International Process and Performance Institute

So you think you know process, right? Perhaps you work with process regularly. Maybe you are even a process professional, working with process all of the time. But have you ever seen a REAL PROCESS? Chances are you haven't.

Now wait a minute Terry! What do you mean, "I haven't seen a real process!" I work with process all of the time, I live and breathe it. I see processes every single day...

Maybe you do, and maybe you don't.

One of the dicussion points that comes up over and over is how do we bridge the gap between our technology and business perspectives? Why does there seem to be such an insurmountable gulf between us? Oh, and while we're at it, what about bridging the gap between expected benefits and realized benefits? Both technology and business perspectives share in that frustration.

And yet the answer to these questions is so obvious. While the questions may differ, they are variations of the same issue and the answer we seek is the answer to both.

All right, come on! If you know the answer then just say it, already!

Okay, OKAY :)

The answer is that REAL PROCESS is much like a theatrical production. It has a script. It has actors. It has sequence. It has props and it has a lot of different people involved in the overall production of the show.

We can break down a theatrical production in many ways, like the timing chart and all of the activities the supporting people must do at certain times to make the show "work" right. You know... lights, props, sound and so forth. That actually is very similar to the kind of process models many of us work with in IT.

We also have the script, which includes the actors, when they enter and exit, what they are supposed to say and do, and in what order. That is also very similar to the kind of process models we often create in "human-centric" BPM products and business analysis.

But the SHOW itself is the actual process! The process only becomes "real" when we put on the show. The real interactions of Process Actors (people, systems, machines) - with all of the nuance, contextual character, and "in the moment" relevance that really exists in our organizations - is what makes up a real process. Anything else is at best a lifeless caricature of a real process and at worst a travesty...

Think about it. What makes anyone actually THINK that a process model or something in a software product is really "the process?" It's not something we should ever need to discuss. It's not something we should ever consider and it's really a sad reflection on us that most of us are willing to do just that.

Of course there are many reasons why we do what we do. But if you want to become a real process expert. If you want to improve real process. If you want to make a real difference then understanding that the only expression of a process that is truly real is the STAGE SHOW that happens when work in the process actually gets done must be part of your process perspective.

It's an easy concept to visualize but it's not so easy to act on. Process "experts" rarely find themselves experiencing real process first hand. But understanding what real process is gives us that one needed ingredient for us to find new ways to create value in the work we do. Without this ingredient you are doing nothing but wasting your time, your company's money, frustrating your fellow workers (especially those that must live with the affects you have on their work), and driving away your customers.

And while some people may point to cases where discrete "process initiatives" produced stellar results, I suggest you look under the covers a bit deeper to see how much real benefit is there. But of course sometimes even without the magic ingredient something will work... as my Grandpapa used to say "Even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and again."