In the public works industry, keeping pace with the latest technology is crucial to effective and efficient operations. According to ComputerWeekly, legacy systems or operations are holding 90% of businesses back from embracing new technologies or more efficient processes. The only way to know exactly where your current operations needs improvement is to conduct a business process assessment, or BPA. During a BPA, there are several goals for improvement, including identifying wasted time or improving regulatory compliance efforts. Some additional benefits to consider are:
#1. External Perspective
By reviewing your operations with an external measurement system, you can gain insight on the operational metrics that the high level managers or executives might not normally see. This insight may lead to identifications of weaknesses or areas for growth. As a result of wanting to capitalize on this insight, there may be an increased willingness to improve current processes to ensure transparency with the public and stake holders. Many public works departments are incorporating community websites into their Enterprise Asset Management software in order to stay connected with the public in real time, for both receiving and sending information.
#2. Streamlining Business Processes
It’s not hard to imagine that inconsistent business practices, protocols and processes will end up costing your department time and money. Over the course of a year or multiple years, this lost time and money starts to really add up and can negatively affect your operating budget and ability to serve the community. A BPA can assist you in optimizing your workflows as you reduce duplicative efforts and relieve the burden on customer service through automation. Automation allows workers to spend more time on their jobs instead of having to manage paperwork and notifications.
According to a study by SmartShift, Administrators can spend a breathtaking amount of time searching for misplaced documents in a manual system, costing U.S. companies up to $89 billion each year, according to a 2010 white paper from the Brother International Corporation. The research reports that searching for lost and misplaced documents accounts for nearly 38 working hours per year for each employee. Newly optimized business practices can increase the room in your budget, allowing you to better manage costs while serving the public.
#3. Enhancing the Public Experience
A BPA can provide you with the information you need in order to make improvements and changes throughout the department that will positively affect the public. In addition, you can be transparent with the community when qualifying the need for investment in a new software – especially like AssetWorks Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software that can show a noticeable ROI in the years to come. A BPA allows you to define critical successes for the public, and the increased room in the budget can work towards improving the infrastructure for community, such as through roads, bridges, repairs and the park system.
A business process assessment can produce substantial information for ways that your company can improve. AssetWorks EAM software solution can equip you with the tools you need to integrate your databases and to accurately track all of your assets to maximize your budget and public service.
