Intro to Business Processes: What are they?
Posted on Monday, June 20th, 2022
Whenever someone brings up the R3 Project, you’ve probably heard the term, Business Process, mentioned many times. But what is a Business Process, exactly? How does it work? How does it play a role in the R3 Project? And… what does it mean for you, personally?
These are all great questions, and so we’re going to start from the beginning with the goal to make you know exactly what we’re talking about when we say we’re redesigning Business Processes in the R3 Project.
First stop: Let’s head to the grocery store for an everyday example
A Business Process is a procedure that has a sequence of steps to get from a Start to an End.
When it comes to getting a fulsome idea about what a Business Process actually is, we’re heading to the grocery store.
Going to a check out and paying for your groceries at a store is a Business Process because there is a clear Start and End, as well as a particular set of steps that need to be followed.
Let’s break down this grocery store checkout process, step by step, shall we?
First—at the Start of the Business Process—the customers place their items on the belt.
Second, the cashier picks up the items from the belt and scans the items.
Third, here is where a potential decision needs to be made. We need to ask: Is there an issue? If yes, the manager needs to override the issue. If no, then the cashier can continue scanning the rest of the items.
Fourth, the cashier tells the total amount owing to the customer.
Finally, the customers pay the cashier. This is the End of the Business Process.
So, the next time you go to a grocery store, you can think about the Business Processes tied to each of the actions you take while there (including picking up that pint of Ben and Jerry’s. We don’t judge).
Business Processes at Algonquin College
Throughout the R3 Project, we’ll be reviewing and redesigning our Business Processes at Algonquin College.
For instance, we’ll review how we currently schedule courses each semester as well as the process for posting those schedules for students and faculty to access.
The questions we’ll be asking when it comes to Business Processes
When reviewing Business Processes at AC, we ask ourselves the following two questions:
- How do we currently go about our daily work at Algonquin College? (Current State)
- How can we improve how we go about our daily work? (Future State)
Let’s look at these two questions using a real Algonquin College Business Process example: The Annual Curriculum Review. Currently, all programs have to go through this process regardless if any changes were made to its curriculum. However, we are set to change this Business Process so that only the programs with curriculum changes will need to be submitted.
This redesigned Business Process will improve employee satisfaction and productivity.
*
Now that you have a clear understanding of what an actual Business Process IS, we’ll deep dive in our next blog post about how Algonquin College will review and redesign our Business Processes (pint of ice cream not included).
If you’re wondering where you can find more information about the Project, then the R3 Project FAQ and Glossary sections are great resources!
Additionally, don’t miss our next R3 Showcase Event to receive important updates and learn more about the R3 Project. We’ll also be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
The next R3 Showcase is set for Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 at 10 a.m.
- Posted in
- News R3