Business Process Harmonization (BPH) is typically defined as the act of standardizing a business process across the organization to achieve targeted business benefits. BPH efforts usually arise as part of a system installation or upgrade project, when the goal is to ensure processes have been harmoniously accepted across stakeholders; but, when properly executed, a BPH project looks at more than just process and results in more than just process efficiencies.

As organizations grow, they accumulate people, systems, data, and processes. A BPH project is an opportunity to harmonize across all of these types of resources (as appropriate), which can:

• Increase the ability to collaborate and share resources, like people and data.

• Improve quality, reliability, and efficiency of processes.

• Reduce application costs through reuse or modification of existing tools.

With this in mind, here are some tips for getting the most out of your BPH project:

• Ensure there is an executive steering committee overseeing the initiative

• Establish a scope that includes people, data, and systems (not just the process)

• Understand the maturity of your organization with regards to people, process, and technology

• Benchmark against the leaders in the industry

• Have a common, clear understanding of the goals to keep the team focused

• Identify all your available assets (e.g., existing technology tools)

• Leave room for variation that supports geographical differences (e.g., local regulations)

• Be able to measure the improvements made with the new process so you know when you’ve achieved your goals

A BPH project is an opportunity to do more than gain buy-in on new processes. It is an opportunity to integrate people, systems, data, and processes to make your organization more efficient, flexible, accurate, and competitive in the market.