Business Process Analysis and Improvement: BHCC Mail Sorting

This report provides a comprehensive business process analysis of the mail sorting operations at the Big House Correctional Centre (BHCC), focusing on inefficiencies and bottlenecks impacting the quality and speed of mail delivery. The analysis utilizes performance measures such as Quality and Speed of Delivery (SoD) and considers process tightness and dependency to identify areas for improvement. The report recommends Business Process Reengineering (BPR) to redesign the mail sorting process, advocating for ERP automation to enhance communication, accuracy, and transparency. Ethical considerations related to automation are also discussed. Strategic alignment with Queensland Corrective Services' (QCS) vision is emphasized, alongside the importance of offender rehabilitation and community safety. The report concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations, aiming to optimize the mail sorting process for improved efficiency and effectiveness.

| February 19, 2020
BHCC Operational
Processes

Contents
Part 1 – Introduction............................................................................................................1
Part 2 – Business Process Analysis.....................................................................................1
2.1 Performance Measurement.........................................................................................1
2.2 Analysis of Issue........................................................................................................2
Part 3 – Business Process Improvement and Recommendations........................................2
3.1 Recommended Business Process Improvement.........................................................2
3.2 ERP Automation.........................................................................................................2
3.3 Ethical Considerations................................................................................................2
Part 4 – Strategic Alignment................................................................................................2
Part 5 – Conclusion..............................................................................................................2
Part 6 – References..............................................................................................................2

Part 1 – Introduction
Enabling offenders to maintain positive, pro-social relationships with family and
associates play a vital role in their rehabilitation and ability to reintegrate into the
community (Brazão, 2018). However, due to the rapid growth in offender numbers in the
past five years, the mail sorting process at the Big House Correctional Centre (BHCC)
has been found to be lacking in efficiency. This report will extensively analyze the mail
sorting process at BHCC with a particular focus being placed on bottlenecks that are
created due to the lack of efficiency throughout sections of the process. These
bottlenecks affect the quality and timely delivery of mail which are two of the three
requirements that encompass Total Quality Management (TQM). BHCC is a correctional
center that exists under the umbrella of Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) and
encompasses QCS's vision to "Enhance the safety of Queenslanders through modern,
sustainable and evidence-based corrective services to maximize rehabilitation and reduce
recidivism." (QCS Strategic Plan 2019-2023.pdf). In order to support this vision, BHCC
must restructure the mail sorting process and place more emphasis on the efficiency of
the model. By analyzing this process recommendations of change will be made and will
be supported by evidence-based literature. This report is comprised of four sections that
will highlight and analyze deficiencies within the mail sorting process at BHCC. Within
the first section, the focus is on measuring the performance of the mail sorting process as
it stands currently. Quality and Speed of Delivery (SoD) will be utilized to measure the
deficiencies within the process. The second section of the report provides
recommendations in terms of how the process can be improved. Considerations within
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this section are automation and ethics. The third section focuses on the strategic
alignment of the mail sorting process and the fourth section concludes the findings of the
analysis that has been conducted on the mail sorting process within BHCC.
Part 2 – Business Process Analysis
2.1 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
The mail sorting process at BHCC will be evaluated to determine its effectiveness
using Quality and Speed of Delivery (SoD) performance measures as well as discussing
various processes such as tightness and dependency.
Due to the mail sorting process not being formally mapped there are noticeable
inefficiencies in terms of the SoD of the process which causes delays, known as
bottlenecks, throughout different sections of the process. In order to improve on the
efficiency of the mail sorting process, BHCC will be required to utilize its resources more
effectively and develop leaner practices within the process (Sooraj, Vijayakumar,
Gaitonde & Kotturshettar, 2019). It will also be imperative that the flow of the entire
process is optimized. This will ensure that there is an interconnect between the offenders
and their external supports are efficient which is imperative in order to support QCS' core
values. Communication between offenders and their external supports plays a vital role in
terms of their rehabilitation as well as behaviors whilst in custody (Tolou-Shams, Hadley,
Conrad & Brown, 2012). Therefore, ensuring that the communication process, which
includes mail, is fluent and succinct is imperative.
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The quality of the mail sorting process can be determined by the internal
(offender) and external (support) satisfaction which is reflected in the number of offender
complaints as well as offender behavior. As researched by Mooney and Daffern (2015)
there is a direct correlation between negative offender behavior whilst incarcerated and
their behavior upon release. This then impacts QCS's 'Corrections 2030' vision that "by
2030, Queensland communities will be safer and there will be fewer victims of crime"
(Queensland Corrective Services, 2019). SoD is measured by the amount of time it takes
from the point of the offender ‘posting’ the mail to the point where it is received by its
intended recipient and as researched by Hamilton and Belenko (2016), this is imperative.
This process is severely impacted by the interdependencies within it as well as the
double-handling and superfluous or non-value adding steps within the process. An
example of this is when internal mail (mail going from one prisoner within BHCC to
another within BHCC) is taken away external to the Centre for processing. A way to
effectively manage inefficiencies within this process is not only by mapping the process
but also by additional resources.
2.2 ANALYSIS OF ISSUE
The mail sorting process has been analyzed using a Cause and Effect diagram
(CED) which is a useful way to assist with identifying possible causes of issues and
sorting ideas into useful sections. It is recommended that the participants in the
brainstorming sessions are Subject Matter Experts (SME) and are familiar with the
process and even participate in the process (Hossen, Ahmad & Ali, 2017). To understand
the issues of external and internal mail sorting process the as evident in Figure 1 which
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details the CED for the mail sorting process. The CED proved an important tool for
analysis of the problems. It has six elements of communication, people who included
both QCS employees, offenders and support group, delivery process and measures as
well as materials used within the process. Each of the six categories revealed the need for
process improvement thus the below recommendations (Ahmed & Ahmad, 2011).
Figure 1 CED for the mail sorting process
Part 3 – Business Process Improvement and Recommendations
3.1 RECOMMENDED BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
It is recommended that the process of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) be
utilized to rethink and redesign steps within this process and how they should be done to
enhance the vision and mission of QCS and enhance cost reduction. BPR is
recommended over other process improvement methods such as Total Quality
Management (TQM) and Organisational Development (OD) because it focuses on
completely improving the process by redesigning its structure with the primary goal is
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creating a more efficient and effective process and business model. BPR analyses the
workflow which assists with identifying ineffective and inefficient steps within the
process and either completed changing them or removing them entirely. Just as in other
forms of business operations, the correction of offenders is also an interactive work
process that does not exist in a vacuum. QCS is, therefore, an organization that involves
various sectors and stakeholders who are very critical in promoting quick response to
community effects. According to Cohen and Brand's concept of 1993, TQM has three key
elements that must be improved in order to facilitate efficiency.
Thus for this effect, there is a need for QCS to adopt a strong means to enhance
correctional process effectiveness. QCS, therefore, need to develop a robust means for
email sorting in order to achieve its organizational goals. As revealed by Idris (2011), the
purpose of a correctional facility is to correct offenders through rehabilitation and family
as well as support groups that perform a great action in achieving the results. To this
effect, QCS must ensure that the email sorting mechanism is restructured. Abdallah
(2013), state in his study that the only way to increase speed and accuracy of operation in
the modern world is through advanced technology thus recommends the use of an
automated mail sorting system with various tools. According to the author, the old system
of email sorting founded on the concept of locating and reading mandatory address fields
has become obsolete affecting the efficiency of operation within QCS. Based on the
author’s line of reasoning together with the facts and findings found with the current Big
House Correctional Centre (BHCC) mail sorting mechanism, the company must acquire
the application of software with high recognition and a new concept of mail address
reading.
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The best way to this is through application of automatic mail sorting software will
improve the system in various ways as it is able to find groups of the field within several
mails, sort them by priorities, and determine potential recipients (offenders or support
groups) and create a chain which leads to proper mail receiver. Mail sorting software is
flexible and can be used in various sorting models or systems (Idris, 2011). Therefore,
successful adoption and installation of an automatic mail sorting system will help put in
place a speedy as well as the accurate process for continuous improvement in QCS
correctional measures and attain maximum service provision to the community.
3.2 ERP AUTOMATION
Based on the current issues facing the Big House Correctional Centre (BHCC) is
purely based on the ability of the current system to meet all the desired goals. The world
at the current moment is becoming increasingly competitive with sophisticated IT
development in various sectors. The correctional centers are key facilities within the
community that should be well equipped to accommodate the needs for change in
behavior and increase prosperity. The Enterprise Resource Planning is a key technology
which has been proved to be effecting in enhances various aspect in an organization
including communication and business process. ERP is advanced software that allows
organizations to integrate all its sectors. To this effect, it has been found by various
authors that one benefit of ERP software is to increase communication within various
sectors of communication. Researchers such as Münstermann et.al (2010) found that in
order for any organization to increase its success, there is a need to establish an agile
system that enables efficient communication between employees, key stakeholders, and
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all existing departments. The current Big House Correctional Centre (BHCC)
communication system is not interlinked and this has resulted in data passing through
various channels thus communication delays.
The number one benefit of ERP systems is increased speed and accuracy of
operations. The automation of the system will enable coming together of various sectors
thereby removing the multiple systems which have shown a reduced rate of
communication between offenders, system managers, and support teams. It has also been
noted that ERP systems offer a store of multiple data in one particular store (Azevedo,
Romão & Rebelo, 2012). This, therefore, means that all the stakeholders will have access
to the mails thus ease of sorting. There will also be increased transparency within the
communication system, whereby the authorized personnel can seamlessly analyze and
sort the emails internally without waiting for external support systems. Based on the
importance of the ERP system discussed, it is agreeable that there is a need and room for
technological advancement within the Big House Correctional Centre (BHCC). Therefore
giving in to automation inform of ERP will help eliminate the notable bottlenecks which
are currently existing within every segment of the process. Automation will also enhance
the speed and accuracy of mail delivery and communication between the offenders and
support groups thus enabling the organization to attain its mandate.
3.3 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
An ethics management has been applied in a good manner in this organization and
it is an important part of any organization as it states the set of rules and principles given
by the upper-level management. The process of automation, however, comes with ethical
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responsibilities that the organization has to keep in order to attain its success rate record.
The organization is a 10year strategic plan which it intends to achieve in what is termed
as 'Corrections 2030’. With automation in the email sorting there will be easy access to
information between the external offender support groups and offenders (Jackiw, Mandil
& Hager, 2015). This requires a high level of integrity and a set of clear principles which
are to guide both the intelligence team and offenders. Therefore, as revealed within the
QCS website page, the organization is oriented towards attaining maximum safety for
both the community and the inmates, empower the offenders within their system, act
accordingly and respectfully.
According to QCS manager Matin in his speech, they need to adhere to these
principals and they work towards the organizational goals. Leadership is a quality that is
not granted to every manager, however, good managers communicate and execute every
project based on the set organizational principles. It is true that there is needed for QCS
to restructure its mail sorting process in order to attain its goals. To this effect, there is a
need for the management to communicate the change in an ethical manner. The
automation process should be executed in a manner that is considered to all stakeholders
involved in the correction process. Automation of the sorting system may result in loss of
job and restriction of the whole process, in as much as automation will result in
efficiency, such factors such as a reduced number of people involved in the system are
likely to reduce. The organization manager should focus on the key principals of the
organization such as the offender's privacy and safety is preserved, they are empowered
in the process and that executes the whole restructuring process in a respectful and
considerate manner.
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Part 4 – Strategic Alignment
According to Prieto and de Carvalho (2018), internal strategic alignment is a key
factor in every organization. The organization's internal strategies must smoothly
integrate for that organization to attain its objectives. Venkatraman who is one of the key
founders of the concept in the year 1993 stated that most organizations fail and will
continue to due to the failure of effective interrogation of technology and business
internal desires. He argued that management must be able to align organizational
strategies with internal efficiencies. To this effect, there is a need for both levels to
integrate and agree in order to attain the organizational objectives (Prieto, & de Carvalho,
2018). There must be clear and speedy interaction among the key stakeholders, there
should be increased interaction between the public offender groups, management, internal
offender services as well as external agencies. Therefore, the newly recommended
automatic mail sorting software must, therefore, result in increased communication
between the offenders and the support groups. The system must also be able to improve
the internal offender support system, sort help sort out offenders based on progression
and align with the financial as well as fit in the current sorting system in order to avoid
high cost. See figure two below showing the strategic alignment of the QCS system and
new technology.
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Part 5 – Conclusion
In summary, the content of this report has critically examined the mail sorting
process at QCS based on various academic kinds of literature. The reports were organized
four major sections where the most immediate part is an evaluation of BHCC mail sorting
effectiveness. The assessment was based on Quality and Speed of delivery where the
effectiveness of the process has been revealed. The process was evaluation revealed
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