Continuing on process portfolios… the point of performance becomes the most granular measuring point within the business process. The context in which a task is performed is critical to understanding how to make the individual more effective/productive in the execution of a task. In my training on business process improvement/reengineering, I’ve always been so focused on the excution of the task and how to make the individual more productive. This line of thinking on process portfolios and the work i’ve been doing lately on a reporting project has caused me to realize that the performance of a single individual is important, but it’s not the most critical component. I dread getting into an activity-based costing discussion, but the overall performance of a process or set of processes in the portfolio of processes is the most important component in process improvement. Not to get too philosophical, but the individual tasks and performance must be second or lower in priority to overall execution of the process. I’ve always had a hunch that we have given too much power to the individual performer in organizations, and as I look at data coming in off of the floor of my most recent client, i believe that I’m finding a justification for this belief. I’m going to develop my thinking in this forum.
