MOST Analysis

Mission Statement

Once the leadership team has gained an understanding of the benefits of the program in month one, and decided on a designated area within the organization for implementation in month two, then the actual work of the business optimization plan can begin. This very important step involves the documentation of the actual workflow, process, or contribution that the chosen business unit, department, etc., currently undergoes. Key stakeholders in this process are identified and assigned tasks that contribute to this overall deliverable. This deliverable can be in the form of flow diagrams and swim lanes, tables, Kanban boards, etc., and will be used as the source of truth for where the organization currently resides on a given process. It is pertinent at this step that all individual gaps in understanding of the current workflow, process, etc., are identified and a complete product is created, so that collectively all affected parties gain like awareness, and clearcut decisions can be made later on in the program as a result. The key to this crucial step in the program, regardless of the format or tool used, is detailed documentation, with no assumptions of any sort or consolidation of steps.

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Objectives

01. Building Awareness of the Need for Change: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
02. Voice of the Customer (VOC): departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
03. Successful Change Management: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
04. Business Process Management: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
05. Project Management: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
06. The DMAIC Model Introduction: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
07. The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Define Phase: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. 1 Month
08. The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Measure Phase: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
09. Stakeholder Roles: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
10. Researching Current Process: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
11. Documentation of Project: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month
12. Stakeholder communication and Validation: departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development. Time Allocated: 1 Month

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Strategies

01. Building Awareness of the Need for Change: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
02. Voice of the Customer (VOC): Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
03. Successful Change Management: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
04. Business Process Management: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
05. Project Management: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
06. The DMAIC Model Introduction: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
07. The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Define Phase: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
08. The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Measure Phase: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
09. Stakeholder Roles: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
10. Researching Current Process: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
11. Documentation of Project: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.
12. Stakeholder communication and Validation: Each individual department head to undertake departmental SWOT analysis; strategy research & development.

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Tasks

01. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Building Awareness of the Need for Change.
02. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Voice of the Customer (VOC).
03. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Successful Change Management.
04. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Business Process Management.
05. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Project Management.
06. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze The DMAIC Model Introduction.
07. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Define Phase.
08. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze The DMAIC Model as it relates to Current State: Measure Phase.
09. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Stakeholder Roles.
10. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Researching Current Process.
11. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Documentation of Project.
12. Create a task on your calendar, to be completed within the next month, to analyze Stakeholder communication and Validation.

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Introduction

You might be wondering what a current state analysis is and how it might help you achieve specific objectives while seeking to enhance business systems and processes for organizational optimization. These techniques assess business practices and pinpoint areas for development. Utilizing these analyses boosts overall effectiveness and production. In this workshop, we will discuss the definition of current state analysis, how it differs from future state analysis, its advantages, how to undertake an as-is evaluation of current process(es), and lastly, provide frequently asked questions regarding these studies.

What is current state analysis?

The management technique of current state analysis, also known as as-is process analysis, is used to identify and assess a company’s processes and workflows as they currently exist. As-is diagrams, which describe an organization’s current procedures, are also used in these assessments. This method can be used, for instance, by a recruiting firm to evaluate various internal processes including receiving resumes and applications, publishing job openings, or conducting phone interviews. By assessing your current functions for effectiveness, efficiency, dependability, and customer satisfaction, as-is procedures assist you in determining how to improve your organization’s tasks. The high-level goal is to determine the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats of each process.

Either the entire organization or a single team procedure is the focus of a current state analysis. The secret is to perform data-driven, observational, and analytical research. Additionally, measurements allow you to assess how well a company is fulfilling its obligations and what modifications are necessary. These are the objectives of this approach:

• Saving money and/or cutting unnecessary costs
• Creating new processes
• Improving or developing current workflows
• Improving customer satisfaction
• Increasing staff coordination
• Adherence to new regulatory requirements
• Adapting certain processes globally after a corporate merger

Current state vs. future state process analysis

While the as-is processes analysis depicts the state of your operations at the moment, the future state processes analysis demonstrates the organization’s potential. A tool for enhancing the current procedure is future analysis. Starting with an analysis of what is happening in the organization right now and ending with how you want it to look in the future, the process management strategy is composed. You must take into account business objectives, the interactions between your processes, and stakeholder relations when performing these studies.

You can utilize the as-is diagram (as above) in these discussions to suggest changes to the business’s present procedures. You can determine whether problems within particular processes have an impact on other sections of the business by understanding how processes interact.

As-is process analysis advantages

An organization’s operations can be built on a solid foundation thanks to a current state process analysis, which also adds to management strategies and enhances workflow. You might provide remedies for problems identified through the process analysis of the situation as-is if you want to model optimal management and leadership techniques. To establish your priorities, you might assess the company’s state and contrast it with your objectives. You can also talk about problems with your managers or superiors. Think about creating an initial future state diagram that illustrates the potential of your future workflows.

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How to conduct a current state process analysis

Here’s a guide to help you conduct a current state process analysis:

1. Conduct research.

Creating an overview of the company’s present products, activities, and services is the first phase of an as-is process study. Once you have a list of these components, you may create a summary or graphic that illustrates the supply chain of the organization. This aids in your personal comprehension of the services and items provided by the business. Normally, you conduct research into how the company conducts business at all levels and throughout all departments. You might wish to record the start and end times of the procedures, as well as which team members are in charge of keeping an eye on those operations.

For instance, you can locate and make a note of each phase in the production process, such as the packaging and raw material purchase. Asking department managers, members of senior management, and stakeholders for assistance with your study and a list of the pertinent data would also be helpful. To have a precise understanding of the processes, think about speaking with the people in charge of the products and their production. Here are several methods for gathering data for your as-is process analysis:

Interview professionals

Ask everyone involved in carrying out those processes if you want accurate information about the company’s procedures. You could, for instance, consult your managers, technicians, and top management. Individual reports can confirm that processes are running smoothly, while faculty reports can reveal process steps about which you were previously ignorant. To gain a comprehensive grasp of the company throughout the research phase, you may wish to speak with a wide range of people and experts.

Direct Observations

To gain an idea of their jobs and the process of producing things, you might choose to watch the people in charge of the various phases of operations. You can do this by asking your coworkers whether you can follow them for the day. Consider requesting their thoughts on certain procedures.

Surveys

Individual participants can be sent surveys or questionnaires to get official written feedback. You have the chance to ask specific questions in surveys that you might not have had the chance to do so through observation or interviews. You can use surveys to get feedback and responses from respondents on issues that came up during other data collection techniques, like observation.

Group meetings

Organize and host meetings with all important stakeholders in order to summarize the procedures and obtain participant confirmation of earlier findings. The purpose of the meetings is to record the process. Conducting these meetings after completing other research tasks like interviews and observation is advised. This will enable you to summarize all you’ve discovered before working with participants to spot any gaps and confirm your findings.

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2. Documenting the process.

You can use a process map to record the process information after conducting the necessary research and data collection. Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a tool used by process managers to represent processes in their current state. All stakeholders may easily understand and comprehend processes thanks to the standard process modeling system approach known as BPMN. The industry now uses the BPMN 2.0 process notation as the norm.

You can use a variety of diagrams to represent your processes even if BPMN is the most popular. Your current state process map may include all process inputs, systemic support functions, detailed descriptions of finishing the process, and all process outputs, regardless of the process or diagram type you employ. Keep in mind, that in my experience, when communicating a process that they perform over and over, people tend to combine steps in a process into one simple activity—make sure that you capture each individual step within an activity, and not simply document an activity (a group of steps). The goal of this very important documentation step is ultimately for the team of decision-makers within an organization to visualize every step in a process, so that all parties can clearly see areas for improvement.

3. Identify any bottlenecks, roadblocks, or weaknesses.

Every firm evolves over time and has the potential to undergo positive and negative transformation events. You typically use current processe documentation as a basis to drive future state diagrams and attempt to innovate and experiment with new ideas to ensure the change is positive. Before drawing a diagram of your future condition, try to assess your current situation. When you spot problems, you can demonstrate your leadership abilities by suggesting fixes. Check your current procedures for the following factors:

Obstacles

Obstacles (or constraints) are hindrances to efficiency. Determine any potential bottlenecks in your present state procedures as well as their root causes. Simple examples of bottlenecks include not having enough team meetings to move a project along or having only one person involved in an approval process which hampers a project’s progress.

Gaps

Check your procedure for any gaps that are keeping you from obtaining the target level of efficiency. For instance, you might learn from a gap analysis that one person handles two or three production processes. You might wish to think about suggesting changes to the workforce’s size to lessen their workload.

Faults

Find faults in your current situation even though you have the right method in place. You could, for instance, make documentation or communication improvements. You can begin creating your future states and devising ways to improve them once you have determined the flaws in your current state process.

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Why is Current State Understanding so Important?

Understanding current state, or “as-is,” is essential to the change story because you need to establish the baseline before you can explain your intended course of action. Consider the present as the starting point of a roadmap that will lead you from the present to the future, then through the “messy middle” (transition).

Before documenting the current condition, which is a difficult process involving time and money they often do not want to spend, leaders frequently want to jump to the future state. Some people believe that this stage is unnecessary and would prefer to start designing a new solution straight away. It might be challenging to create the best solution for the future state when this kind of thinking results in design that does not fill in gaps or resolve problems.

To design the future state, a thorough grasp of the current systems and procedures is essential. Even if a completely new process is being developed, there is always a current state, whether it is documented or not. Think about the following facts about the present:

• Lack of technology does not indicate lack of current state, simply that the current state is expected to be made up of more manual processes.

• The details of the current state process are necessary to create a future state which meets the needs of employees, and ultimately, the organization performing the process.

• The perception that there is no current state really means there are gaps in an existing process, which will be resolved by the new future state.

• The current state identifies gaps that need to be documented into the future state requirements and design. Gaps indicate areas of current state process that are missing. If these gaps are not identified and documented, they will continue to be gaps in the future state. As indicated earlier, you cannot transform something if you don’t understand the details of what needs to be transformed.

Current state and future state evaluations need to comprehensively analyze people, processes, and technology. This is important for two reasons:

1. To ensure that requirements for the future state are accurately captured from a business analysis perspective so that the new system and procedures may be built to effectively meet existing gaps and requirements.

2. From the standpoint of organizational change management (OCM), to comprehend the impact of the change—how large, how small, how complex—so that strategies may be designed to help users navigate the change curve and swiftly embrace the new systems and procedures.

Documenting current state has numerous significant advantages for the business as a whole, the technical team, the change management team, etc. This documentation:

• Contributes to the creation of a clear image of what is changing by pointing out shortcomings in the present state and needs for the future state.

• Assures that everything required to support the business process has been planned for and taken into consideration in the future state, therefore, putting all the elements into perspective. This places the leadership, project team, stakeholders, and technology provider(s) on the same page.

• Establishes guidelines for who, what, when, and how tasks are to be completed.

• Assists in locating areas for improvement before putting your method into practice.

• Enables stakeholders and users to compare the present and future states by visually aiding in their understanding of the change(s).

• Can be easily enhanced with screenshots and additional information to create process-driven training that is easier for end users to understand.

Organizational change management’s main goal is to make it easier for stakeholders to go from the current state to the desired future state, which will promote adoption and increased use of the new procedures and technologies. The basis for moving the business solution forward is provided by current state analysis.

Current state assessments call for the participation of seasoned workers who routinely use the procedure. The organization will need to gather the employees who will be the main recipients of the change and document the gaps that the future state will fill if there is no existing state documentation. They are the subject matter experts; as such, they are aware of the current challenges and can offer suggestions for methods to reduce or eliminate them in the future.

Current State Map

A current state map is typically viewed as a snapshot of the procedures and techniques your business currently employs to manufacture goods and provide full services. But in a company environment that is ever-changing, a current state map must encompass more than just processes. This is particularly true if your company is embracing agile methodologies, and you’re making plans for a more adaptable and agile enterprise architecture.

We’ll talk about what should be on a map of the current state in this workshop. We’ll go through some of the applications and tools you can use to map your current workflow(s) in the first course manual.

What needs to be mapped?

Because you can’t know what you need unless you first know what you currently have, it’s crucial to map your system’s existing status. You should map the sections of your organization covered in this section in addition to your processes and value streams. The objective is to produce a map that is “a blueprint of features, capabilities, apps, and tech stack,” as DevOps.com puts it.

Business functions

Typically, a firm is made up of numerous distinct departments or business divisions. Each department’s activities and procedures serve as a representation of the numerous corporate duties.

To tackle particular activities, such as data analytics or digital marketing, a large corporation may recruit experts or specialists. Smaller businesses may require its staff to undertake a variety of duties across many departments in order to complete those business functions and keep the business operating efficiently.

The objective of your current state map is to identify the numerous business functions in the many departments across the entire firm, regardless of how big or small your organization is. You will get knowledge about who performs what tasks and where, and you will be able to identify any areas that may need to be optimized.

Sales and marketing, finance, human resources, IT, research and development, and other business operations are just a few examples.

Business capabilities

A company’s current ability to complete its work is characterized by its business competency and capability. This includes the personnel’s skills and knowledge, the materials and tools on hand, and any additional resources needed to complete the task. You can identify individuals with the necessary skills to carry out specific tasks and the locations of resources (people, hardware, raw materials, etc.) by mapping business capabilities. You may get a better understanding of where you might need to order more equipment and where you might need to hire more staff by analyzing the business capabilities.

There is no conventional process flow offered for this information. There are no detailed instructions. The objective is to get a visual picture of the skills that your organization has identified. You’ll need to identify your company’s capabilities in collaboration with your team, management, and stakeholders.

Here are some things to consider:

• Explain what is done rather than how it is done.

• Specify the result you want from your capabilities. An optimized account management skill, for instance, might result in the desired client retention outcomes.

• It’s important to define each capability precisely.

• Make each skill distinct. An enterprise architect, for instance, differs from a software architect.

• Capabilities can be observable or abstract. Hardware, such as a laptop, could be considered tangible. Conversely, the capacity to operate in an agile workplace may be considered intangible.

Business applications

This is another situation where you need to be aware of what you already have before deciding what you need, therefore you’ll want to add business applications to your present state map.

Business applications essentially automate sections of standard business workflows and are created with the explicit intention of assisting employees across your firm in managing particular business processes. For instance, finance may have a set of accounting and payroll business apps, and sales and marketing may have CRM solutions.

You may utilize business applications to swiftly scale to meet customer needs, which can be helpful as you make plans for digital transformation. Business applications can assist you in finding new business possibilities, clients, and revenue streams in addition to making it easier to manage internal and external customers.

To streamline operations and make working with consumers easier, business applications can be tailored to your needs. Additionally, if you wish to, there are tools that can assist you in creating your own applications.

Technology stack

A technology stack, also known as a tech stack or solutions stack, is a grouping of programs, frameworks, and technologies that a business employs to perform various functions. A tech stack is somewhat similar to business applications, however, business apps are a bit different in that they are more focused on a certain business purpose. A tech stack is a compilation of all the technologies needed by the entire organization to finish a project.

There isn’t a single tool that necessarily contains all the features that you may require. The top software programs for each of the several business functions should be included in the tech stack. They don’t all have to be purchased from the same supplier.

You must map out your current tech stack before you can build the one you require. Many of the tools you already have may be integrated into your standardized tech stack. Understanding what you already possess will enable you to identify what you still require.

Cloud architecture

Cloud architecture is dynamic and can be complicated. So you may get a clear picture of your current situation by building a visual diagram of your cloud infrastructure. A cloud architecture schematic is also included, as it:

• Provides a high-level, visual picture of the system that improves understanding. The relationships and interactions between various components are simpler to comprehend. This helps you to better predict the effects that modifications will have.

• Facilitates the presentation of complicated ideas and concepts to audiences with various levels of technical understanding, which enhances communication. Additionally, it’s simple to update stakeholders on progress.

• Promotes teamwork since team members may examine the system, discuss the design, search for patterns that are successful, identify weak spots, and identify areas for improvement while using the same diagram.

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Case Study: Taking On Current State Analysis

“There was an instance where I had spent hours interviewing stakeholders about how the integration was supposed to work. I understood the business need clearly. The information is needed to be fed into one system so that it could narrow down choices based on criteria set up on the back end of another system. I diligently documented the process in each system and discovered that changing one piece of information would cause the whole structure to collapse. I raised the risk. The team responsible for the transition told me that these weren’t risks. What had I missed?

In a world where systems evolve quickly and companies transition from Waterfall to Agile methods of project management, one thing that doesn’t change is the need for a shared understanding of the Business Problem. In the cases I illustrated, it was through Current State Analysis that the true requirements were discovered.

In this case, I had not walked through current state of the full process. My logic kept failing because of one missed piece in a system that I did not have access to. Instead of relying on other people to tell me what the system did (and after weeks of frustration), I finally had the end user walk me through the entire process from end to end. My mistake was glaring at me. By not having a complete understanding of current state, I could not make any solution work without asking for an unnecessary platform change.

Although often dismissed as “time-consuming” or “obvious”, Current State Analysis creates a shared understanding of the process that is essential to the success of Business Analysis work. Whether it’s formalized in a presentation, written on a cocktail napkin, or communicated in morse code, Current State Analysis is invaluable to the BA process.”

Source: Anne Sams, BA Times

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Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Building Awareness of the Need for Change

It takes more than just a desire to change or an executive order to increase your organization’s awareness of the need for change. It takes structure and purpose to develop change capability in relation to organizational optimization.

The danger is that as a community, we become fixated on the idea of change agility but fail to take the necessary steps to make it a reality. Many organizations are undergoing change as they develop a core competency in change. It is profoundly changing the way that changes are planned and carried out.

The following four crucial suggestions for increasing organizational agility are based on some of the most serious errors participants in the research have observed in organizations that get fired up about change capacity but fall short when it comes to actually changing how they change. You will be better able to influence how change occurs in your organization if you keep these suggestions (and the associated errors) in mind.

1. Obtain sufficient and capable sponsorship

The most important factor in success has remained active and visible executive sponsorship in all eight of Prosci’s benchmarking investigations, dating back to 1998. Why might this factor in success differ if the change involves enhancing change capability? The correct degree of sponsor, actively participating in the effort, will be necessary to develop organizational agility. This entails doing more than just expressing a wish to be more agile. In order for the attempt to succeed, it entails providing the necessary funds, resources, authority, credibility, and commitment.

Your primary role as a practitioner pitching a change agility investment to se