The business processes and planning
of a company

By: Lauri Antalainen

Every company has business goals that they wish to achieve. For example, with the Balanced Scorecard method, the financial, customer, internal processes and learning and development goals are defined to realise the vision and strategy. Many companies only define the financial goals, setting targets for the turnover and profit.

Business Architecture Processes

Source: Paul Harmon; significant additions by: Lauri Antalainen

A company employs business processes to achieve their business goals. Business processes are the day-to-day operations of a company, in the course of which the value for customers is created and the activities necessary for the operation of the company are performed. Business processes need to be developed and updated to make them smoother and more efficient. Business processes can be developed with different methodologies and approaches; for example, manufacturing companies often utilise LEAN thinking.

The company’s business processes are carried out by people, using technologies – machines, equipment, and software solutions. A business process can be changed only by changing people’s behaviour or technology, or both at the same time. People can be trained; processes can be digitalised and automated. Significant process developments generally include the digitalisation or automation of processes, by either software or equipment.

Business process modelling plays a key role in a digital transformation. – Jim Sinur

Digitalisation, automation, and other process development activities allow improving the key indicators of business processes, such as efficiency (output per unit of input), productivity (number of processes or output per unit of time), cost-effectiveness (cost of process implementation), capacity (number of processes performed per unit of time), and quality (e.g. the quality and security of supply). In turn, these indicators determine the (gross) profitability of the process and the number of processes carried out by the company per unit of time (for example, per day). In turn, the latter are a prerequisite for the achievement of the desired goals, such as the turnover and profit.

Digiwise helps you set goals for, consider, and implement digitalisation and process development projects. We have long-term experience in the digitalisation and automation of processes in companies operating in different sectors and at different stages of development. If you are interested, please contact us at info[at]digiwise.ee.