirem...

Today, organizations are asking how to properly set up records management in M365 for modules such as Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint, PowerAutomate, and Compliance Center (Purview).   In a recent poll we conducted the type of planning stated as required to ensure successful deployment of M365 is Governance/Compliance.  Unfortunately, our surveys and studies find that less than 50% of organizations have fully developed their enterprise and department ECM requirements (indexing, search. workflow, integration) before M365 implementation and only 13% have  fully set up compliance center (Purview). In addition, we find a significant number of organizations do not have (and follow) an up-to-date records management program for electronic records. The result?  If an organization's records management program is not correctly updated and implemented in their content management systems organizations can experience sprawl, regulatory non-compliance, and increased ri...

⁸Digital Workflow allows for the automation of processes that are manual and/or partly automated (email, multiple data systems).  Typically, Workflow can be developed using point and click development tools; and provides for automated decisions (if-then-else),  parallel and sequential routing, and integraration to electronic forms (that can be filled out using a portal, cell phone, or email). Workflow can be initiated by a customer, employee, automated task, or an event. Studies find that  digital workflow  technology can significantly reduce organizational costs; and improve efficiency, quality, and service. Improvements can be from 20% to 10x. Challanges with Workflow include the lack of a well thought out enterprise plan and roadmap,  not cleaning up (improving) processes before automation,  improper automation (to detailed or not detailed enough), lack of integration to e-forms, portals, and data systems, and selecting the wrong Digital Wo...

Since 1995, CRE8 ®  Incorporated Independent Consultants have helped organizations plan for Process Improvement, Workflow / ECM Paperless Technologies, Information Governance, and Complex Computer System Replacement. Our services include consulting, workshops, and conferences; provided on-site or through the internet.  As independent consultants, we work directly for end users and do not sell or represent any technology solution. This allows us to provide an independent voice to help organizations plan for and evaluate process improvement, advanced technology (workflow/ECM), information governance IG plans, and complex computer system replacement options. To learn more about our services: Process and Organizational Improvement ECM, Workflow, ERM And Information Governance Planning Complex Computer System Replacement Planning On-Line Education and Certification (Agile, BPM, Project Management PMP, Lean, Six Sigma) Conferences CRE8 serves national and international o...

Digital technologies consist of many platforms, products, and tools including capture, recognition, machine learning, content management, workflow, robotic process automation, AI, and electronic records management.   A digital transformation consultant can help your organization develop a/an: enterprise plan to provide a roadmap based upon cost/benefit so that projects can be categorized, planned, and budgeted, process baselines (current state) to identify current process costs, risks, issues, and noncompliance; process redesign goals and maps; and change action plans, digital transformation business-level requirements, workflow maps, technical requirements, vendor requests for proposal/information, change management strategies, estimated project costs, and return on investment (ROI) assessment, and  project plan  to identify timelines, project dependencies and risks, responsibilities, change management, acceptance criteria, progress, and completion....

What is Organizational Friction?  Organizational friction disrupts interactions with customers, operations, and vendors; which can negatively impact revenue, expenses, goodwill, compliance, and risk.   Signs of friction include lost sales, complaints on social media, wasted customer and organization time, lack of coordination between departments, problems created that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, lower profitability, and regulatory/legal penalties. Examples of Organizational Friction include complex on-line order web pages, transferring a customer by phone to numerous areas, lack of after-sale customer service, chargebacks, and refunds, rework, frustration between and within departments, and seeing the customer as a problem.  Root causes and fixes of friction can be found in an organization’s beliefs, processes, automation, and measurement. How to Reduce Friction Find where friction exists, beginning with an inventory of processes and cu...