Algorithm for optimizing business production processes. Methods for optimizing business processes in an organization

Methods for optimizing business processes.

First, we need to understand for ourselves what goal we are pursuing when intending to optimize or reengineer this or that business process?

In other words, you need to set a specific task first, otherwise optimization will not bring any effect.

Let us briefly consider the main methods used to optimize business processes:

1. SWOT analysis (analysis of strengths and weaknesses business process)

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to assess factors and phenomena affecting a project or enterprise. All factors are divided into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The principle of the method is to search and elimination/amplification weaknesses and minimizing potential risks and threats.

2. Cause and Effect Method (Ishikawa Diagram – Cause and Effect Diagram)

Ishikawa diagram - so-called. Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram, and also known as a Root Cause Analysis diagram.

One of the seven main tools for measuring, assessing, controlling and improving the quality of production processes, included in the “seven tools of quality control”:

Control card;

Pareto chart;

Bar chart;

Check sheet;

Ishikawa diagram;

Layering (stratification);

Scatterplot.

Such a diagram allows you to identify key relationships between various factors and more accurately understand the process under study. The diagram helps to identify the main factors that have the most significant impact on the development of the problem under consideration, as well as to prevent or eliminate the effects of these factors.

3. Benchmarking

A method of analyzing superiority and assessing the competitive advantages of partners and competitors of the same type or related industry in order to study and use all that is most productive. A bit reminiscent of industrial espionage, however, the difference is that this method is carried out using superficial observations.

4.Analysis and optimization of business processes based on indicators (KPI)

Key performance analysis method. The principle of establishing final goals for a project, with the achievement of which the “bar” is raised, or. If the goal cannot be achieved, the means of achieving it or the goals themselves are reviewed.

5. Brainstorm

A method in which a solution to a problem is discussed and all possible methods are put forward; on the basis of this, the most effective one is selected. discussion participants

6. Lean methods, “6 Sigma”

A method for identifying productivity improvements due to defect reduction in the manufacturing process.

7. Calculation and change of process fragmentation

Method of reducing or increasing the components of a business process

8. Analysis of the business logic of the process

elimination of ineffective procedures

distribution of responsibility for the execution of business processes and delegation of decision-making authority

linking parallel work

recording information at the source and incorporating information processing into real work

9. Functional cost analysis method (FCA analysis)

The principle of the analysis is to achieve maximum functionality of the object at minimal cost, both for the seller and the buyer.

10. Method of simulation (dynamic) modeling of power supply

A technique that allows you to represent, within the framework of a dynamic computer model, the actions of people and the use of technologies used in the reengineering processes being studied. Carrying out modeling involves four main stages:

1) building a model,

2) launching the model,

3) analysis of the obtained performance indicators,

4) assessment of alternative scenarios.

A very effective method, provided that all the necessary quantities to build the model are current and accurate.

11. Calculation and analysis of labor intensity and duration of a business process

The methodology was created to calculate the optimal number of employees in an enterprise and the workload on them.

12. Analysis of the responsibility distribution matrix

A technique for compiling a visual functional table that strictly distributes the organization into structural divisions, units, etc. In other words, tasks are assigned to structural units

For an optimal solution for optimizing business processes, you can use all methods as a whole or separately, depending on the tasks set and the amount of information analyzed

Kovalev Sergey Mikhailovich,Kovalev Valery Mikhailovich,(Journal "Director's Consultant", No. 7 (234), April 2005)

The text of the article, divided into parts, is presented in the following sections:

Part 1.

"Development of goals and indicators for optimization of business processes"

Analysis and optimization of business processes

In previous publications, the first stage of building and optimizing the activities of an enterprise “Development of an “as is” model” was considered. In the publication “Selection of business processes for optimization”, issues of choosing priority business processes for optimization were considered. In this article and subsequent ones, consideration of the second will be continued and the third stages: “Analysis of the “as is” model and “Development of the “as it should” model, but only in relation to business processes. Analysis of the existing and development of a new optimal organizational structure according to the classics of building an organization is the next step and will be discussed further (see fig.1).

Figure 1. The main formula and classics of building and optimizing an organization

Technologies for analyzing and optimizing business processes Determining goals and criteria for optimizing business processes

After identifying priority business processes, you need to begin their detailed description, analysis and optimization. The practice of implementing such projects has shown that before carrying out a detailed description of business processes, it is necessary to formulate the main goals and criteria for their optimization. At this stage, this can be done using the results of express diagnostics of the company’s activities, carried out to determine the degree of problematic business processes.

Prioritizing optimization goals and criteria is necessary to improve the effectiveness of a process improvement project. Any project at the initial stage must have a clearly formulated and realistic goal.

Many companies implementing projects to improve business processes make a typical mistake: they begin to aimlessly describe business processes in the hope that after developing detailed process diagrams, problems will be discovered, ways to solve them, and, accordingly, goals and optimization criteria will be formulated. The practice of implementing such projects has shown that this approach is ineffective, since aimless description of business processes often does not produce any results and takes a lot of time and effort, which subsequently leads to refusal to carry out such work.

Moreover, without initially formulating the goals and criteria for process optimization, it is impossible to choose the desired approach and description methodology, as well as an analysis and improvement tool. At the same time, it is impossible to build a compact business process diagram that provides answers to the necessary questions.

Basic indicators, goals and criteria for optimizing business processes

So, before describing, analyzing and optimizing business processes, you need to formulate goals and criteria for their optimization. The goals and criteria for optimizing business processes are based on key process indicators that determine the efficiency and competitiveness of the organization. In our book, these indicators are grouped and presented in the form of five groups:

indicators Productivity business process – R$

indicators Costs business process - C$

indicators Time business process – t

indicators Qualities business process – Q

indicators Fragmentation business process – FRAG

Methods for optimizing business processes

Business Process Optimization is the direct development and implementation of measures to improve (reorganize) the company’s business processes.

The study of their actual state allows us to formulate goals for improvement (reorganization). For example, gaining market share, reducing order processing time, reducing inventory, etc.

Company A produces sporting and recreational goods. Based on a study of the current market situation, the company formulated the following goals:

· Cost reduction up to 25 Euros per product on average.

· Manufacture and delivery of product according to customer order within 5 days from the date of order in the store.

· Maintaining a product range of 1,300 pieces.

The company's management accepted the proposal to research and improve processes and, as a result of the research, set appropriate goals. To achieve the planned results, it was necessary not only to radically improve the order process, but also to make changes in product development, organization of work at the installation site, change the functions of employees and organize sales work.

Optimization is aimed at achieving the set goals and contains measures to eliminate detected problems. These may include: issues of interfacing changed technologies, changed work systems, too many management levels, downtime, unused capacity, duplication of work tasks, errors in information transfer, loss of information, errors in documentation, etc.

When developing optimization measures, the impact parameters should be taken into account: logistics, economic, time, space, personal.

Logical ones are the number of process stages, technological feasibility, sequence of events, organizational interaction.

Economic - low costs, high capacity utilization, low inventory levels, economical process depth, flexibility, high share of value creation.

Temporary - short order processing time, low share of auxiliary time, low share of changeover time, flexibility of production time.

Spatial - the possibility of locating the necessary workplaces, the possibility of organizing work systems, minimal transport routes, the possibility of changing the order of arrangement of work systems.

Personal - volume of work and need for personnel, provision of necessary qualifications, advanced training, flexible working hours for staff.

First, we need to understand for ourselves what goal we are pursuing when intending to optimize or reengineer a particular business process.

In other words, you need to set a specific task first, otherwise optimization will not bring any effect.

Let us briefly consider the main methods used to optimize business processes:

1. SWOT analysis (analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a business process)

SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to assess factors affecting a project or enterprise. All factors are divided into four categories: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The principle of the method is to search and eliminate/strengthen the weakest points and minimize potential risks and threats.

2. Cause and Effect Method (Ishikawa Diagram - Cause and Effect Diagram)

Ishikawa diagram - so-called. Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram, and also known as a Root Cause Analysis diagram.

One of the seven main tools for measuring, assessing, controlling and improving the quality of production processes, included in the “seven tools of quality control”:

Control card;

Pareto chart;

Bar chart;

Check sheet;

Ishikawa diagram;

Layering (stratification);

Scatterplot.

3. Benchmarking

4. Analysis and optimization of business processes based on indicators (KPIs)

Key performance analysis method. The principle of establishing final goals for a project, with the achievement of which the “bar” is raised, or, if the goals cannot be achieved, the means of achieving them or the goals themselves are revised.

5. Brainstorm

A method in which a solution to a problem is discussed and all possible methods are put forward; on the basis of this, the most effective one is selected. discussion participants

6. Lean methods, “6 Sigma”

A method for identifying productivity improvements due to defect reduction in the manufacturing process.

7. Calculation and change of process fragmentation

Method of reducing or increasing the components of a business process

8. Analysis of the business logic of the process, elimination of ineffective procedures, distribution of responsibility for the execution of business processes and delegation of decision-making authority, linking parallel work, recording information at the source and incorporating information processing into real work.

9. Functional cost analysis method (FCA analysis)

The principle of the analysis is to achieve maximum functionality of the object at minimal cost, both for the seller and the buyer.

10. Method of simulation (dynamic) modeling of power supply

1) building a model,

2) launching the model,

3) analysis of the obtained performance indicators,

4) assessment of alternative scenarios.

A very effective method, provided that all the necessary quantities to build the model are current and accurate.

11. Calculation and analysis of labor intensity and duration of a business process

The methodology was created to calculate the optimal number of employees in an enterprise and the load on them.

12. Analysis of the responsibility distribution matrix

A technique for compiling a visual functional table that strictly distributes the organization into structural divisions, units, etc. In other words, tasks are assigned to structural units

For an optimal solution for optimizing business processes, you can use all methods as a whole or separately, depending on the tasks set and the volume of information analyzed

At present, when, on the one hand, strong competitors with well-established work schemes are entering the market, and on the other hand, our enterprises are expanding their activities, it is important to restructure their work scheme in a timely and painless manner.

For example, if an enterprise needs to improve its work in a short time (no more than three months): reduce costs, accounts receivable, shorten the commodity production cycle, reduce the number of management errors, or take urgent measures to overcome the crisis, it can use the express method optimization of business processes.

On the one hand, this is a fairly simple method, but, on the other hand, it is very labor-intensive and energy-consuming (regardless of whether it is a commercial enterprise or a production-commercial one).

Stages of business process optimization using the express method:

First of all, it is necessary to compile a list of all business processes existing in the enterprise and develop a functional diagram of the enterprise. Then an enlarged diagram is developed, which reflects all the main business processes occurring in the enterprise and the relationship between them, and then detailed diagrams of each business process.

2. Carrying out ABC analysis.

After the scheme has been developed, an ABC analysis is carried out, which makes it possible to identify a small number of the most significant business processes that need to be given primary attention. To do this, all business processes are divided into three groups - “A”, “B” and “C”.

Group “A” includes processes that require the highest costs. As a rule, this is 5-10% of all processes occurring in the enterprise, which account for 75-80% of all costs.

Group “B” includes approximately 20% of business processes, which include approximately 10-20% of costs. And finally, group “C” consists of the remaining 60-75% of processes, which “eat up” only 5-10% of the enterprise’s costs.

There is a standard set of parameters that must be constantly analyzed regardless of the type of enterprise. This:

* reliability of information flows;

* scheme for making and validity of a business decision;

* efficiency of existing business processes of the enterprise;

* adequacy of management to the assigned tasks;

* adequacy of the staff motivation system;

* modernity of the technological process;

* adequacy of time costs.

The basis for conducting ABC analysis is operational data obtained through a survey of all employees on problems and proposals, as well as timing of working time in a cross-section for each link of the business process.

The main attention is paid to problems arising in interstructural connections.

3. Analysis of the state of liquid assets

Simultaneously with ABC analysis, an analysis of the state of the most liquid assets is usually carried out. As practice shows, “putting things in order” in accounting and control over the use of liquid assets in a short time (up to three months) gives the greatest effect.

The importance of accounting for such assets is due to several factors. Firstly, it is these assets that are of the greatest material interest to unscrupulous employees. Secondly, the ability to manage them depends on the correct organization of control over the use of liquid assets. If the information received by management does not reflect the true state of liquid assets, this can lead to a crisis for the enterprise, including bankruptcy, especially in an increasingly competitive environment.

The analysis of accounting for liquid assets should begin with a check of banking and cash transactions. Particular attention must be paid to the status of settlements with suppliers and customers and to inventory management.

4. Optimization of business processes

After the analysis, you can begin to optimize business processes, that is, directly to the improvement stage. Any actions to improve the operation of an enterprise should begin with optimizing the processes of group “A”. It must be emphasized that when using the express method, only those processes are selected that can be improved in three months. It should be noted that the improvement stage is direct changes in the company. But resistance to change, as you and I understand, is always high among employees.

Therefore, each change must be discussed by employees involved in a specific business process. And only a decision should be made that suits representatives of each link of the business process. Then, within two to three days, the solution is tested and adjusted. Only after this we move on to developing the next business process.

5. A daily reporting system is created, reflecting information on the expenditure of all types of resources (including working time). Increased control is established over the most expensive and scarce resources.

Reporting forms are developed, which are also tested in working order, and then agreed upon with the managers of the departments where these forms will be used, and approved by the management of the enterprise. Thanks to the introduction of daily management reporting and streamlining of document flow, the enterprise immediately receives a number of benefits:

* The management of the enterprise can at any time determine the direction and timing of the expenditure of any monetary and material resources. Even if these resources continue to be wasted, an information base is created from which methods for more optimal resource management can subsequently be developed.

* Thanks to the introduction of a clear procedure for processing requests for resources, costs are reduced. Because spending any resource requires multiple paperwork and approvals, the employee stops making “just in case” resource purchases. Thus, requests are made only for resources that are truly needed.

* Labor productivity increases because people always work more intensely if they report on the work done daily.

* Based on the analysis of daily reports from employees (primarily the highest paid) on the work done, important tasks for which they do not have enough time are identified, and tasks the solution of which can be delegated to lower paid employees. Optimal redistribution of tasks between employees allows enterprise management to achieve more efficient staff performance without increasing wage costs.

* As information accumulates, costs are analyzed in detail and, on this basis, measures are developed to reduce them. One of these measures could be the introduction of a more rational procurement planning system, which will reduce the amount of raw materials in the warehouse and reduce the costs of their transportation and storage.

Thus, there is a transition from cost accounting to cost management.

6. The company’s document flow is adjusted.

All adopted and working decisions are made by adjustments to the document flow system: “Regulations on the organizational structure”, the system of job descriptions, “Regulations on wages”, “Internal regulations”.

7. Result

The result of using the express method for optimizing business processes at the end of a three-month period can be a reduction in costs by 5-15%, a reduction in the production cycle and an improvement in the state of the enterprise’s accounts.

After the stage of business process optimization, an effective personnel management system is developed, a personnel assessment and certification system is introduced, which includes:

* Stages of the assessment process: preparation, implementation, maintenance and monitoring, analysis and use of results;

* Regulatory support for the assessment process: correct execution of job descriptions, employment contracts, work standards, etc.;

* Assessment process and system of procedures, documentation of the process;

* Training managers in the basics of personnel assessment technology;

* Analysis and use of personnel assessment results to make personnel decisions;

* Planning of company personnel management activities based on the results of the assessment process.

We have come to the concept of business process reengineering (BPR), i.e. creating completely new and more efficient business processes without taking into account what came before. BPO uses a large number of tools and techniques within a conventional framework. The previous issue described one of them - an express method for optimizing enterprise business processes. Let us consider in more detail each of the stages of implementing this method in an enterprise.

Processes are streams of work and they have their boundaries, in other words, a beginning and an end. For example, business processes are: inventory management, DS management, marketing management, HR management. The subprocesses of inventory management are: supply planning, accepting orders for inventory items from the client, selling inventory items, storing inventory items, writing off inventory items, etc.

Procedures are a guide, a documented regulatory procedure in which the sequence of actions must be prescribed. For example, control over returns is already a clearly defined procedure (by whom, how and when it should be carried out). Procedures are reflected in procedure cards.

Strictly speaking, in the functional structure it is also possible to reengineer any detail and even appoint “process owners” along with the existing department heads. To make this mechanism work, it is necessary to preserve the principle of unity of command and clearly describe in the “Regulations on the Organizational Structure”, as well as in other fundamental documents of the company, the areas of responsibility, powers and interaction procedures for each department head, process owner and each joint of the responsibility matrix.

Then the efficiency of the structure will not fall as low as it does in most firms.

So, the sequence of our actions with you:

1. Identification of key problems in business processes.

2. Carrying out ABC analysis. Distribution of areas of responsibility.

4. Creation of a daily reporting system.

5. Adjustment of document flow.

6. Result.

1). All information available at the enterprise is subject to diagnostics:

* Material or explicit information is data and knowledge that can be found in organization documents in the form of messages, instructions, contracts, Regulations, letters, articles, reference books, patents, drawings, video and audio recordings, software, etc.

* Personal or hidden information is personal knowledge that is inextricably linked to individual experience. They can be transmitted through direct contact (“face to face”), using questionnaires. It is believed that it is hidden practical knowledge that is key to identifying problems in an enterprise. This information is also interesting because it indirectly reveals the degree of employees’ readiness to contribute to the development of the company. Therefore, questionnaires are a simple and convenient tool for diagnosing key problems of an enterprise.

Each employee is given a questionnaire asking him to describe the duties (daily, weekly, monthly, annual) that the employee performs, the problems that the employee encounters in the course of work, and also, of course, specific proposals that he would like to implement at the enterprise. TOP managers (commercial director, chief accountant) usually have the entire range of responsibilities; line managers (accountant-coordinator, supervisors, warehouse manager) have a monthly range of responsibilities; ordinary employees (sales representatives, forwarders, operators) have daily and weekly responsibilities. I would like to note that the company always has employees who care not only about themselves, but also about the company. Such employees are usually quite specific in their ability to describe their responsibilities, clearly identify the problems they face, and propose specific solutions to eliminate these problems. I personally consider such employees as the golden fund of the enterprise, which needs to be given maximum attention by the company's management.

Through the analysis of questionnaires, key problems are identified. The key problem (category A) is precisely the one that “cuts through” the employees of different departments.

For example, an operator (accounting) writes: “a large number of returns, sales representatives accept applications poorly”; storekeeper (warehouse, accounting): “reduce the number of returns, sales agents do not know how to work with clients”; forwarder: “I’m ashamed in front of my clients, every time you hear that we’re a mess, we’re always bringing other people’s orders, we need to immediately reduce returns”; sales representative (commercial department): “they are deprived of allowances for returns, although it is not us, but the storekeeper who allows “re-sorting”, and the operator generally fills in invoices incorrectly.”

Thus, we are faced with a problem that we have defined as “return”, which we highlight as independent and pay special attention to. Our personal experience suggests that you shouldn’t pay attention to everything right away. It is enough to initially identify no more than 3-4 key problems, which you can then work on. It’s okay if you still allowed other problems to “breathe.” I dare say that some of them will disappear on their own, after working out the key ones.

Next, the participants who are involved in this problem are identified. The “return” problem: sales representative, operator, forwarder, storekeeper. The timing of their working time (implicit information) is carried out according to a characteristic section and the documentation they fill out (explicit information) is analyzed.

Sales Representative (TS). Responsible for returns in the form of surcharge. A sample of applications (explicit information) filled out by sales representatives suggests that they are filled out carefully, but are submitted as soon as the sales representative arrives at the office (after 7 p.m.). However, the trainees confuse the names of the stores, and there are many corrections in the applications.

The operator's main load begins at 16:00 in the afternoon and continues until 21-20:00 in the evening, until the entire volume of applications is completed. Although he needs to be at his workplace at 8-00. Physical overload on the face. Analysis of generated documents (explicit information) showed that the standard for typing documents by the operator is not observed, although the operator’s typing speed is high - 230 znmin. The reason is that the 1C program is not adapted to the needs of the enterprise and additional time is required to generate the necessary documents.

Before 19:00 there are no errors in the generated documents, the operator works quickly and is not distracted by external noises, but after 19:00 the number of errors increases, the operator gets confused, is distracted by external noises, and the specialist cannot concentrate. After 20-30, when all the strangers leave, the operator again begins to work efficiently, but the dialing speed decreases by 2.5 times. Thus, the number of operator errors occurs between 19-00 and 20-30. The bonus is given when the plan is fulfilled. There is no surcharge for no returns.

Forwarder. Works well with the client. Attentive. Knows the product well. The route is designed optimally. He knows the route and clients well. He gets very worried when a client refuses a product, but doesn’t tell anyone about it, experiencing it within himself. Not present when the goods are shipped. There is no surcharge for no returns.

Storekeeper. Works inattentively with documents (explicit information). The location of the goods and the goods themselves are poorly known. Instead of one position (for example, 130 tenge) he places another (360 tenge), completely not understanding the difference between them. Maybe instead of the ordered 59 pieces. put 69 pcs. The order is assembled only by him and the loader. He doesn't care what he shipped. Does not bear financial responsibility. A salary increase is received when the company fulfills the plan. There is no surcharge for no returns.

2). Carrying out ABC analysis. Distribution of areas of responsibility. The key problem identified is “return control”.

Analysis of the proposed

events:

A). A supervisor is appointed as the “master” of the “returns control” procedure. He bears primary responsibility for returns because... It is he who is given the authority to investigate and identify the reasons for the return and determine the guilty party. Why the supervisor? Because he is subordinate to sales representatives responsible for the quality of communications with clients. Any failures in working with the client (in our case, the frequency of returns), to which employees pay attention, are reflected, first of all, in communications and the image of the company.

B). A responsibility matrix has been introduced through the “For No Returns” allowance, which makes it possible to clearly delineate areas of responsibility between employees and determine the moment when the responsibility of each employee arises. Thus, it is easy to identify the guilty party and punish. From a psychological point of view, a clearly defined responsibility matrix does not allow an employee to shift his blame onto others, restoring the principle of fairness and impartiality in the company. The “transparency” of this procedure will not allow some employees (in our example, the storekeeper) to sit back and receive a salary for being a good person, but not an employee.

IN). The load on each employee has been optimized (in our example, the operator is unloaded in the evening, but on the other hand, submitting applications before 17-00 mobilizes technical support staff, forcing them to work better in self-organization mode, so as not to lose volumes).

3. Reengineering (optimization) of business processes.

In order not to encounter resistance from employees who would not want to change anything, a set of proposed measures is submitted for their discussion. The director gathers representatives from all areas of the process, identifies the problem and, together with employees, outlines ways to solve it. But before introducing the proposed mechanisms, it is necessary to test the proposed set of measures. Over the course of a week, the decision made is worked out in real time, adjusted, and only then is a decision made to introduce changes, and only then can we begin to implement the process description.

Thus, business process reengineering allows, on the one hand, to obtain an optimization effect without radically disrupting the current business model of the enterprise, and on the other hand, to actually improve the current business model.

This article talks about 7 simple techniques that can be used to optimize both business processes as a whole and sub-processes and operations.

These techniques are not “know-how”, but have been actively used all over the world for a long time. The purpose of this article is to compile a simple and short “cheat sheet” describing the main optimization techniques.

Technique No. 1 - Taking the IFR (ideal end result) outside the scope of the process.

When optimizing any business processes, a clear description of the IFR is necessary. As the experienced reader guessed, this is the first step in the algorithm for solving inventive problems created by TRIZ developers. What would seem to be simpler than the formation of IFR when designing a business process? But a person’s consciousness plays a cruel joke on him, concluding the search for IFR exclusively within the framework of the process itself.

Example 1

The company, located in Moscow, produces products that are used by customers throughout the CIS. The company has a logistics center that delivers goods to the client using its own trucks. Recently, the costs of maintaining a logistics center have begun to increase. Those. Delivering products to customers using the old method becomes problematic. The wrong way to determine the IFR will look like this: “Reduce delivery costs by our logistics center by 10%.” In this case, a number of good solutions can be found:

a) replace trucks with more advanced ones that require less repair and maintenance costs

b) use cheaper fuel

c) negotiate with customers in order to convince them to pay more for delivery, etc.

But at the same time, the author of process optimization closes for himself all other resources of this situation. What opportunities are being missed? To answer this question, let’s formulate the IFR differently, namely based on the understanding that the meaning of a business process should go beyond the scope of itself. Those. The meaning of the work of a logistics center is not in the work of the logistics center itself, not in the fact that loaders place the company’s product on a truck, and the driver takes it to the client, but in helping to implement a more global business process, namely the sale of the company’s products, through delivery goods to the company's customers. Therefore, in this case, the IFR, in my opinion, would sound better formulated as follows: “Make the receipt of the company’s product by customers no more expensive than N rubles per V km.” Thus, when searching for solutions to this problem, consciousness is no longer limited only within the framework of the work of the logistics center, but at the same time does not exclude the possibility of its use, and we add to the possible solutions already obtained those that in the first case we could not come to due to a narrower areas of search for solutions:

d) outsourcing delivery

e) the possibility of a discount for customers who pick up the products themselves

f) opening production in regions where large clients are present, etc.

How to use the technique?

Create an IFR that could be achieved not only through the implementation of the process, but also in all available ways, as was the case in the example.

Technique #2 - Eliminating unnecessary steps from the process.

When implementing this technique, it is necessary to consider the purpose of each step of the process, asking whether any steps can be eliminated or combined.

Example 2

At Technosila, when hiring a salesperson, he had to go through the following stages:

Telephone interview with HR manager
Face-to-face interview with the HR manager at the central office
Interview with the store director
Bring the documents necessary for employment to the central office

And only after going through all these stages could he start working in the store of his choice.

The tasks of the HR manager are to exclude random people from getting an interview with the store director, such as people who do not match their age, education and place of residence, etc. i.e. The role of the HR manager is a kind of filter, and the decision to hire is made by the store director. After analyzing the tasks of these stages, management came to the conclusion that stages 2 and 4 are redundant because Candidates who do not meet basic requirements can also be screened out during a telephone interview. The fourth stage, namely the registration of an employee, was transferred directly to the supermarket where the future employee will work.

How to use the technique?

Are there stages that duplicate each other? Is it possible to remove one of them?
Are all stages of the process necessary for the main purpose of the process, and if so, are there any that can be dispensed with?

Technique No. 3 - changing the sequence of process execution stages

Example 3

In his book “How to Clean Up Your Business,” Mikhail Rybakov describes an interesting example of the procedure for issuing a loan at a bank. The sequence of the described actions is such that first the bank manager prepares all the documents and only when 90% of the work is completed, a request is sent to the security service. If the security service does not approve the loan, 90% of the work turns out to be wasted man-hours, depreciation of equipment and other consumables, plus lost profits. It is clear that every business has its own risks, but the manager’s task is to reduce them in every possible way, and in this case this is extremely easy to do. To do this, you just need to make the operation of checking a potential client by the security service one of the first steps in the loan application procedure, this will allow you not to perform unnecessary operations in case of refusal.

How to use the technique?

Analyze the business process outlined step by step through questions.

Which of the process steps are most significant for the successful completion of the process?

Can these steps be moved closer to the beginning of the process?

Technique No. 4 - Splitting operations

I.L. Vikentyev repeatedly repeats at seminars that the more advanced business processes are, the fewer requirements they place on employee qualifications. The essence of this technique is precisely this division of processes and operations, which leads to simplification of the process as a whole. In essence, this is a conveyor operating principle known since ancient times. One of the most brilliant examples of how this principle can improve productivity is the case described by Adam Smith.

Example 4.

An English craftsman of the 17th century maintained a workshop in which pins were made. Each apprentice led the pin production process from start to finish. Due to the economic crisis, the owner was unable to pay the qualified employees of his workshop, so their cooperation was terminated (he fired them). As a result, it was decided to divide the production of pins into small sequential operations. Each of these operations could be mastered by any untrained person, or rather, they recruited 15-16 year old boys from the street. Thanks to this move, not only labor costs were reduced, but also production increased by more than 200 times! If earlier the workshop produced about 80 pins a day using the labor of qualified craftsmen, now the workshop produced 48,000 pins using the efforts of apprentices.

How to use the technique?

Which operations in the process require the greatest qualifications of the performer?

Is it possible to divide these operations into simpler operations so that the requirements for the performer are reduced?

Technique No. 5 - Taking operations outside the scope of the main process

Often in complex processes full of operations, the same performer performs all operations, which significantly delays the process and also significantly reduces its quality. Because as we know, generalist masters are very rare. We can be convinced of this by looking into a rural auto repair shop, where the same employee also repairs the chassis, and if necessary, he will also undertake carburetor repair, which is difficult to imagine in any professionally equipped workshop.

Example 5

In the Stolplit furniture holding, initially sellers were entirely involved in processing loans. In this regard, a lot of difficulties arose in the work of retail outlets:

firstly, the registration process itself was greatly delayed, i.e. I have already said that you cannot be a pro in everything, both in sales and in preparing bank documentation.
secondly, for obvious reasons, when applying for loans, the total number of clients served decreased, i.e. turnover was falling
thirdly, sellers often made mistakes when preparing loan documentation, which again reduced the number of loans issued, etc. and so on.

In the described situation, it is clearly visible that issuing a loan is the anchor that slows down the sales process at retail outlets, but should, on the contrary, stimulate it. Because It is absolutely clear that today not a single point can do without providing the service of selling on credit. There is an obvious contradiction: the service of selling on credit should be present at the point of sale, but at the same time it should not drain resources.

The solution was simple: a remote loan processing center (LOC) was created, which worked with all Stolplit partner banks. The seller’s task was only to make a photocopy of the passport and send it to the UCC to indicate the type, amount and term of the loan.

How to use the technique?

Analyze the steps of a prescribed business process through questions

Which operations in this process are the most energy-intensive?

Can these operations be entrusted to other performers without compromising the process? Moreover, it is important to understand that operations can be entrusted not only to an employee of his own company, but also outsourced.

Technique No. 6 - Unification operation in time and (or) space

Example 6

Combining mining and production. The production of canned fish is often located directly on the vessels that fish. At the sites where minerals are extracted, their processing is often organized.

Example 7

In a beauty salon, several specialists can work with a client at the same time.

How to use the technique?

Analyze the business process outlined step by step using questions:

What if in a given process operations that would be more expedient to combine in time and (or) space?

Technique No. 7 - Automation, transferring part or all functions to a machine

This technique is used in a situation where a technical device can completely take over all operations to implement the process, and a person periodically maintains the device.

Example 8

The first vending machines to replace the salesperson appeared in the United States in the 1880s.

In 1946, the first coffee machines appeared, replacing not only the seller, but also the bartender, because... not only sold, but also prepared coffee from whole roasted beans.

How to use the technique?

Analyze the step-by-step business process using questions:

If at the moment there are technical devices (machines, programs) that can perform operations present in the process without loss of quality.

List of sources:

Electronic book “Introduction to TRIZ. Basic concepts and approaches" v. 3.0
Creative methodology: “Ideal final result (IFR)”
Rybakov M.Yu. “How to get your business in order. Workshop" Icarus 2011
Oleg Bezrukov “Is it possible to increase labor productivity by 10,000% within a year?”

Bondarenko Denis Alekseevich, business coach.