Process navigation

Citation

(2002), "Process navigation", Work Study, Vol. 51 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2002.07951aaf.006

Process navigation

Process navigation

Any process review exercise, whether as part of a quest for ISO accreditation or as the first stage in a business process re-engineering exercise, involves the time-consuming accumulation of "shopfloor" information about the organisation's procedures. It is only after this process has been completed that the reviewers can utilise their expertise to provide an enterprise-wide process map together with any detailed analysis and recommendations. While software packages are available to draw up individual and overall business process maps, most of the applications currently available are expensive to buy and complex to use.

Triaster, a software house in Oxfordshire, has developed Process Navigator, which is designed to be easy to use, so that the "experts" – those actually doing the work – can do the process mapping of individual activities. Consultants (external or in-house) are then free to utilise their expertise and time on the added-value tasks of interpreting them and aggregating them into a single enterprise-wide map, while reviewing and recommending improvements.

Based on Microsoft's Visio graphics engine, it takes this powerful free-form drawing tool and imposes diagramming rules and business logic with data capture to produce enterprise-wide process maps quickly, simply and affordably.

Triaster's managing director, Mike Cousins, says: "Process Navigator is unique in that it both empowers employees and facilitates the use of the consultants' specialist skills. Whereas process maps imposed on businesses are normally 'trees', Process Navigator avoids the common pitfalls of attempting to shoehorn processes to fit an acceptable business pattern by allowing bottom-up mapping to reflect the true processes employed on the 'shopfloor'. With Process Navigator, therefore, the model equals reality."

Process Navigator takes as its premise that every input must represent someone else's output and vice-versa. By using a common naming pattern, it then becomes simple to identify any unmatched inputs or outputs, or off-page connectors, using the "Match Deliverables" wizard.

The standard set of reports allows users to comment on a number of pre-determined factors such as health and safety, bottle-necks and data conversion issues. Free text can also be added if necessary.

At present, all inputs, outputs and activities can be exported to Microsoft's Access database for reporting purposes and exports to ODBC engines, such as SQL Server and Oracle, will be available in later releases.

In addition, Process Navigator provides full HTML publishing and versioning capabilities, enabling effortless posting to corporate intranets.