Process improvement can be a tricky endeavour at the best of times. As any good business analyst will tell you, focusing on a process in isolation is a recipe for disaster. The POPIT™ model provides a useful reminder that a typical process is inextricably linked with people, the organisation itself as well as the organisation's information and technology.

This highlights an important—but often overlooked—element of process improvement. A change that appears simple 'on paper' might actually be very difficult to implement. Merging two swim lanes is relatively easy in most diagramming or modelling tools, yet this has a significant impact on job roles (people), structure (organisation) and the flow of data and information. Even if it is a very logical idea, people are unlikely to buy into it unless the benefits to them are made clear. In fact, stakeholder buy-in is something that is crucial for process improvement success. Put simply: if people don't buy-in to a change, they'll find a way to work around it. This will have an adverse effect on the initiative's benefits.

Warning Signs that Stakeholders are not On-Board with Business Change

It's worth highlighting some potential warning signs of stakeholder dissent. Each of the examples below highlight that stakeholders are potentially not entirely on-board with the change. Careful stakeholder engagement strategies will need to be deployed.

1. "But we've always done it that way": A mantra that will be familiar to many readers, this reluctance to change can manifest itself in a relentlessly stubborn way. It is worth working with the team to understand why things were done in a particular way, and ensuring that the proposed alternative is actually better. In any case, this phase is certainly a warning sign that BAs ignore at their peril.

2. "They need to change, but we don't": A subtle variation of the previous example occurs when an individual or team accepts that change is necessary, but does not think the change should extend to their area. Examples might be teams that agree that a single, consolidated, end-to-end process is beneficial… providing they don't have to change.  Again, this highlights that there will likely be resistance as the project progresses if the stakeholder concerns are not allayed.  

3. "Our work is FAR too complicated to process map…":  Some stakeholders might perceive that their work is so complicated that there is no way anyone could create a process map. Perhaps they have specialist knowledge, or perhaps expert decision making is required as part of the process. It is worth pointing out that not every detail needs to be included on a process map. A city trader might use expert knowledge to decide whether to 'buy' or 'sell' a particular investment. That expert judgement doesn't need to be directly represented on the map—the activities that follow the decision do.

4. "We tried to change once. It failed": Some stakeholders have been bitten by initiatives in the past that haven't worked. In these cases it is important to acknowledge that a failure occurred, try to find out why, and show that lessons have been learned.

5. "This is just a fad.": Similarly, some stakeholders may have seen multiple attempts to change based on trends of the time. They might feel that they will outlast whatever change is implemented, and they will be left to pick up the mess. In these cases it's important to show that there's a clearly identified process owner sponsoring the change, and there are a clear set of benefits.

Conclusion: In Business Change People are Front and Centre

As with any change, people are front and centre. Although something might be described as a 'process change', there is no way of separating processes from other organisational components. Tools such as POPIT™ allow a BA to take a holistic approach, ensuring that key impacts are identified and understood.

On any change, meaningful stakeholder engagement is crucial. It's important to listen out for warning signs, such as those listed in this article. Ensuring people are on-board, and addressing conflict at the earliest opportunity is vital. After all, people are often the factor that determines whether a change 'sticks' or not.

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