"Everybody lies!» ™ casuistry or description of business processes

One of the methods of collecting information about the process is to conduct an interview with the owner or members of the business process. This traditional approach is very common, especially among novice business analysts, consultants and mothers of Big4. It would seem very reasonable to listen to the person to formalize his monologue and agree with it as a result - it's fast and not expensive. One bad - on the stage of the analysis of the adequacy of modeling results of activity (if any) occurs culling data collected because of their inconsistencies and contradictions, the procedure for collecting data on the process to be repeated again, "the joy" to all project participants. Why does this happen? As seen from the title, the fact of the respondents. The following specific examples from personal experience, I will show why this conclusion was made and how to fight it.

Start with a small disclaimer: I am not a psychologist, and business consultant, all the conclusions drawn on the basis of project management in the fictional organizations, random coincidences. Of course, in a small organization with little such processes can not be observed, but from the level of "control" and "Department" is pretty often. I must say that people often lie not specifically and consciously believe in people and things.

1 reason: camouflage own incompetence h4> In the planning phase of the project, responsible for the data business unit manager appoints experts in the full confidence that they have something for sure know the whole process and will be able to answer all questions. These experts after the appointment of the project's nowhere to go, we have to be responsible for providing the information. If he does not ask a question of his competence, he shares his fantasies about "how could this happen in my opinion." Saying "I do not know, please refer to another expert" means to him painting in his incompetence and respective capabilities practical conclusions by appointing him head.

In one project, I was invited to a group interview with the cross as the third person to participate in a farce. Everything was beautiful - consultants are asked a dedicated person, a person solemnly replied the minutes. At the end of the meeting read out the results of the consultants and specify the person, all-whether correctly, he argues, all happy and ready to disperse, but then I ask questions like "At what point are the actual documents A and B?". Responsible person darkens and recalls that, yes, indeed, he was a little fib, and the process is "a little different».
In this case I just prepare for the meeting as a processor - to study the process methodology, made a couple of calls actors on the ground and said to all the inputs and outputs that would not miss an interview.
Blockquote> From the first tip - do not give people the opportunity to lie. Instead of asking, "How A turns to B?" We must ask, "Do I understand correctly that for the conversion of A to B and then need this?". So expert chided you "What do you know about sausage scraps!" And with dignity to tell all the details as to the spirit. But for this we need to conduct the interview prepared.

2 reason: corporate solidarity h4> What process management makes transparent corporate governance - is not only a slogan sellers BPM-systems, but also the stark reality of life. The processor can specify simple but uncomfortable questions for managers. Skeletons in the closet corporate lot, especially where the development of the organization ahead of the stagnation of one unit.

At the stage of constructing the model of value added VAD could not get tied no reasonable value of the work of one unit. Draft agreement fell into this unit for three or four days, then walked down the visa process. Division is not a profile, do not drive, never locking process at this stage does not happen. Strange. Several times I sent in a division of business analysts for clues - what happens to the documents in the division, why do we need the signature of its leaders? After some time the management units surrendered, it turns out, once upon a time they had themselves carried its roster of contract projects, it was important to be aware that such agreements exist. Then introduce special software for risk analysis of such contracts, gave them access to it, and the process of change forgotten. That's how many years they inhibit product for several days, and can not be recognized - where whole departments under this business incarcerated. Blockquote> Here is one tip - always ask not only "how" and "why" the performers involved found in a or activities.

3 reasons: personal interest h4> This is the most frequent case. All probably faced with the tasks of leadership sometimes - to paint their tasks. Those who are up to their ears in a couple of lines of fantasy ends and loafers upisyvayut three pages, sticking his tongue (he saw). Therefore, an attempt to raise its value by increasing the complexity of the operations - it is not even a lie, and so the resistance means possible dismissal.

Recently, a business unit manager asked me to help him in the calculation of the efficiency and utilization of its employees. In one of the lines of the data provided caught the eye operation "Photocopying of documents - 1 hour (the number is changed)." I said, do so many low-skilled jobs in the subdivision of such a solid organization? Chief says:
- Yes, a lot of this work.
- A Copier you how much?
- One
- A staff?
- 15 (number changed)
- Everybody lies!
(My friend Watson! 8-hour workday, 15 performers are not physically able to use a single resource monopoly duration 1:00)
Blockquote>
Tip - whenever possible to give priority to data obtained by instrumental rather than subjective assessment of stakeholders.

4 reasons: trust but verify ... h4> I do not want to mention about it here, but in life everyone meets. Sometimes the project has participants who not only do not help, but deliberately cheated, taking the results of the project away from reality.

data collection phase of the process in one of the projects has been stalled in the unpredictable place. While all measures the effectiveness of the organization in a clear value, for example in rubles, in this organization as a unit to effectively use parrots per square meter. All attempts to obtain the required data from the business unit failed. Period prosrachivayutsya stage, but no result. Write the system area in IT where using SQL and fingers explain what the report is needed. There, all done wrong, send me a report, open, drive in the new columns with formulas in Excel, he said, and I am surprised. Seeking schedule was not quite the form that I was expecting (and I am well versed in the topic, as the technology of this process in the past). The answer to the strangeness of the graph was found in one of the treaties, which managed to gather, there was a clear correlation hump on the chart with reward group of people - active participants in this project. Blockquote>

Well, do you still believe the results of the interviews with the experts? I hope you're lucky and the results are adequate, no matter what.

Source: habrahabr.ru/post/226689/