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Process maturity consists of analyzing the degree of evolution and the organization’s ability to manage and improve internal processes efficiently.
Companies of the most varied branches and sizes have different levels of maturity in their daily routines. High performance is directly associated with guiding the development of a much more optimized flow.
Highly developed processes are the foundation for growth and operational excellence. The higher the level, the greater the benefits brought into the organization.
Investing in process maturity is strategic for both the current moment and the future of the organization. Let’s learn more about the subject?
What is process maturity?
This is a measure to assess how well business processes are defined and controlled within the company. It can be done either individually, a single process, or a general analysis of an entire sector or company.
Processes are activities performed in order to achieve the organization’s objectives. They are logical sequences and routines, standardized, repeated and executed daily.
From a management point of view, maturity is an indicator that represents how much this flow is defined, managed, and measured. For you to understand better, process maturity levels are like a ladder that the organization climbs to reach new levels of efficiency.
In this sense, it is possible to understand that a higher level corresponds to lower risks, better results, a higher level of rapport, efficiency, and so on.
We say that a process has reached a good level of maturity when:
- its stages clearly delineated, inputs produce the same outputs;
- the rates of communication failures and delays are very low;
- process is documented and employees know where the relevant information is;
- the possible steps and tasks are automated;
- the expected results are consistently achieved.
In other words, a high level of maturity presents processes that are mapped, standardized, analyzed, managed, and constantly improved.
Why is it so important?
In short, process maturity is important for a company to continue growing in the face of a competitive, constantly changing market with increasingly demanding consumers.
This analysis serves as a guide to understand the journey so far, and where to go.
Another important point is that this level of evaluation does not only refer to the documentation, control and auditing of processes, but how they are understood and used by the people involved.
Process maturity levels
As explained, process maturity is a kind of evolutionary ladder where each step corresponds to the goals that need to be achieved.
There are currently some evaluation models. Therefore, the name and number of steps can be variable. But, in general, they refer to:
- Level 1: Initial or chaotic: here the focus on processes is minimal. Team members perfom activities differently, the flow is not defined and documented. It is common when processes are not the daily focus, and go unnoticed;
- Level 2: Repeatable: at this stage there is already standardization with predictable and repeatable outputs. However, process knowledge is still centralized in one or a few people;
- Level 3: Defined: Processes are defined and documents with a standard operating procedure. There are already opportunities for improvements in efficiency and effectiveness. Knowledge is decentralized and cooperation between teams in thriving;
- Level 4: Managed: This level is known as measured. That is, there are metrics, control and analysis of processes to identify and address areas of opportunity;
- Level 5: Optimized: The highest and most advanced level. Here the company strives for continuos improvement of efficiency and effectiveness through incremental innovations. Process management is a reference for other companies in the same segment.
Advancing in maturity levels
Advancing from one level to the next requires awareness of activity flows. Going from the initial to the repeatable level consists of repeating the activities so that there are consistent results.
To advance to the defined level, it is necessary to document the steps of the activities by creating a standard operating procedure template. Then, a person with no knowledge of the process should be asked to execute it based on these instructions and evaluate whether they obtained the same results.
To reach level 4, implement metrics to quantitatively understand process performance. Here it is important to adopt solutions and technologies to automate the flow and obtain data and information about the processes.
Now, reaching the highest level of process maturity consists of diagnosing and addressing opportunities to extract the highest level of efficiency.
How to reach the highest level of maturity
Achieving the highest level of process maturity involves implementing strategies such as applying process management, with BPM.
Business Process Management involves the collection and analysis of data about processes so that management is no longer intuitive and decisions are based on numbers and real data.
In this sense, achieving a high level of maturity consists of adopting in-depth analyses of how routines are structured.
In other words, it requires exquisite management. The Fusion Platform is a complete solution for process management, providing mapping of activities, standardizing, automating and monitoring the company’s entire routine.
With centralized data and real-time monitoring of process execution, it is much easier to identify failures and opportunities for improvement. Thus, the escalation of maturity levels happens in an accelerated and staggered manner.
In general, to level up, focus on:
- Mapping: identify all the organization’s processes and their workflows;
- Documentation: create flowcharts and detailed descriptions of each step;
- Standardization: estabilish standards and procedures to ensure uniformity;
- Performance indicators: define metrics to monitor the performance of processes;
- Monitor and analyze processes: observe performance, collet data, and identify opportunities for improvement;
- Automate processes: all activities that can be automated. For this, process management tools must be implemented;
- Promote a culture of continuos improvement: analyze reports, initiatives and encourage the participation of all those involved;
- Invest in training: train employees to execute processes in a standardized and efficient way.
Now that you know all this, do you want to take your processes to a new level? Try Fusion Platform and transform your business management.
