Collect and analyze process- and technology-improvement proposals.

Each process- and technology-improvement proposal must be analyzed.

The acquirer must continuously improve its processes and its alignment with its customer and suppliers. The acquirer may look for opportunities to maximize throughput based on the identification of the most limiting resource and, as a result, create a more agile supply chain (e.g., giving higher priority to improvement proposals that promote a supply chain that responds both quickly and cost effectively).

Simple process and technology improvements, with well-understood benefits and effects, will not usually undergo detailed evaluations.

Typical Work Products

1.    Analyzed process- and technology-improvement proposals

Typical Supplier Deliverables

1.    Process- and technology-improvement proposals

Subpractices

1.    Collect process- and technology-improvement proposals.

A process- and technology-improvement proposal documents proposed incremental and innovative improvements to processes and technologies. Managers and staff in the organization, as well as customers, end users, and suppliers can submit process- and technology-improvement proposals. Process and technology improvements may be implemented at the local level before being proposed for the organization.

Refer to the Organizational Process Focus process area for more information about process- and technology-improvement proposals.

2.    Analyze the costs and benefits of process- and technology-improvement proposals, as appropriate.

Criteria for evaluating costs and benefits include the following:

·       Contribution toward meeting the organization’s quality and process-performance objectives

·       Effect on mitigating identified project and organizational risks

·       Ability to respond quickly to changes in project requirements, market situations, and the business environment

·       Effect on related processes and associated assets

·       Cost of defining and collecting data that supports the measurement and analysis of the process- and technology-improvement proposal

·       Expected life span of the proposal

Process-performance models provide insight into the effect of process changes on process capability and performance.

Refer to the Organizational Process Performance process area for more information about process-performance models.

3.    Identify the process- and technology-improvement proposals that are innovative.

Innovative improvements are also identified and analyzed in the Identify and Analyze Innovations specific practice.

Whereas this specific practice analyzes proposals that have been passively collected, the purpose of the Identify and Analyze Innovations specific practice is to actively search for and locate innovative improvements. The search primarily involves looking outside the organization.

Innovative improvements are typically identified by reviewing process- and technology-improvement proposals or by actively investigating and monitoring innovations that are in use in other organizations or are documented in research literature. Innovation may be inspired by internal improvement objectives or by the external business environment.

Innovative improvements are typically major changes to the process that represent a break from the old way of doing things (e.g., changing the lifecycle model). Innovative improvements may also include changes in products that support, enhance, or automate the process (e.g., using off-the-shelf products to support the process).

4.    Identify potential barriers and risks to deploying each process- and technology-improvement proposal.

5.    Estimate the cost, effort, and schedule required for deploying each process- and technology-improvement proposal.

6.    Select the process- and technology-improvement proposals to be piloted before broadscale deployment.

Since innovations, by definition, usually represent a major change, most innovative improvements will be piloted.

7.    Document results of the evaluation of each process- and technology-improvement proposal.

8.    Monitor the status of each process- and technology-improvement proposal.