In today’s article, we will look at how to get your process presentations into gear. Presenting a process is, after all, a part of the process in and of itself. The most widely quoted explanation of what constitutes a business process is that of Davenport, an American professor of Information Technology and Management. He defined it as „a specific ordering of work activities across time and place, with a beginning, an end, and clearly identified inputs and outputs: a structure for action” (Davenport Thomas. Process Innovation. Reengineering Work through Information Technology, Harvard Business School Press, 2011) and this definition also lays down the road map for how to present it. Commonly, the ordering of activities is depicted with the use of a flow chart or diagram.
The two main pillars of mastering business process presentations include:
Pillar A Creating a logically connected sequence
Without a clear order of events to take place, you process presentation has no chance of being successful. It’s quite straightforward when the tasks occur one after another. In that case, the basic sequence words (e.g. first, initially, next, then, after that, following that, finally) will suffice.
Other examples:
• as soon as
„As soon as the client approves the proposal, we will begin the project implementation phase.”
• immediately after
„Immediately after the training session, employees will be expected to apply the new skills in their daily tasks.”
• upon
„Upon completion of the market research, we will develop our marketing strategy based on the findings.”
• following
„Following the budget review meeting, the finance team will distribute the revised financial plan.”
• once
Once the contract is signed, the project manager will schedule the kickoff meeting.
For more intricate chronology you can opt for:
• prior to
„Prior to the project kickoff meeting, all team members must complete their assigned pre-work.”
• preceding
„Preceding the final review, there will be a series of stakeholder consultations to gather feedback.”
• subsequent to
„Subsequent to the initial product launch, we will conduct a thorough market analysis to measure customer response.”
• by the time
„By the time the quarterly report is prepared, all department heads should have submitted their performance summaries.”
• until
„The budget plan will be in place until the end of the fiscal year, after which it will be re-evaluated.”
This however is not the case when describing overlapping stages in a process; in such case you can use sequence words such as:
• simultaneously
„The marketing team will run a social media campaign simultaneously with the product launch event.”
• concurrently
„The finance and operations departments are working concurrently on the annual budget report.”
• in parallel with
„We will develop the mobile app in parallel with the website redesign to ensure a consistent user experience.”
• at the same time
„The sales team held a webinar at the same time as the trade show to reach a wider audience.”
• in tandem with
„The IT department is upgrading the software in tandem with implementing new security protocols.”
These indicate that multiple stages are occurring simultaneously and help convey the idea that different parts of the process are happening concurrently or overlapping with each other.
Pillar B Business process vocabulary
The second pillar conists of the key vocabulary in business processes. The tip — get to know it, and get to know it well.
Here are examples of business process terminology:
• Process mapping
Process mapping is a visual representation of a business process that shows the steps, activities, and decisions involved in completing a task or achieving a specific goal. It helps in understanding and analyzing the flow of work within an organization.
• Automation rate
This refers to the percentage of tasks or processes within a system that are automated using technology or software. It measures the extent to which manual tasks have been replaced by automated processes.
• Case
In an IT system, a case serves as a distinct label given to a specific item, like an invoice or customer service ticket. In the realm of process mining, a case represents a business entity that moves through a specific process, embodying a single process cycle. Each case is distinguishable by a unique case ID and may possess various attributes.
• Digital Twin
A digital twin is a virtual representation or model of a physical object, process, or system. It is created using real-time data and simulations to mirror the behavior and characteristics of its physical counterpart. Digital twins are used for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing processes in various industries.
• Happy Path
The happy path refers to the ideal or most common scenario in a process flow where everything goes as expected without any deviations or errors. It represents the smooth and successful execution of a task or process.
• Process deviation
Process deviation occurs when a task or activity within a business process does not follow the expected or predefined path. It can result from errors, exceptions, changes in requirements, or other unforeseen circumstances that cause the process to diverge from its standard flow.
To learn more business process vocabulary and industry-specific techniques check out our Business Presentations e-learning course which provides comprehensive hands-on knowledge to help you hit the ground running.