SYSTEM OF MANAGING CHANGE PROCESS

• US 20130006716A1
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bevington & Partners Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Bevington & Partners Pty Limited
• Inventors: Bevington, Thomas W., Bevington, Frances
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for managing changes to obviate inefficiencies in business processes involves identifying business activities (36) being performed and categorizing (34) the activities. Using the category designations (34) to reveal non-contributory activities, drivers of the causes of inefficiencies are identified. A second set of activities (46) incorporates outcomes of proposed improvements. Linking (38, 40, 42, 44) between existing (36) and improved (46) activity sets ensures necessary activities are incorporated to achieve the desired outcome. Linkages between the activities within the activity set and the business function that performs them also enables accountability and measures to be assigned.

Claims

1. A system for deriving a change process in actions performed to achieve a desired result comprising:

a first computer recording means into which data is entered and stored, the data identifying a first set of activities actually performed by each individual involved to achieve at least one outcome;

category recording means to enter and store a category designation associated with each activity of the first set of activities selected from a predefined set of activity categories, each activity of the first set of activities designated into one of four predefined sets of activity categories consisting of “

Core,”

“

Support,”

“

Discretionary” and

“

Noise”

;

computer program means to develop a second set of activities to achieve the at least one outcome based on the first set of activities and the categories associated with each activity, wherein an activity designated as being a “

Core”

activity is essential to the achievement of the desired outcome; and

computer identified links between activities of the first set of activities and activities of the second set of activities to audit the second set of activities and identify differences between the first and second sets of activities, the audit measuring the extent to which said activities that detract from achievement of the desired outcome are resolvable by the second set of activities and deriving a change process comprising actions which are to be performed by said individuals to achieve the least one outcome.

2. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the first computer recording means receives data inputs representative of identified individual activities of the first set of activities performed to achieve the at least one outcome.

3. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the category recording means comprises computer means programmed to receive inputs representative of categories in the predefined first set of activity categories.

4. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the second set of activities includes data representative of at least one activity of the set.

5. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the computer identified links spread the second activity set across several organizational structures accountable for implementing the process change.

6. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the computer means is programmed to:

(i) receive inputs representative of activities of the first activity set actually performed to achieve the at least one outcome, and inputs representative of the second set of activities required to be performed to achieve the at least one outcome;

(ii) produce the links between activities of the first and second sets of activities; and

(iii) determine further activity changes based on links revealing non-essential or non-preferred categories of activities.

7. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the computer means includes a database with idea quantification or planning resources from which activities for the second set of activities may be derived, and through which the links to the first set of activities may pass.

8. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 1 wherein the second activity set is re-defined as the first activity set, and said computer program means generates a further activity set to achieve the desired outcome.

9. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 8 wherein computer-generated links are developed between the re-defined first activity set and the further activity set.

10. A computer system for deriving a change process in actions performed to achieve a desired result comprising:

a first computer recording means into which data is entered and stored, the data identifying a first set of activities actually performed by each individual involved to achieve at least one outcome;

category recording means to enter and store a category designation associated with each said activity of the first set of activities in accordance with a predefined set of activity categories, each activity of the first set of activities designated into one of four predefined sets of activity categories consisting of “

Core,”

“

Support,”

“

Discretionary” and

“

Noise”

;

computer program means to develop a second set of activities to achieve the at least one outcome based on the first set of activities and the categories associated with each activity, wherein an activity designated as being a “

Core”

activity is essential to the achievement of the desired outcome; and

computer-generated links between activities of the first and second sets of activities whereby an audit of the second activity set is carried out which identifies differences between the first and second sets of activities that measures the extent to which said activities that detract from achievement of the desired outcome are resolveable by the second set of activities and derives a change process comprising actions which are to be performed by said individuals to achieve the at least one outcome.

17. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 10 wherein the computer means is programmed to receive inputs representative of activities of the first activity set actually performed to achieve the at least one outcome, and inputs representative of the second set of activities required to be performed to achieve the at least one outcome, to produce the links between activities of the first and second sets of activities, and determine further activity changes based on links revealing non-essential or non-preferred categories of activities.

18. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 10 wherein the computer means includes a database with at least one of idea quantification or planning resources from which activities for the second set of activities are derived, and through which the links to the first set of activities pass.

19. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 10 wherein the second activity set is re-defined as the first activity set, and said computer program means generates a further activity set to achieve the desired outcome.

11. A system for deriving a change process in actions performed to achieve a desired result comprising a computer apparatus:

programmed to receive inputs to enter and store date relating to a first set of activities actually performed by each individual involved to achieve the at least one outcome;

programmed to receive inputs representative of a defined class of categories associated with each said activity of the first set of activities in accordance with a predefined set of activity categories, the computer apparatus programmed to designate activities into one of four predefined sets of activity categories consisting of “

Core,”

“

Support,”

“

Discretionary” and

“

Noise”

;

programmed to receive inputs representative of a second set of activities performed to achieve the at least one outcome, wherein an activity designated as being a “

Core”

activity is essential to the achievement of the desired outcome; and

said computer means programmed to develop links between activities of the first set of activities and like activities of the second set of activities to enable identification and analysis of differences between the first and second set of activities that measure the extent to which activities that detract from achievement of the desired outcome are resolveable by the second set of activities and derive a change process comprising actions which are to be performed by said individuals to achieve the at least one outcome.

12. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 11 wherein the computing apparatus is programmed to receive data inputs representative of activities performed to achieve the at least one outcome and data inputs representative of the second set of activities performed to achieve the at least one outcome, to produce the links between activities of the first and second sets of activities, and determine further activity changes based on links revealing non-essential or non-preferred categories of activities.

13. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 11 wherein the computing apparatus includes a database with idea quantification or planning resources from which activities for the second set of activities may be derived, and through which the links to the first set of activities may pass.

14. A system for deriving a change process in actions performed to achieve a desired outcome comprising:

computer means to receive data collected from within a number of work teams within an organization, the data representing actual activities carried out by each individual within the work teams, and each work team forming a functioning unit within the organization;

computer means to categorize each activity according to pre-defined categories representing predetermined activity types the computer means designating activities into one of four predefined sets of activity categories consisting of “

Core,”

“

Support,”

“

Discretionary” and

“

Noise, wherein an activity designated as being a “

Core”

activity is essential to the achievement of the desired outcome;

grouping data across different work teams to establish a view of the activity process across the organization; and

computer means to develop changes in the process activities across the work teams to generate a second activity set which avoids selected categories, and forming links with the first activity set and linking the activities of the second set to the work teams.

15. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 14 wherein the computer program means derives said second activity set incorporating identified activities having selected categories and also including data representative of an activity of the set.

16. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 14 wherein the computer-generated links relate the second activity set to organizational structures accountable for implementing the process change.

20. A system for deriving a change process according to claim 15 wherein computer-generated links are developed between the re-defined first activity set and the further activity set.