Agile Process Management – get the flow!

Processes are the engine room of every company. Their quality determines whether a company can meet the demands of its environment and seize opportunities in the market quickly and flexibly.

They determine whether the wheels of the company run smoothly or whether energy is wasted as heat loss and the team and machines are worn down, whether the control signals from the bridge are received correctly and directly or whether the company, like a “heavy tanker,” can no longer avoid the icebergs that appear. Good processes and workflows are transparent, inexpensive, and flexible.

This applies equally to established companies, which often already have some “process experience” but have lost some of their “agility” due to the high complexity of their business, as well as to start-ups, which, after a period of strong growth, need to ensure focus, structure, and efficiency in order to continue to meet market requirements with the necessary flexibility and speed.

Agile processes and workflows operationalize management’s strategic goals and bring the parts of the company together into an efficient “whole.”

Use cases / application examples :

Defining and coordinating processes creates essential foundations, e.g., for

• identifying optimization potential, cost and value drivers in processes
• creating “digitalization heat maps,” showing where the greatest added value can be created through the use of digital tools
• the programming of efficient workflows or sales funnels
• the benchmarking of the company with other relevant players in the market in order to identify its own weaknesses and strengths more clearly
• the creation of relevant KPIs that are specifically oriented towards the output of a process
• the “test” whether planned strategies or organizational changes are feasible and effective

and above all, for

• Enjoyment of working in efficient processes, the feeling of “flow” that arises when goals and work steps are clear and the tasks are challenging but not overwhelming

Success factors for the management of agile processes

• Concentration on the essentials. Focused selection of processes to be optimized. Embedding the processes in the overall company context.
• Appropriate choice of survey methods and level of detail depending on the objectives.
• Participation of all relevant players in the workshops and a structured coordination process by the project committees.
• Moderation of the workshops by experienced process experts who can identify problems and point out possible solutions.