Even with the best tools, you can’t map, manage, run, and optimize processes in a vacuum.
First, you need process governance in place. To get the right process governance in place, first you need the right people in place.
Process governance is the establishment of leadership and management to keep an organization’s business processes on track. It involves building strategies and key performance indicators (KPIs) and monitoring the development of both over time.
By implementing process governance, an organization helps protect stakeholders’ interests and supports continuous improvement at every level.
But for process governance to work, you need to identify the key players who will collaborate to ensure consistently effective outcomes. We’ve identified these key players as fitting into four roles: executive sponsor, process champion, process owner, and process expert.
Let’s break those roles down further.
Key role #1: Executive sponsor
To build a successful process governance structure, you need buy-in from leadership. An executive sponsor guides the governance team at a high level, ensuring that their initiatives align with business objectives and providing resources and guidance to those who need it.
Ideally, you want your executive sponsor in the highest possible role in their function, so they have the authority to make key decisions. For example, depending on your objectives, a senior vice president in the purchase-to-pay function would likely work well as an executive sponsor.
The main task for the sponsor is laying the groundwork for the team’s initiatives. They answer questions like:
- What do we want to achieve?
- Why do we want to achieve this?
- Who needs to be involved?
The key is finding a sponsor who understands the benefits of process improvement. Then, make sure to clearly explain your expectations of the role—whether that’s biweekly check-ins with the team or tracking specific KPIs.
Choose an executive sponsor who:
- Holds an executive role at your organization
- Demonstrates a clear vision for the organization’s goals
- Believes deeply in the importance of continuous improvement and process excellence
- Has the authority to allocate resources and prioritize process improvement initiatives
- Isn’t afraid to advocate for process improvement projects to other senior leaders
“Nothing comes out at the bottom when you don’t have strategic direction from the executive sponsor.”
–Thomas Kohlenbach, Senior Product Specialist, Nintex
Key role #2: Process champions
A champion traditionally fights on behalf of others, leading from the front for the good of their cause. A process champion is no different. They set the standard for process excellence and sound the call for others to join them.
While the vision for your organization’s process management might start at the executive level, the process champion brings it to life and keeps it central in everyone’s minds.
“A process champion needs a persuasive personality,” says Thomas Kohlenbach, Senior Product Specialist at Nintex. “They don’t need to be high in rank—they just need to be respected, engaging, and a socializer. And they need soft skills high in emotional intelligence to have empathy.”
Process champions provide guidance and motivation. They keep communications flowing, ensuring process goals don’t get lost in the day-to-day business. They monitor and review process improvement, working with those who know the processes best to ensure they implement the right changes and gathering people around the need for continuous improvement.
They’re the mentors and cheerleaders and fly the flag for process excellence at the head of process governance.
Look for a process champion who:
- Has a clear passion for improving processes to achieve better outcomes
- Inspires others to overcome challenges and work toward optimization
- Leads through influence instead of formal authority
- Empathizes with tough situations their team members face
- Clearly and effectively communicates the importance of process improvement
Key role #3: Process owners
While champions direct peoples’ attention to their processes, it’s process owners who actually take responsibility for them. Process owners can make changes in procedure and practice and are held responsible for how effectively those processes operate.
The role of the process owner is essential as it creates accountability for change. But the process owner isn’t necessarily the most experienced with any particular process. In fact, they’re probably not subject matter experts at all. Their role is to oversee the overall effectiveness of the process—and possibly groups of processes—within the wider organization.
“In finance or customer service, the process owner would normally be the team leader or supervisor,” Thomas says. “In budget planning for a supply chain, it might be the GM.”
Since the process owner holds more of a supervisory role, they sometimes need to consult with people who understand the processes inside and out. For this, they rely on process experts for advice on implementing improvements.
Choose a process owner who:
- Can lead a team, drive change, and foster cross-functional collaboration
- Keeps an eye on the big picture of organizational function
- Possesses strong communication skills to articulate process changes and benefits
- Understands how to make data-driven decisions in a decisive way
- Empowers others to contribute to process improvements
Key role #4: Process experts
Process experts aren’t qualified Kaizen masters or trained Lean and Six Sigma practitioners. Instead, they’re the people who have hands-on knowledge of your business processes. They understand the details at a day-to-day level.
These are your subject matter experts. They provide the working knowledge of processes, make sense of new ideas, and implement changes. If problems arise, they’re the mechanics that get under the hood to fix what’s broken and report back to the owners with what needs to be done.
“Process experts take on the accountability to update the process and keep it up to date,” Thomas says. “That’s the important bit—dealing with suggestions and non-conformance and being the change agent behind the scenes.”
Look for process experts who:
- Deeply understand specific processes in your industry
- Have strong problem-solving skills to diagnose complex process issues and find practical solutions
- Possess strong analytical skills to interpret data and metrics related to process performance
- Can use their strong attention to detail to meticulously document processes
- Can explain technical issues to process owners in a clear, concise way
Good governance builds a baseline of process excellence
Good governance relies on people investing in process excellence at every level. It isn’t just the domain of a few, but a cooperative effort across the board. When you invest in roles that emphasize good process management, you see a trickle-down effect throughout your organization.
That matters because everything comes down to your company’s commitment to driving process improvement. “If you don’t have this, the tool doesn’t matter—you will lose,” Thomas says.
But once you have engagement in your organization, the pieces fall into place—the ability to ask tough questions about processes, devote the time it takes to optimize workflows, and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Only then will you really reap the benefits of good governance. The process executors will know exactly what they need to do to perform their work quickly and without errors, and your organization will achieve operational efficiency, risk mitigation, and return on investment.
Achieve process excellence with the Nintex Process Platform.
