ISO 20000 or ITIL process implementation can seem like a very daunting task. In previous articles, I gave you an overview of a ground-breaking approach, the Process Prototyping Implementation Methodology, which can allow you to achieve ISO 20000 certification in just 18 months.
Let me remind you of the four stages of the process-based methodology:
- Process Prototyping
- ProcessBuilding
- Process Implementation
- Process Tuning
- In this article, I will explain in more detail the fourth and final stage, Process Tuning.
So now you're done with Process Implementation. Your process is up and running, evidences have been produced, the internal audit has been completed. You are now ready to move on to the tuning stage of your process.
Process Tuning is basically sustaining, maturing and improving the process. If you've read my previous articles about the first three stages of the methodology, you're probably expecting me to tell you how many tasks you'll be required to do and how many milestones you should reach before completing this stage. Well, it's not that I've gotten lazy about it, but there's none of that stuff here, and that's kind of the point.
Continual improvement is one of the explicit requirements of the ISO/IEC 20000-1:2011 standard (see section 4.5.5, Maintain and improve the SMS). The key word is: CONTINUAL. It never ends.
This Process Prototyping Implementation Methodology is PDCA-based. This means it revolves around an endless Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, and continual improvement, which is what Process Tuning is, is the "Act" part of the cycle. Therefore, the continual improvement process must be operational at this point in your project, since it will be used throughout the tuning phase of every process you implement.
Use your internal audit report as input for your Continual Improvement Process. Analyze the nonconformities and the opportunities for improvement, determine your action plan and target and implement corrective actions.
Quick tip: Don't forget to trigger your Document and Record Control Process! It's imperative that all documentation is up to date and available to all.
And that's it. This is where you want your organization to get, as fast as possible. This is the key to achieving ISO 20000 certification in just 18 months. Your organization will gain more from having imperfectly designed - yet integrated - processes, than from having a bunch of isolated, more mature processes.
Organizations and their processes are systemic in nature. Just like in the human body, a change in one place will affect the system as a whole. Addressing processes one at a time will not improve your organization's performance significantly enough to justify the headache.
That is why you need to get all of your processes off the ground as soon as possible, even if you know they're flawed, and let Process Tuning do its magic.
Very often, the individual processes themselves are in good shape, much better than you think. It is the interfaces between the processes that are deficient. Addressing only one process will pass right by the very core of the problem. You need to have all your processes up and running and interfacing with each other to see where things really need to improve.
Quick tip: The faster your organization can transition to Continual Improvement mode, the better off it will be.
And so it goes with all your processes. One by one, let them go through stages 1 through 3 in a timely manner, until all of them have reached the Process Tuning stage, which is Continual Improvement mode, and your organization will be ready for ISO 20000 certification before you know it.
Isabelle Perron is a full-time consultant dedicated to helping companies implement process-based management systems, such as ISO 20000-based systems. She has been involved in over 25 Process Implementation Projects, in various functions such as Project Manager, IT/business process expert, coach, trainer and auditor.
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Super and interesting information thanks for sharing
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