Dynamics 365 projects fail for many reasons.
In ‘Series Intro - Top 10 Governance Structures to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’, we outlined how we define a failure in Dynamics 365 (D365) & Power Platform (PP) projects.
Without the correct governance structures in place, common symptoms start to appear and imminent death, project death, is just around the corner.
This death is avoidable through good governance structures, our best practices for which we’ll be sharing throughout these posts.
Each governance structure identified in our series has its own requirements and impact.
In this monthly series, one of our lead consultants, Richard White, shares his real-world experiences of how these structures affect the organisations that use, or fail to use, them correctly.
Following our last post on the No Code Rule, the next strategy to avoid project death is Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR).
Once again, we will look at what it is, the symptoms you will notice from its absence, how you can go about setting the structure up, and the benefits that come from its existence.
What is business process re-engineering?
We’ll start by defining what we mean by a business process. A business process is a set of activities through which an organisation accomplishes a certain task. For example, there might be a specific process for handling complaints, following up sales calls, or marketing a new product.
Ideally, business processes are specific and efficient with a consistent outcome. When they aren’t, it’s best to first improve them before they’re implemented in D365 & PP, instead of implementing the existing processes only to realise that they’re suboptimal.
Processes can be wasteful in terms of producing defects, introducing waiting time, underutilising resources, adding unnecessarily high quality, and other inefficiencies. It might even be as simple as capturing and storing a client’s phone number when your organisation only ever emails them.
What are the benefits of business process re-engineering?
I went into an organisation that had set up their system on the principle that every process was re-engineered before it could be implemented. It was a dream to work with and incredibly well designed!
Clearly, organisations will always want their processes to be as efficient as possible. But that’s even more important when those processes are then being implemented into a system like D365 & PP.
This is an incredibly powerful tool which is going to deliver serious value and you want it to be running smoothly. Think of it like buying a high-performance sports car. Are you then going to fill it up with the cheapest fuel, or opt for quality fuel that’s tailor made for it?
Having efficient processes will lead to a smoother ride. These streamlined processes are less likely to need revisiting in the future, so organisations can continue doing things efficiently for years. The increase in efficiency will not only save the business time and money, but also improve user adoption and their perception of D365 & PP. That buy-in is further strengthened by involving all relevant teams in the re-engineering process, ensuring the solution works for them.
Reviewing processes ahead of a D365 & PP project may seem like adding to the workload, but it’s the perfect time to do so. Moving from manual management or previous systems often involves a significant shift in how things are done, so it’s worth taking the time to rectify issues that could otherwise cause problems.
What’s more, the D365 & PP team will be able to advise on the technical implementation of the processes to make sure they’re implemented smoothly. It sets your system up with the right foundations for an efficient future.
What are the risks of not carrying out business process re-engineering?
D365 & PP can of course be totally customised to fit the way an organisation works, simply by bending the system out of shape and throwing, time, money, and user motivation down the drain!
The alternative to re-engineering is to take “the way we’ve always done it” and implement this as faithfully as possible in D365 & PP.
A word of advice. In this series, we’ve covered ten ways that Dynamics implementation can fail. Of those ten, if I were to rank them by how disastrous the consequences are, this would be the clear winner!
D365 & PP is so customisable that you can recreate whatever steps you follow. You can spend time, money, and effort developing custom code to replicate existing processes. That custom code comes with its own challenges around maintenance and upgrades, which we covered in the previous post, but there’s more to it than that.
By bending D365 & PP to fit inefficient processes, you’re not using the system to its potential. You’re chucking the cheapest possible fuel into that high-performance car, and as a result it’s not driving smoothly—so why buy it to begin with? Users will have a sense of this underperformance and may blame the software, when it’s the processes that are really at fault.
Technology should always be an afterthought to proper business processes, and this is no exception. Fully understanding your present situation, where you want to go, and the improvements that get you there will set you up for success.
How to start business process re-engineering
This is too lengthy a subject to cover in a short post, but I can offer a brief outline of what the lifecycle looks like. Our Consultant Power-Up Course has a lot more detail on this topic, covering aspects of process re-engineering from how to run workshops along with all the required templates, creating as-is and to-be process maps, understanding user stories and pain points, streamlining processes, ensuring adoption and much more.
In short, business process re-engineering starts with identifying the value to bring to the customer or end user. Assemble subject matter experts and all relevant teams to plot the current process. Involvement is key here—the new solution will need to work for everyone. Walk through each step of the current process to assess its value to the end objective.
The 5 Whys method can work wonders here. Simply ask why each step is carried out, repeating the question for each answer until you’ve drilled down to the root of it. Once you’re there, it should be easy to see if the steps add value or can be improved.
Only steps that add value or are necessary for compliance, GDPR etc should be kept. The rest can be removed or replaced to streamline the process.
What are the challenges of introducing business process re-engineering?
Undertaking business process re-engineering needs support from the very top. You’re asking people to delay implementation and take on extra work so that you can check if they’re doing their jobs properly.
Believe me, that’s rarely an easy conversation! Especially if they’ve been doing things a certain way for years, you need to sell them on the benefits down the line—chiefly increased efficiency and not having to revisit processes—to get them on board. Once you do, the results will speak for themselves.
In the next post within the ‘Top 10 Governance Structure to Guarantee Dynamics 365 Success’ series, we will discuss our final strategy, ‘Corporate Mindset’.
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Richard S White
365 InHouse Founder & CEO
A seasoned Digital Transformation Executive renowned for leading high-performance teams towards innovative and strategic technology solutions. Specialises in steering organisations through complex digital transformations, fostering productive and accountable partnerships. Known for effectively guiding projects to success, aligning them with business objectives, and enhancing organisational self-sufficiency. Skilled in blending technology with business strategy, adept at facilitating candid discussions, aligning stakeholders, and crafting strategic roadmaps, positioned as an invaluable asset for organisations navigating the complexities of digital transformation.
Want help with your specific situation? Connect with Richard on LinkedIn to setup a free no obligation virtual coffee: http://linkedin.com/in/richardswhite/
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