Method for implementing a best practice idea

• US 20030004766A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Dutta, Kalyan, Ellert, Frederick P., Daita, Vish, Sandoval, Chris, Howe-Vandelinder, Kathryn, Berndt, Terrence, Grupp, Jeffry, Watson, Charles H., Selke, Charles A., Lamb, Saundra Elnora
• Application Number:
  US10/063,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20030004766A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A best practice idea is received from a requester. The best practice idea is assigned to an ownership team and a functional champion within the organization. The process ownership team and the functional champion analyze the best practice idea to confirm that the best practice idea is a best practice, assess the feasibility of the best practice, and are responsible for the development and implementation of the best practice idea. The best practice idea is presented to an executive sponsor for approval and commitment. The executive sponsor possesses the executive authority to exercise organizational resources necessary to develop and implement the best practice idea. A project plan is developed for the best practice idea to track any necessary steps for developing and implementing the best practice idea. The best practice idea is developed according to the project plan and deployed within at least one organizational function.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a best practice idea within an organization comprising:

receiving at least one best practice idea from one or more best practice requesters;

assigning the best practice idea to a best practice process ownership team and at least one functional champion within the organization wherein the process ownership team and the at least one functional champion analyze the best practice idea to confirm that the best practice idea is a best practice, assess the feasibility of the best practice, and are responsible for the development and implementation of the best practice idea;

presenting the best practice idea to at least one executive sponsor for approval and commitment wherein the at least one executive sponsor possesses the executive authority to exercise organizational resources necessary to develop and implement the best practice idea;

defining a project plan for the best practice idea wherein the project plan tracks any necessary steps for developing and implementing the best practice idea;

developing the best practice idea according to the project plan; and

deploying the best practice idea within at least one organizational function.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the best practice process ownership team and the at least one functional champion additionally assess the novelty and priority of the best practice idea with respect to previously identified best practice ideas.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the organizational resources are selected from a group consisting of human resources, machine resources, computing resources, material resources and supplier resources.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of deploying the best practice idea includes communicating the best practice idea to organizational resources necessary to effectively carry out the best practice idea and requiring that the best practice idea be carried out by those organizational resources.

5. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising presenting the best practice idea to the process ownership team for approval prior to deployment of the best practice idea.

6. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising implementing and institutionalizing the best practice idea within the at least one organizational function.

7. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising conducting a pilot of the best practice idea.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the process ownership team comprises a steering team, a roundtable group and a best practice team.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the steering team includes one or more process ownership team champions and one or more process ownership team leaders.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more process ownership team champions are responsible for managing the process ownership team and chair the steering team.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the steering team includes one or more cross-functional representatives.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the steering team allocates organizational resources for the development of the best practice idea, provides approval to begin developing the best practice idea, and approves the developed best practice idea before it is implemented.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the best practice team includes one or more subject matter experts, the best practice requester, one or more user and deployment representatives, and one or more financial analysts.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more worksheet templates are utilized to document the identification, selection, development, and deployment of the at least one best practice idea.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more worksheet templates are electronic and are populated in an online fashion.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein information gathered while identifying, selecting, developing and deploying the at least one best practice idea is maintained in a computer database.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the computer database is accessible and searchable via the Internet including the World-Wide-Web.

19. The method of claim 18 additionally comprising a step for implementing and institutionalizing the best practice idea.

20. The method of claim 18 additionally comprising a step for piloting the best practice idea.

18. A method for implementing best practice processes within an organization comprising:

a step for initiating at least one best practice idea;

a step for analyzing the at least one best practice idea and selecting one or more of the at least one best practice idea to implement;

a step for developing the selected best practice idea(s);

a step for approving the selected best practice idea(s); and

a step for deploying the selected best practice idea(s).