Business Process Improvement: Supplies Limited Recommendations Report

This report focuses on business process improvement (BPI) recommendations for Supplies Limited, aiming to enhance customer service, streamline operations, and reduce costs. The analysis identifies key issues such as slow data entry, inefficient customer information retrieval, and delivery defects. The report suggests implementing BPI software, improving communication, and frequent process monitoring. It emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction through methods like Voice of the Customer (VOC) analysis and value stream mapping (VSM). Furthermore, the report recommends utilizing tools like SIPOC models, spaghetti diagrams, and brainstorming sessions to identify and address process bottlenecks. The recommendations include a summary table of the BPI practices, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. The report concludes with a list of references used in the analysis.

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BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
By Student’s Name
Code+ course name
Professor’s name
University name
City, State
Date

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Business Process Improvement
BPI recommendation
An improvement is a tool used to implement solutions to a problem in an organization. This
process involves identifying and selecting best solutions. Possible solutions aim at eliminating
and reducing root causes, prevent recurring of problems and reduce differences in the problem.
The process involves:
- Identifying solutions through data collection from customers.
- Selecting and prioritizing better solutions. This will enable achieve the goals of the
organization
- Develop pilot studies to customers so that an error is ascertained early.
- Carry out a review of customer information and feedback for improvement.
- Provide recommendations and implementation (Ittelson, 2009, p. 123).
The Supplies Limited should aim at delivering orders on time, making changes to customer
information and reducing defects while delivering, customers expect the company to:
- Offer better customer service and delivery
- Provide real-time distribution of ordered items.
- Satisfy the clients’ needs in terms of products and services provided.
- Understand and prioritize customer needs.
- Reduce damages during delivery.
In the process of satisfying these needs, the Supplies limited need to change in their process
systems. They lack an efficient and quick process to enter data, change or analyze customer
details in their systems. The main problem is that their systems are slow and much time is taken

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to retrieve customer information and customer orders from the system to enable get sufficient
information. The Supplies Limited need to believe that from the experience they have with the
current process they need to improve their processes as well as use new technologies. This will
improve their performance in future (George, et al., 2005, p. 23). The organization should do the
following to ensure that they improve service delivery:
 They should have BPI software. This will help reduce problems and save cost. This
software will increase the speed of service and minimize possible errors. A good business
process will help. All supplies limited need is to reduce costs of operation. When
information is well organized and easily visualized it reduces chances of duplication and
actions can be easily spotted possible corrections made (Montgomery, et al., 2007, p.
245).
 Improve BPI communication in the organization. An effective communication will
reduce the number of emails shared between individuals. With a good and similar
communication tool, information will reach out to all individuals easily and within a short
period (Martin, 2014, p. 24).
 The organization should monitor the process frequently. They should maintain and
update the systems frequently to reduce chances of errors. It is more cautious if the
companies follow and check the process issues and make improvements where necessary.
 Account register is used to store customer information and therefore all you need supplies
should ensure they have a secured and protected system. This will enable customers to
come back for a service without encountering problems.
 Customer satisfaction is very important in any organization. Customers require the
company to offer services on time and therefore it is the duty of the firm to ensure these

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needs are met. They have to attain this by listening to the customers. VOC is a method
that enables managers to collect and analyze information about the needs of the customer.
Customers’ needs differ and they expect different satisfaction from the organization. A
good VOC will enable a company to understand the weaknesses of the process and find a
possible solution to mitigate such issues. Through the VOC analysis alongside customer
segmentation, it will be easy to minimize the complexity providing service to customers
(Yang, 2005, p. 213).
 The business should have a good value stream mapping. This will enable them to monitor
and control the flow of activities that are needed to deliver important services to
customers. Important information is mapped on the system. The main purpose of VSM is
identifying activities that have or do not have value to the customers but are required and
those that are not important and need to be eliminated from the system. This is used to
create AS-IS situation of the flow of information within the process. The company should
visualize and identify opportunities for improvement and therefore VSM is used to
improve future state of the process flow. This company should have a better estimate of
defects, errors, time and rework for them to develop a proper value stream mapping
(Montgomery, 2010, p. 156).
 The Supplies limited need to validate its opportunities. They should identify the strength
and opportunities that need improvement and have some value to the satisfaction of
customers. This will enable them to increase the performance of supply chain of retail
and industrial products. This is used to reduce product damages and improve delivery
time of orders made.

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 The organization should document a process map by use of SIPOC models. This will be
used to verify scope and boundaries of information. This model provides a wider
perspective of what is monitored and helps managers to define scope and boundaries of
customer information. They confirm information of orders made and therefore a quick
action is provided (Nave, 2002, p. 243).
 The Supplies limited should also have a better spaghetti diagram that is a visual diagram
representing the path of activity or item in the process. They show the flow of customer
information, people, and materials. They will help managers to identify queues and
delays in the process and decide on better ideas for improvement. They are also able to
identify areas that are congested and paths that have an overlap in order to brainstorm
ways of improving workflow (Astin, 2012, p. 267).
 The Company should use brainstorming to make a clarification, generate ideas and
review the real issues for reducing time defective when delivering orders. Managers will
be able to generate ideas from the project team. Generating many ideas from different
members will help decide a better idea to correct the problem. In brainstorming,
individuals are granted an allowance of time to discuss and present their ideas. Managers
can gather information then comment on them later. It is effective since it will give clear
and consolidated ideas which represent the VOC.

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Summary table of BPI recommendation
Issue Best practice Application Advantage Disadvantage
Improving time BPI software Used in Supply chain
to increase speed of
delivery
Reduce cost of defects
Reduce time of delivery
Expensive to install
Order time
improvement
BPI
communication
Used by customers
and organization to
make and deliver
orders
Reduce delays Language barrier
Security of
customer
information
Account
register
Protect and store
customer information
Protect and allow
changes of customer
information
Easily manipulated by
unauthorized people if not
protected
Time
management
VOC Provides problem
feedback for
improvement
Allows improvement Difficult to understand
customers
Control of
system
VSM Used to monitor and
control flow of
activities
Easy to identify issues Difficult follow flow of
activities
Flow of
information and
action
SIPOC model Used to define
boundaries and scope
of information shared
Define required
information only
Difficult to install

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