Neomind

Author: Felipe Bahiense

  • How to Identify and Manage Production Bottlenecks?

    How to Identify and Manage Production Bottlenecks?

    When we think about production, we often imagine that to achieve efficiency in processes, we need significant investments in machinery and technology. While this may make sense depending on the industry and factory size, the capacity of manufacturing is not always constrained by a lack of technology.

    Of course, we understand that in the Industry 4.0 age investments in technology are increasingly essential and can lead to significant competitive advantages. However, it’s also crucial to recognize that something, even with all the tech, may be interrupting production processes.

    Often overlooked but extremely essential is the analysis of the real versus potential capacity of processes. This is done by identifying and managing production bottlenecks. We explain more about this in this article. Good reading!

    Understanding Production Bottlenecks

    Before discussing production bottlenecks specifically, let’s imagine a bottle filled with small stones. When we turn the bottle upside down, we notice that the stones start to accumulate in the bottleneck of the bottle. When this happens, only a few stones can escape, while the rest remain stuck to the point that no more can come out.

    This idea applies precisely to production bottlenecks. They occur when one production station produces more than the subsequent station can handle, causing a slowdown in the production line.

    To better understand this, let’s take an example of a factory that produces jam packaging. The machine can produce a thousand packages per hour. Once the packages are produced, they go to the labeling department. However, the labeling machine can only apply 800 labels per hour. This creates a production bottleneck.

    In such a case, either the packaging production must be reduced to match the labeling machine’s capacity, not utilizing its full capacity, or the production should continue at the same pace, and the unlabeled packages should be stored, increasing costs.

    The bad news about bottlenecks is that due to a lack of process control, they are often recognized only after causing a blockage in the workflow. The good news is that there are ways to fix the situation. Below are some steps to follow:

    1. Identify the problem:

    To correct production bottlenecks, it is necessary to understand where it starts (input). Bottlenecks can result from a cumulative effect or be caused by a particular workstation. In the case of cumulative bottlenecks, it means that several stations are producing more than the subsequent station can handle. As a result, each station becomes slightly overloaded until one becomes completely overwhelmed.

    In the example of the packaging factory, the production bottleneck is not cumulative, as only one station produces more than the next. In situations like this, it is easier to solve the problem, and it will not be necessary to renew the entire production.

    2. Use the 5 Whys technique:

    This is a more in-depth problem-solving tool. To use it, you start with the problem you need to solve and work backward, continuously questioning why the problem is occurring. The technique is called “5 Whys,” but you should keep asking questions until you reach the root cause.

    For example:

    Problem: Production slowdown.

    1. Why is production slowing down?

    Because the operators are not working efficiently.

    1. Why are they not operating efficiently?

    Because the machines experience frequent interruptions.

    1. Why are there interruptions?

    Because they require frequent maintenance.

    1. Why do they require frequent maintenance?

    Because they cannot handle the incoming raw material capacity.

    1. Why can’t they handle it?

    Because they are receiving too much raw material from the previous station.

    In this simple scenario, if we assumed that the problem was due to lack of productivity, the company might think that hiring more employees would solve it. However, identifying the bottleneck helps focus on the actual issue.

    3. Process Mapping:

    The 5 Whys technique is useful when production bottlenecks are more visible. However, it is essential to consider the entire process and its flow. This means identifying all steps, involved parties, objectives, decisions, and flows of an existing process. This is known as Process Mapping.

    To identify production bottlenecks, it is crucial to understand the entire flow of activities, especially when cumulative bottlenecks occur. Process mapping is excellent for gathering all information about inefficiencies and production bottlenecks, enabling them to be eliminated or reduced. In such cases, the use of BPMS software (Business Process Management) is recommended, a tool that not only helps model processes more efficiently but also facilitates process mapping and bottleneck identification.

    To learn more, access the articles:

    4. Develop an action plan (PDCA cycle):

    Once you have identified the production bottlenecks, it’s time to take action. Here, you can adopt the PDCA approach: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Besides being an excellent problem-solving tool, the PDCA cycle aims at the continuous improvement of processes. We explained how the PDCA cycle works in this article if you need more information. By adopting it, you create an action plan where everyone involved knows what needs to be done, what is being done, as well as the deadlines and costs.

    5. Monitor results:

    As we always emphasize in our blog when dealing with processes, continuous improvement should be sought. Therefore, never forget that production processes should always be measured. The tip is to use key performance indicators (KPIs). Whenever bottlenecks are identified, take prompt action to improve the process (which is why process mapping is so important).

    In conclusion

    Bottlenecks slow down the production line, causing losses. There is no factory that does not face this problem, which is why processes must always be monitored.

    In this article, we presented some steps you can take to identify and resolve production bottlenecks. It is ideal to have tools that can optimize our activities; thus, we recommend the use of BPMS software. BPMS solutions aim to make business processes and entire workflows more efficient and adaptable to constant organizational changes.

    To be sure of the return on investment in this tool, download our ROI calculator. And if you want to better understand business processes and what a BPM solution can do to eliminate bottlenecks and make your company even more productive, contact us!

  • What Document Management Does for Your Business: From Workflow Organization to a Paperless Environment

    What Document Management Does for Your Business: From Workflow Organization to a Paperless Environment

    How does your business deal with the information that comes to it, whether digital or not? According to the AIIM (Association for Information and Image Management), the best way to deal with data is to capture it at the first point of contact. In other words, information should be digitally captured as soon as it enters your organization premises.

    • What is Electronic Document Management?
    • Why Implement Document Management?
      • Workflow organization
      • Paper to digital transformation
      • Access and security control
      • Version control, reviews and approvals
      • Digital signature
      • Content search

    A report published by AIIM (Improving Business Operations in 2017: Capturing Vital Content) states that 88% of its respondents are increasing their digital correspondence, while 60% say that their paper letters are decreasing. When it comes to invoices, 64% say that their paper invoices are reducing, while, for 69%, there is an increase in the number of digital invoices.

    What does this mean? In general terms, we can say that we are moving towards a paperless business culture. However, if there is a preference for documents in digital format, we need to think about a workflow that deals with its whole pipeline, from the conception to the storage of these documents. That’s where we come into the field of Document Management (Electronic Document Management – EDM).

    What is Electronic Document Management?

    Electronic Document Management (EDM), refers to the management of different types of documents through software (such as Fusion Platform). With a GED/ECM solution, users in a company can not only create a document or capture a printed copy in electronic format but also store, edit, process, print, and manage documents in image, video, audio, and text formats.

    Why to perform Document Management?

    A Document Management software brings benefits such as:

    1. Workflow organization
    2. Transformation of paper into digital information
    3. Access control and security
    4. Version control, revisions, and approvals
    5. Digital signature
    6. Content search

    Let’s see some examples:

    Workflow organization:

    GED solutions trigger collaborative workflows involving stakeholders responsible for taking actions on the document, such as signing (with a digital signature), editing, or commenting, while ensuring quality control.

    Flip the switch from paper to digital information:

    According to research conducted by AIIM, only 37% of respondents prefer paper for handling, reading, and note-taking. Thirty-two percent of them mentioned that their suppliers prefer information in digital format, and 27% cited the lack of senior management support to eliminate paper from their processes.

    Paper is still part of an organization’s routine. However, there are some points to consider:

    • Paper storage generates costs.
    • Paper documents are more prone to getting lost.
    • Managing a paper document is time-consuming.

    A good EDM software includes capture features. In general, Document Management solutions use various technologies such as semantic web or syntactic pattern recognition, allowing them to extract relevant information (keywords) from scanned documents.

    Thanks to Optical Character Recognition (OCR) – 20% of AIIM’s respondents mentioned that this technology is already in use in their companies for data capture – and Barcoding, all documents that have undergone digitization can be recognized. This means that those wasted hours searching for information in paper or desktop folders are eliminated.

    The explanation for this is simple: when the content is available to a solution that features data recognition, accessing information becomes much easier, requiring only the use of keywords, for example.

    When trying to understand what triggers the transformation of capture processes in businesses, AIIM found that 37% of their respondents cited exercises in cost savings in specific areas such as Accounts Payable, while 33% said it was an initiative to improve customer responsiveness.

    Therefore, through an intelligent DMS process, it is possible to automate tasks involving document management without human intervention, bringing costs down and increasing decision-making accuracy .

    Access control and security:

    A Document Management solution allows assigning access permissions to each document. Access can be granted to an individual user or a group of people.

    It is also possible to manage authorized individuals who can interact with documents through the creation of profiles and assignment of permissions. Through integration with file editing tools, a DMS software can lock functions such as Save, Save As, Print-Screen, Printing, and others.

    Version control, revisions, and approvals:

    With Document Management, it is also possible to configure and control the management of document versions, revisions, and approvals. This way, you can verify who made changes and when they occurred.

    Digital signature:

    Good DMS software enables electronic documents to be signed with certificates in the ICP-Brasil standard.

    Content search:

    Document Management through software – such as Fusion ECM – allows documents to be located by creation and editing dates, metadata, keywords, etc. This eliminates the time spent searching for a document in desktop folders, as the solution does all the locating work.

    Conclusion

    When discussing Document Management and the transformation of paper into digital information, it is common for people to imagine scanners spread throughout the company. However, the concept goes beyond that.

    We have previously addressed paperless companies and the importance of a this trend to the environment. Note that the concepts of paperless and DMS are related, as both mean much more than simply scanning documents. Therefore, to conclude, remember that Document Management encompasses both publication and/or digitization, as well as storage, access control, security, but most importantly, the recognition and retrieval of information that is relevant to your business.

  • Why Automate Documents Using ECM?

    Why Automate Documents Using ECM?

    The amount of data flowing through an organization is huge, so managing it effectively is crucial. If you take a moment to think about it, it’s the proposals, contracts, invoices, and sales orders that show your business is functioning.

    To handle such intense information flow, regardless of the sector your company or industry operates in, automating documents will ensure that you have a system that centralizes that data. This will facilitate the creation, approval, and distribution of any and all documents. In other words, automation is what will keep your company thriving.

    But if you’re not convinced yet, or if you need further clarification on what we mean, here are some benefits your organization will gain from automating documents:

    1 – Time Optimization

    Undoubtedly, time is our most valuable resource. Why sacrifice it by manually managing documents? If we look at certain departments, such as finance, how many hours do professionals waste entering data manually?

    Since finances are important for the company and good governance requires transparency in information, all other tasks that finance professionals need to perform take a backseat until all the paperwork is completed.

    We gave the example of the finance department, but the same can be applied to all other departments within an organization. When document management is automated and follows a streamlined process, employees are free to focus on important tasks.

    Instead of wasting time on details like going after a given signature, they can invest that time in global projects that will yield better results. Instead of reviewing cash flow statements, they can process actual orders. Instead of searching for a commercial proposal, they can communicate with clients and build better, lasting relationships.

    No matter how your teams choose to invest the extra time provided by document automation, the fact is that there are numerous tasks in an organization that are far more valuable than manual data entry.

    2 – Compliance Assurance

    Compliance is often overlooked but is an essential component of operational efficiency. Your team may be more productive or more effective and efficient than your competitors, but if your documents are not compliant, all their hard work becomes unnecessary.

    To ensure that your organization complies with industry regulations, standards and controls must be established, ranging from codes of conduct to procedures, norms, and policies.

    Document automation systems facilitate compliance by creating document standards, establishing access and editing controls, and distributing documents as needed.

    3 – Management of the Entire Lifecycle

    Every document has a lifecycle. Consider contract management, for example. It begins with a request and ends with a signature. In between, there are other steps to be followed.

    Automating documents means they will follow a predefined workflow established by your company. This workflow is determined within a process that automatically completes an activity once it’s finished and sends it to the responsible person for the next step.

    In practice, this means that no physical document will pass from hand to hand, and no information will be lost in a sea of emails. It also means that no more certificates or proxies will get expired dates and catch everyone by surprise.

    These seemingly small details will make your organization much more productive, transparent in its relationships with employees, clients, and suppliers, and, once again, ensure compliance with industry standards.

    4 – Accuracy Guarantee

    A misplaced comma in an invoice or a sales order with one zero less can cause immense damage to a company. Imagine sending a proposal to a client and then realizing that the version sent wasn’t the latest one. That would certainly damage your credibility, right?

    Typos or outdated information can occur when data entry is done manually. While nobody likes it when such mistakes happen, they can be attributed to human error and the overwhelming number of tasks we often have. However, this should not be an excuse for your organization to let errors slide or accept them.

    By automating documents, data is automatically and correctly entered, giving the entire company the peace of mind that the information is accurate and that the version being worked on is the latest one.

    5 – Increased Collaboration

    Someone in your company is waiting for customer data to generate a contract. Another person is waiting for the contract itself to send it to the customer. Meanwhile, the customer is waiting for the signature. In this case, a lot of time is wasted for everyone involved.

    With document automation, tasks are completed more quickly and efficiently. Some activities don’t depend on others to start, and when there is a dependency, the automation system sends notifications to the person responsible for the task. And whenever an activity is being efficiently carried out, the company’s revenue grows.

    Collaboration is crucial in creating many documents within an organization, as several departments may be responsible for their creation. With a dedicated system for document automation, collaboration becomes a benefit, allowing authorized individuals to work on the same document, with all actions easily traceable.

    So, how do you automate documents?

    By now, you’ve understood some of the benefits of document automation. But you also need to learn how to do it, right?

    The answer lies in a document management system. An ECM software (Enterprise Content Management) is not just a technology or a methodology.

    As the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) puts it, ECM is a “dynamic combination of strategies, methods, and tools used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver information that supports key organizational processes throughout their lifecycle.”

    If you have any questions about the topics covered in this article, visit our website and get in touch with us. We’d be happy to talk to you! If this post was helpful, feel free to share it on your social networks. Not familiar with Fusion Platform yet? Try it for free for 15 days

  • What are quality indicators and why are they important?

    What are quality indicators and why are they important?

    As Robert Kaplan and David Norton, creators of the BSC (Balanced Scorecard) methodology said: “What is not measured is not managed.”

    To explain, in practice, you have probably already bought a product with a lower value than another, knowing that its quality could also be lower. Or that the service at a particular location was not very good, but you ended up giving in to it to save money.

    Each company should deliver what it proposes, setting a monetary value on the services or products it offers. But what happens if the company does not deliver what it promises at all? It’s frustrating, to say the least, isn’t it?

    Quality control would avoid mistakes (and frustrations). This is because a quality meter shows whether what is being proposed actually matches what is being delivered.

    In order to address the topic of Quality Indicators, it is important that we first get to know some key ideas present in indicators in general.

    What are quality indicators?

    Indicators are instruments that synthesize a set of information into a single value, therefore, they allow certain phenomena to be measured among themselves, or over a given period. Still, we can say that quality indicators are tools, that is, they are not an end in themselves, but a mean. Also known as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators, or Key Performance Indicators), they identify trends and behaviors and usually provide factual data about the performance of an organization.

    In this way, they allow the correction of possible deviations from the paths or directions of a company. We cannot forget to mention that the indicators are essential for a quality system, whose implementation brings benefits such as:

    ● Operating costs reduction;

    ● Greater customer satisfaction;

    ● Standardization and guarantee of greater process efficiency;

    ● Company organization.

    About the types of indicators, we highlight the following:

    Effectiveness Indicator (Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty)

    Measuring the degree of customer loyalty and satisfaction for any type of business is essential. Therefore, among quality indicators, effectiveness is very important. Some functions of this indicator include:

    ▪ Research customer satisfaction, studying the strength of the product or service in the market;

    ▪ Check if the customer would buy or use the services offered by the company again, or if they would recommend their services to others; ▪ Provide feedback, which is often the starting point for a performance evaluation process.

    Efficiency Indicator

    Among the quality indicators, this one analyzes productivity through production management software, for example, with purchase, cost, and delivery time modules, etc.

    It’s important to know how many times something needed or needs to be redone, or the resource that was used in that process. With this diagnosis, it is possible to identify the problems, and waste that must be avoided and, finally, allow for greater productivity.

    Service Indicator (Customer Complaints)

    Of the quality indicators, this understands that: the happier your customer is with the company, the more loyal they will be. It is important to stay tuned to this index, especially to monitor whether contact with the customer (including after-sales) is flowing correctly.

    Among the functions of this indicator, the following stand out:

    ● Check if the company’s “mechanism” is working well, if employees are successfully carrying out their duties and striving to provide the best service;

    ● Create a good relationship (always worrying about the customer even after closing the deal);

    ● Win customer loyalty and earn the company’s good reputation in the market.

    Effectiveness Indicator

    This one aims at the importance of always being aware of the news in your area of activity and competitors. If you want to know if your product or service really works, of the quality indicators discussed so far, this is the one that helps you understand what you offer your customers.

    Safety Indicator (Quality)

    It is these quality indicators that concretely demonstrate the performance of the product or service, to verify whether the health or physical integrity of the customer can be compromised.

    Through safety indicators, managers verify safety measures, certification requirements, and national and international standards.

    As you can see, the quality indicators discussed here allow the observation of certain aspects of reality, since they measure, observe and analyze reality according to a certain point of view.

    But be careful: don’t overdo the number or complexity of the indicators. They must talk to the demands of their customers and the criteria defined for the quality system.

    How can I use KPIs in my organization and how can this help boost my results?

    KPIs aid in your business processes’ effectiveness. Based on the indicator analysis results, managers can have a better view of whether it is necessary to change their strategy or whether the current strategy should be maintained, verifying how positive the results are.

    Quality indicators include everything related to the effectiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness of a company’s processes and the services offered to the customer. They evaluate the business performance in several aspects, including factors such as profitability, market competitiveness, sales, and turnover rates.

    Any company that aims at good performance needs to measure quality indicators, especially since they are tools that map organizational processes.

    To exemplify, a company must always have a critical view of service and product quality in order to create improvements that stand out from the competition.

    And for the company to make profits at the end of the month, two elements are essential: good service and quality products. Without them, you can even attract customers to the store, but you won’t be able to turn them into loyal customers.

    This is where the great importance of quality indicators comes in: they will allow the manager to have this critical view of quality, service, and product and especially how to create improvements, pointing out failures and also successes. If you are interested in the subject, also read the post: KPIs: what are they and how to define them to use them in the management of your company?

    Concluding

    Always follow up on quality indicators. Have an action plan in case the recorded data point to any deviation from the desired quality standard. Also, do not forget to establish collaborators responsible for this activity, also defining the follow-up sequence.

  • How to begin 2023 automating your business processes?

    How to begin 2023 automating your business processes?

    Have you considered including process automation in your 2023’s planning to improve workflow performance?

    The beginning of the year is synonymous with planning, right? After all, everything that is stipulated will serve as a basis for creating strategies that will guide the way your company operates in the current year.

    In this sense, the strategies’ focus is to find ways to improve the efficiency and productivity of the organization as a whole.

    In fact, businesses tend to seek alternatives capable of improving internal processes, positively impacting profitability and profitability.

    Many of these means of improving management and activities are found in technology. More specifically, in process automation.

    What is process automation?

    Process automation, in short, is using technology to enhance the performance of business processes.

    That means finding tools and solutions to improve the way everyday activities are carried out.

    Thus, process automation is capable of optimizing time management, leaving repetitive activities, with bottlenecks or high error rates, to software.

    This way, the focus of professionals is on strategic activities, with their efforts directed at your core business.

    What are the benefits brought by process automation?

    While one of the most recognizable benefits of process automation is cost reduction, the biggest impact is on how the workforce actually produces.

    Undoubtedly, adopting a technological solution will produce several changes in the way activities are carried out.

    In this sense, process automation provides benefits such as:

    • Productivity: tasks that were previously performed in a laborious and costly manner, are performed with agility and objectivity with the use of technology. It is possible to perform a much larger number of activities in less time.
    • Standardization: in process automation, activities are mapped, described, and delimited. In this way, the customer is sure to always receive the same quality of product or service.
    • Reduction or elimination of errors: due to standardization in the use of technology for the execution of processes, the error rate is small, or even zero.
    • Focus on strategies: by gaining agility in the execution of procedures, professionals can dedicate themselves primarily to business strategies. By doing so, new business opportunities, differentials, innovations, and alternatives to improve customer experience are found.
    • Ensuring accessibility to data and information: process automation provides better document management. If, before, it was necessary to search several files in the file, with the BPMS, everything is stored and accessible via the platform. In this way, a simple search is enough, typing the desired in the specific field to find a certain document.

    In addition to these points, professionals undergo a process of positive transformation of their activities.

    After all, the time spent searching for information is significantly reduced with the automation of processes, making it possible to reallocate this resource to strategic issues that define the company’s DNA.

    In this way, professionals feel more valued and motivated.

    Beginning 2023 with process automation

    Process automation provides so many perks that it’s hard not to imagine what this application would be like within your business.

    Therefore, to start 2023 with process automation, it will be necessary to carry out a plan.

    Before starting the automation of industrial processes, automation of administrative, financial, inventory processes, and many others, it will be necessary to outline what are the objectives that you want to achieve.

    This step is essential to get to know what the technology will need to provide to satisfy the demands of your business.

    After all, only with well-defined goals and objectives will it be possible, after implementation, to assess whether the expected benefits are consistent with what was achieved.

    In this sense, keep in mind that planning will take into account complete phases that will range from analyzing which activities to automate, to measuring results and improvement.

    Thus, there is a kind of step by step to succeed in automating processes:

    Step 1: Analyze and identify the processes

    While undeniably advantageous, not all processes can or should be automated. Therefore, before starting to automate processes, it will be necessary to analyze the tasks and sectors of the company.

    In this way, start by listing the processes that are more time-consuming, bureaucratic, costly, or that have more bottlenecks. Generally, these critical points are solved by automating processes.

    In addition to the complexity and flow of activities, it will be necessary to describe the interconnections that can happen with other departments.

    For example, imagine travel request process. With automation, an employee simply accesses the platform, fills in the requested information, and sends it to the next responsible person.

    In this flow, this request will pass – depending on each company’s configuration, by a manager, a purchasing department, and finances, among others.

    Instead of exchanging emails, the entire flow is carried out by a platform. And, all those involved have access to the information and progress of the request.

    Step 2: Choose the right tool

    Knowing what your goals and needs are for your company, you can choose the best tool.

    When we talk about process automation, choosing the right software is essential for the success of this implementation.

    After all, this platform needs to be a partner of your business, providing easy access to data and information and simplifying processes.

    Therefore, the more user-friendly and customizable this tool is, the better. In this sense, low-code platforms are the best alternative to gain benefits without overloading the technology department.

    As all changes cause a certain level of resistance, when considering your vendor, look for ones where you can try out features for free.

    And, to speed up this choice, make a comparison between platforms using an evaluation checklist.

    Set aside a good amount of time to make your choice carefully. Not always, opting for the first offer, or the lowest price will bring the expected results.

    That is, the automation of processes needs to be seen as a way to improve the performance of the entire organization. Therefore, choose carefully and accurately.

    It will be with the help of the platform’s consultants that activities can be remodeled to improve execution.

    And now, am I ready for process automation?

    Having chosen the ideal tool, it’s time to monitor its implementation. Very important when talking about the adoption of a tool for process automation is remodeling and deployment.

    In this sense, it’s important that this step be carried out in partnership with the professionals directly linked to the execution of this process. How they will use the tool, they are the ones who need to approve and see the advantages of adoption.

    Another issue is to create an environment that multiplies knowledge so that a professional passes on what he knows to others. This transparency also favors the implementation of necessary adjustments.

    In fact, the continuous analysis of the results obtained with the automation of processes is essential. After all, this is an application that never ends.

    There are constantly new processes or activities to improve performance.

    As processes change over time, laws, and the accession of new resources, among others, adopt continuous improvement making it possible to maximize the benefits provided by automating processes.

    Therefore, use the reports provided by the platforms to check whether the indicators match the stipulated goals and objectives.

    In addition, these reports are essential for a more assertive decision-making process.

    And now, are you ready to implement process automation and take advantage of all the advantages within your business?

  • Marketing Intelligence: Trends to take advantage of in 2023

    Marketing Intelligence: Trends to take advantage of in 2023

    Knowledge is a vital resource within companies. And because of this, Marketing Intelligence became a source of several competitive advantages. It is even considered by many specialists to be the single most valuable commodity organizations can have.

    The more technology develops, the greater and more varied data-collecting alternatives become. In fact, countless terabytes are produced daily which are not always taken into account.

    However, data by itself could be a more useful resource. It is necessary to analyze and understand to be able to create practical applications.

    In this sense, Marketing Intelligence is a strategy that collects data and information to be analyzed later, allowing managers to make decisions with higher success rates.

    Marketing Intelligence is the link between theory and practice, to put it shortly. Thus, there is analysis and preparation of an action plan with the definition of strategies to achieve the most varied objectives.

    In this way, the digital transformation provided extracting knowledge with the collection and analysis of data. And, it is an essential resource for organizations to expand in the market.

    With that in mind, find out the Marketing Intelligence trends to keep an eye on in 2023

    Hyperautomation in Marketing Intelligence

    Let’s start with a trend that started to be highlighted in previous years, and continues strong for 2023.

    Hyperautomation favors Marketing Intelligence by automatically collecting data. In this way, automation should be considered broadly and employed in different types of business processes.

    In fact, hyperautomation should be understood as a fundamental tool for data management. After all, it combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and process automation.

    Thus, industrial activities become even more agile, allowing managers to identify bottlenecks and adjust them to increase process performance, making them more assertive, and reducing costs and expenses.

    In addition, these technological resources enable the creation of customized and automated panels to capture relevant data about your business objectives.

    Decision Intelligence

    Decision Intelligence is another trend to watch out for in 2023. In fact, it is capable of changing the way people make their decisions, regardless of the function they perform.

    Basically, this method applies artificial intelligence in the decision-making process of all areas of a company.

    By doing so, it brings together a set of tools that aims to design, model, align, execute, monitor, and adjust decision processes. In addition, the focus is always on results and meeting commercial objectives.

    In this sense, Decision Intelligence expands the information processing capacity required by strategic decision-making. And, as in hyperautomation, it also features a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

    In addition to improving business performance, this tool allows you to optimize departments.

    Gartner warns that 33% of large organizations will be using Decision Intelligence for decision making by 2023. However, it is worth mentioning that Decision Intelligence is transformative for strategies in companies of the most diverse sizes.

    Big Data Analytics

    It is not new that Big Data tools are important for organizations. And it continues to be a trend for 2023 as it provides better strategic decisions, better operational process control, breadth of knowledge about customers, and cost reduction.

    Just like Marketing Intelligence, Big Data Analytics enables an analytical culture where decisions are made based on real and pertinent data and information.

    In fact, this is a tool where the more data generated, the greater the opportunities to understand and take advantage of the consumer public dynamics.

    Big Data Analytics allows companies to anticipate changes that will occur in the market in which they operate.

    This is especially true when considering a Data-Driven culture, where management is data-oriented. This means management is guided based on analyzed and concrete information obtained by monitoring the market in real-time.

    Decentralized data management

    In fact, the world will become increasingly globalized. Companies are present in several locations, even more so with the increase in home office activities.

    This is why decentralized data management is another great Marketing Intelligence trend for 2023. If, previously, all data was stored and maintained by the IT department – a very costly information gathering process -, today, we have data decentralization.

    Access to data and information becomes much easier and widely available, favoring all sectors and departments.

    In this way, demands are answered more quickly, providing each process with essential information and data for its particularities.

    In addition, digital transformation allows companies to adopt low code tools, which can be customized according to each business’ requirements.

    This ensures autonomy and flexibility for professionals to analyze data according to the specific objectives of each department, considering the business’ strategic objectives.

    Data governance

    This Marketing Intelligence topic relates to the people, processes, and technologies used in data acquisition, archiving, and usage.

    With the legal requirements arising from Data Protection regulations such as the LGPD, data governance is not just a trend, but a requirement. The use of data must follow a series of enforced rules so that your business is not penalized.

    Because of that, data governance refers to the implementation of rules and structures to manage, monitor, and protect information, providing greater control and organization over business strategies.

    Among the main advantages of data governance are reliability, risk management, organization of information, and better decision-making.

    Real-Time Analytics

    As everything changes very quickly, Real-Time Analytics is undoubtedly a strong trend in Marketing Intelligence, and not only in 2023 but for years to come.

    In fact, the growing and rapid changes brought about by technology, and especially by social networks, have made analytics not only a way to take advantage of opportunities, but also a resource for developing preventive measures.

    In this sense, the use of customized dashboards provides much more agile and assertive response actions.

    Undoubtedly, digital transformation has brought with it this high speed of access to the necessary data and information.

    Currently, it is basically unthinkable – and frustrating -, to have to wait more than an hour to get an answer to a question, for instance.

    Other technology trends

    Undoubtedly, technology as a resource is present everywhere in our daily lives. Therefore, we will be making increasingly more use of the internet of things, virtual and augmented reality, blockchain and 5G, among other resources.

    Likewise, there will be more focus on immersive customer experiences with the use of the metaverse, tokens, NFTs, and dCommerce.

    Another issue pointed out by Gartner is sustainable technology. This trend uses traceability, analytics, management software, and artificial intelligence to monitor a company’s sustainability.

    Here at Neomind, we are always attentive to trends and Marketing intelligence to better serve our customers. What about your business, is it ready for the future?

    Here at Neomind, we walk along your business as true partners. So, if you have any questions or would like to contribute with previous experiences, let us know in the comments!

  • IT governance: what is it, and what are its best practices

    IT governance: what is it, and what are its best practices

    IT governance: what is it and what are its best practices

    IT governance is a necessary tool to ensure that investments in technology are well aligned to the company’s goals. It seeks and uses technological resources to achieve goals in the most appropriate and efficient way.

    With this set of IT resources management practices, the business is able to control and measure the results of deployed applications.

    By the way, when well implemented, IT governance brings countless benefits such as improved processes, enhanced cybersecurity, cost and risk reduction, among others.

    Given its importance, it is essential that companies and their managers understand what it is and what are its best practices.

    What is IT governance?

    IT governance comprises standards and practices used specifically by the technology department. Iit aligns all IT resources, such as hardware, software, and professionals, to the overall business strategies.

    Besides producing measurable indicators to achieve goals and objectives, IT governance aims to improve competitiveness by enhancing processes and stored information quality.

    Currently, the technology department is one of the pillars for the success of organizations. After all, there is a plethora of technological tools that improvement operations and results measurement.

    Therefore, IT governance is indispensable for the management, control, and quality of processes, products, and services.

    As the focus of IT governance is to deliver value while mitigating risks, its performance is guided by the following areas:

    • Strategic Alignment: aims to create harmony between IT and business strategies;
    • Value Delivery: proper use of technology investments – deliver maximum value with an acceptable amount of risk. Where the money will be invested, and what the expected return is need to be clear;
    • Risk management: identifies, assesses, and communicates risks to the entire company.  It is essential to ensure business continuity, especially compliance with legal requirements;
    • Definition and management of the IT department resources: including people and infrastructure;
    • Performance measurement and continuous improvement: frequent evaluation allows strategies to be carried out, ensuring that their execution is happening as planned.

    Why is IT governance important?

    Its importance comes from the fact that one of its main objectives is to improve IT management. We know that technology is currently paramount for a company to achieve its goals and be efficient in the short, medium, and long term.

    Thus, corporate governance in IT increases a company’s value and reputation, allowing:

    • increased information security;
    • compliance with legal obligations, mainly related to the Data Protection laws;
    • resource optimization;
    • improved internal communication;
    • reduction of risks and processes errors and failures;
    • facilitating and increasing the return on investments in technology;
    • greater confidence to customers and stakeholders;
    • delivery of value to investors;
    • monitoring IT capacity decisions;
    • company’s performance indicators management.

    Framework for implementing corporate IT governance

    Frameworks serve as guidelines for companies to build upon when creating an IT governance system.

    In this sense, there is a plethora of frameworks that provide great guidance. More than one framework can be implemented, depending on its objectives. The most common frameworks include:

    ITIL

    The IT infrastructure library framework is regarded as the standard of all frameworks.  It helps you to visualize the entire expected lifecycle as well as the effectiveness of IT governance.

    It aims to ensure that IT services provide the necessary support to business processes. It also comprises the set of best management practices for service strategy, design, change management, operation, and continuous improvement.

    ISO 20000 Structure

    It provides guidance on IT best practices and methods, and measures the level of ITIL implementation.

    COBIT

    The control objectives framework for related information technology enables the creation of  IT governance controls.

    Thus, it helps to develop strategic directions based on the company’s technology control strengths.

    COSO

    It allows the analysis of the company’s internal controls, evaluating business-related aspects. That is, risk management and fraud investigation, for example.

    FAIR 

    It is the information risk factor analysis that identifies and quantifies the risks that the IT department may face. It aims at cybersecurity and operational risk.

    Balanced Scorecard 

    A framework that evaluated various elements, including internal processes, finances, innovation, learning aspects, and customers.

    Thus, it enables you to develop metrics for each element and helps to track relevant information about them.

    CMII

    It refers to a model that measures capability maturity, i.e. performance improvement.

    It uses a scale to measure the performance, quality, and profitability maturity level of a organization, measuring risks of a qualitative nature.

    Positive impacts of IT governance

    In a very practical way, when IT governance is focused on optimization and efficiency, the gains are many. We can highlight the following ones:

    Process Automation

    Corporate governance in IT aims to use resources and assets more intelligently and correctly. In other words, it implement best practices to task execution.

    Therefore, the detailed process analysis makes it possible to redesign the flow of activities so that those repetitive or with a high failure rate can be automated.

    Considering especially the tasks that are not directly linked to the organization’s core business and strategies.

    In this sense, this view of the processes allows the identification of opportunities where automation will provide efficiency and productivity gains.

    Process automation and standardization add value to internal processes and consumers, who receive the best possible products or services.

    Cost reduction

    As IT governance manages resources and investments, there is an incessant search for alternatives that bring better returns to the company’s demands.

    Therefore, investing in tools to improve productivity, such as BPMS, is an investment with very high return and gains.

    Including, updated platforms provide better results and assist in continuous improvement with reports and indicator templates for real-time monitoring.

    Information Security

    This is one of the IT governance’s pillars, which needs to be managed in all types of businesses. Data is an invaluable resource for companies.

    However, it is necessary to have total control and security to obtain, store and manage it according to the laws in force.

    In this sense, IT governance aims to diminish the risks of attacks or failures. It also provides a holistic view of how data is structured, stored, used, and accessed.

    Increase in competitiveness

    Investing in technology to support the business strategies and goals, it ensures that results are achieved in a faster and more efficient way.

    Thus, technology is great to reduce costs without compromising quality. Another issue is the high adaptability and use of opportunities and new demands that may arise.

    By mapping challenges, risks, and opportunities, IT governance also provides more strategic solutions that evolve the business as a whole.

    The only question is how to choose the ideal tools capable of providing a more accurate and precise IT governance to your business.

    Without a doubt, customizable tools are easier to be tailored to your needs and goals. To improve IT governance in your company, try Fusion Platform for 15 days and evaluate how the process, document and indicator management can bring benefits not only to the technology area, but to your entire organization.

  • Operational efficiency: what is it and what is its importance

    Operational efficiency: what is it and what is its importance

    Operational efficiency: what it is and how important it is

    If someone asks you what the major goals of a company are, there is no doubt that at some point you will be talking about operational efficiency.

    It may not necessarily be considering these two words. But it will for sure be something related to having more and better results with fewer costs.

    Indiscriminate cost-cutting, however, such as reducing investments and manpower, can have the opposite effect. In other words, although it may seem so, this is not always the most appropriate way to improve results.

    In fact, analyzing, reviewing, or remodeling internal processes, following their evolution over time, that’s what results in better outcomes. This is what focusing on operational efficiency means.

    Defining operational efficiency

    Operational efficiency, in a very practical way, is about finding the best output in operational processes. In this sense, it means being more competent and productive by considerably reducing errors and failures.

    In a business environment, operational efficiency is directly linked to better use of resources, avoiding all kinds of waste.

    Still, in this environment, efficiency is about how workers are employing their time and efforts. Likewise, it analyzes where the money is being invested.

    In fact, operational efficiency means producing or offering services at the lowest possible cost, without reducing or compromising the quality of what will be delivered to the customer.

    Would you be surprised if we said that great results can be achieved with little investment?

    Operational efficiency can be achieved by analyzing and improving your teams and process management. In fact, great outcomes are achieved with a detailed analysis and reorganization of your workflow.

    But how do you know if it is time to invest in operational efficiency?

    How to measure operational efficiency

    In fact, there is no right time to measure operational efficiency. This concern and analysis must be constant.

    In this sense, to measure results, it is necessary to have a meaningful metric able to calculate the degree of operational efficiency. So, the most practical way is to identify the value of inputs and outputs.

    So, list all the costs of your production (resources, labor, among others), and the revenue (production volume, revenue, product quality) generated by your products or services.

    This way, operational efficiency will be the value obtained by dividing the total expenses by the total revenue. If you want the value in percentage, multiply the result by 100.

    In short, the lower the final result, the better. It may seem counterintuitive, but the lower the rate, the greater the operational efficiency and sustainability of the enterprise.

    Thus, the better the operational efficiency is, the lower the costs to generate the same or more revenue.

    Of course, this ratio must be measured periodically, generating a better perception of how your business is evolving.

    Therefore, whenever there are modifications in the processes, after a certain period, recalculate the efficiency rate to ensure the effectiveness of these changes.

    Why I should care about operational efficiency

    Companies that seek a successful story as healthy and continuous enterprises need to worry about improving operational efficiency, so they can save resources and increase performance.

    In addition, companies that investigate and improve their processes achieve numerous benefits, including:

    • Cost reduction;
    • Savings in the short, medium, and long terms;
    • Waste reduction;
    • Increased productivity;
    • Prevention of errors;
    • Standardization;
    • Improved communication.

    Actions to increase operational efficiency

    In summary, improving operational efficiency implicates identifying the expenses that can be avoided, and how to replace them to improve processes.

    In this regard, an in-depth analysis will be required to determine the problems’ root causes.  It may sound complex, but some practical actions can help with that:

    Set objectives and goals

    Before thinking about operational efficiency itself, consider analyzing in detail how you are performing currently and what results you want to achieve in the future.

    By doing so, everything will be planned with well-stated goals and objectives in mind. Efficiency will be a factor in drawing up the action plan focused on achieving specific, measurable, and attainable goals.

    Map the processes

    Process mapping allows you to understand and provides transparency as to how tasks are executed.

    In fact, it makes it possible to observe the strengths, failures, and bottlenecks that cause inefficiency. Moreover, monitoring how activities are performed makes it easier for you to identify where the costs or unnecessary expenses are.

    With this analysis and understanding, a new and better way of executing them is enabled.

    Remodeling

    Mapping provides documentation so that, once flaws were identified, new methods to optimize results can be planned.

    In this sense, redesign consists in recreating the activity flow in a way that is more consistent and efficient for your business.

    Obviously, restructuring with standardization does not have to be executed in its entirety; you can start tackling one problem at a time.

    Standardization

    When considering redesigning processes, think about their standardization. Standardization makes sure that processes are always executed in the same way.

    In this sense, conducting frequent audits ensures that processes are actually being performed as mapped and described.

    Following-up results and continuous improvement

    It is completely normal for operational efficiency to change over time. New costs may arise, as well as new process improvement strategies. So always analyze the results you got to see if they match your business expectations.

    BPMS tools, which enable automation, usually generate efficiency reports to track your performance.

    Likewise, continuous process improvement is something that should be encouraged and always present within your company.

    Investing in technology

    As we mentioned, reducing investments is not always what will bring more operational efficiency.

    Investing in technology, especially when it comes to process automation, allows you to create more efficient and transparent process flows.

    In fact, despite the initial investment cost, new technologies are capable of bringing great returns over time. You can even calculate the cost of acquiring a process automation tool with our free calculator.

    Adopting a BPMS tool allows you to automate processes by favoring process and document management. In addition, advanced platforms, such as Fusion, provide several reports for analysis and process evolution and performance monitoring.

    Fusion Platform can literally transform your company, bringing the results you’ve always wanted, favoring an increase in operational efficiency.

    Try Fusion Platform free for 15 days, or talk to one of our consultants.

    Do you have any questions? Use the comments field and write to us!

  • BPM tool: what it is and the benefits for your business

    BPM tool: what it is and the benefits for your business

    What is a BPM tool?

    A BPM tool is a very useful resource for companies that want to analyze, manage, and improve their processes. Due to its many benefits, BPM is a methodology used worldwide in businesses of different types and sizes.

    The practical application of BPM requires tools that combine technology in its favor.  For this reason, it is constantly updated and improved to meet diverse demands.

    Thus, a BPM tool is capable of managing processes using automated workflows to unify the entire company.

    In addition, they provide greater transparency regarding communication, and easy-to-analyze reports for assertive decision-making.

    As you can see from this short introduction, BPM tools are very important. So, stay on top of it and transform your processes and your business.

    Defining BPM

    BPM (Business Process Management) is an adjustable methodology with the objective of organizing, facilitating, and managing the organizational processes that exist within companies.

    In simple terms, a process is a set of activities aimed at achieving a certain goal. And, BPM standardizes the interaction among a process’ stages.

    Thus, BPM manages processes because it enables analyzing, modeling, improving, publishing, and controlling the activity flow of all departments.

    What is a BPM tool?

    A BPM tool is an intuitive system capable of providing companies with the practical management, control, automation, and improvement of their processes.

    In this sense, a BPM tool is used to measure, map, standardize, optimize, and automate a company’s processes.

    Thus, BPM tools are used so that the process management is carried out with greater practicality, precision, accessibility, and security. It is also capable of improving your company’s performance and competitive differential.

    For this reason, many enterprises opt to use technology-enabled BPM tools. That is, with software that allows a better application of the BPM methodology.

    In fact, since there is a great diversity of BPM software available, it is necessary to understand your demands in order to choose the platform that will best meet them.

    Process Management Categories

    As you can see, BPM is very broad and may involve the use of several tools. Therefore, some theories categorize management:

    System-focused: here BPM focuses on processes involving workflow that operate without much human intervention. Usually, processes are automated in systems.

    Human-focused: here the BPM tool focuses on creating features to improve human interaction, such as a designed user interface, alerts, and notifications.

    Document-focused: This covers everything about processes such as formatting, signing, and verifying contracts.

    Obviously, the most advanced and up-to-date BPM tools are able to absorb and solve all of these demand categories in a unified way. In other words, with a single software, for example, the company has notification customization, electronic signature, and task automation.

    What is the importance of managing a process?

    Process management is important for the company’s success since its processes are designed with structured steps to produce consistent results.

    Because of this, business process management makes it possible to predict results and mitigate risks. In addition, it makes enables you to see the weak links, bottlenecks, and failures that hinder the final results.

    Consequently, when a process is poorly designed or managed, it leads to inefficiency, and impacts negatively the entire corporate ecosystem.

    A BPM tool, among other advantages, allows the company to have its operations standardized, directing the focus to its true core business.

    In addition, innovations may be added as the business advances, without compromising the current operation.

    The benefits of a BPM tool

    Undoubtedly, adopting a BPM tool brings many advantages. When processes are well-designed and detailed, their execution becomes more efficient, productive, and organized, contributing to overall better results and customer satisfaction.

    BPM helps companies to offer more efficient products or services at a lower cost. In addition, when the approach is automation-oriented, they can adapt to changes faster.

    Other benefits that BPM tools offers to organizations include:

    • Issue detection and error reduction;
    • The monitoring of processes with reports on productivity and procedures;
    • Expenses and waste reduction;
    • More data security, with extra protection for documents and information;
    • Process automation;
    • Increase in performance, productivity, and efficiency.

    Features and capabilities of a BPM software tool

    Platforms that use BPM tools serve to manage business processes. Therefore, among several features, they are capable of:

    • Building forms to collect, display, and analyze relevant data and information;
    • Automate workflow by assigning tasks, setting deadlines, rules, and permissions;
    • Customize notifications and alerts, allowing you to track task status;
    • Create and edit electronic forms to streamline processes and improve information accuracy;
    • Offering low-code platforms with a simple design that allows you to drag and drop items according to user preferences or internal needs;
    • Accessing control and mobility;
    • Integrating with other software that the organization already adopts;
    • Reporting and analysing metrics and process results;
    • Monitoring activity and featuring dashboards.

    With these and other features, a BPM tool is capable of positively influencing business productivity. Especially when considering usability, support, functionality, customization and integration capabilities.

    BPM tool focused on the future

    Business process management is moving towards an increasingly technological, dynamic, and practical approach. In this sense, BPM tools are being adapted so that more internal company users can identify, implement, and evaluate new ways to carry out their processes.

    In addition, there is a rapid growth in intelligent automation, incorporating artificial intelligence, RPA, and machine learning to improve workflows.

    Another point is the inclusion of BPM in business applications, adaptive process management, and interactive modeling. All these features make process automation more flexible and optimized.

    In short, a BPM tool is a resource capable of generating competitive differentials for your business.

    Is your company able to manage business processes well? Tell us, here in the comments, what it is like to use a BPM tool for you.

    In case you still don’t have the benefits of a BPM tool, let us know too. Or, talk to one of our consultants.

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