Results2Match

This week I was involved in a discussion regarding a business process performance improvement project. This projects objective is to improve the efficiency of a hospital polyclinic by reducing the number of No Show patients.

Reducing Polyclinic No Shows on a No Cure, No Pay Basis?

The discussion topic was what is takes to make this project a No Cure, No Pay project. A confession: My preferred project type is the project with the duty to achieve a given result, which is a kind of No Cure No Pay project. This type of result driven project allows, and enforces (!), to discuss before the project start all required results as well as the required decision process. The agreed approach is then documented in the project description document. In Prince-II terms this document is called the Project Initiation Document (PID).

In a polyclinic No Show reduction project we have many interest groups: Medical doctors, hospital management, medical staff, non-medical staff, and facilities. This makes No Cure No Pay an intellectually interesting exercise.

Let us suppose that they all are interested in improving the Show performance. That does not mean that all have the same intentions. Besides that there are probably many initiatives to improve the Show efficiency: Telephone call reminders, reminders by letter, SMSes, invoices after-wards to bill the No Show patients and more. All participants are seriously convinced of their unique contribution.

So we need a way of measuring of our performance improvement allocated to our No Show project, otherwise we will be unable to prove our unique contribution. Of course you are advised to always do this, but is required in case of a project with a duty to achieve a given result.

My Approach to Business Process Performance Improvement

In this blog my space is very limited. Therefore, I will address the 3 most important points:

1. Get confirmed who is the end-to-end business process decision maker.
2. Get confirmed what the most significant outside event is that drives this business process.
3. Get confirmed the detailed process step interface descriptions.

Contact me for a more detailed description, or look are relevant literature. I can recommend Improving performance, Geary A. Rummler and Alan P. Brache, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 226 pp. I think Rummler and Brache are the inventors of the Adapt Or Die slogan.

The End-to-end Process Decision Maker

The confirmation on who is the decision maker for the complete end-to-end business process is essential. This person must know what the business process achieves, and how the process performance is measured. Also, a project has the objective to change things. You need 1 person, who can authorize your plan, and the execution of your plan.

The Main Outside Event Driving The Business Process

A business process is driven by many events and many interest groups. You need focus to make sure that you improve the most important part first. The main event that drives your business process does just that. Once confirmed this is the perfect driver for your business process improvement project.

The Detailed Descriptions of the Process Step Interfaces

A business process consists of many small steps, some automated and some manual. Every interface coupling 2 process steps is a potential point of failure. Each removed interface, and if impractical, each automated step improves the process performance.

About Common Pitfalls and Dangers, and How to Avoid Them

There are a number of important project dangers to be aware of. Think of:

• Paralysis by analysis.
  It is better to be where you want to be, then to know where you should be (Jules Deelder - Dutch Poet, working and living in the harbor city of Rotterdam).
• Neglecting the 80 / 20 rule
  Process improvement should be a step-wise refinement approach. You cannot change something completely when it is in existence for considerable time.
• Be specific.
  A statistician crossed a river with an average depth of 80 cm (2.5 feet). He drowned. So get into the details, and get your facts right. In the business process improvement domain things are usually not what they look like from a distance. You have lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Can you use assistance with business process improvement? Looking for a fixed price fixed date solution? Need an experienced business process improvement architect? For a project intake or a situation assessment of your specific situation Contact Hans Lodder without any obligation or cost!