Terminology - Business Processes vs. Support Processes vs. Management Processes

Y

yogshastri

What are Business Processes ? What are Support processes and What are management processes ? Are there some standard defintions or one can define or categorize as per one's own logic and thinking!
 

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
What are Business Processes ? What are Support processes and What are management processes ? Are there some standard defintions or one can define or categorize as per one's own logic and thinking!

Welcome to the Cove. :D

The definitions of those terms are entirely dependent on context--there are no all-encompassing standard definitions. Give us some background on your question and we can give better answers.
 

Peter Fraser

Trusted Information Resource
Welcome to the Cove. :D

The definitions of those terms are entirely dependent on context--there are no all-encompassing standard definitions. Give us some background on your question and we can give better answers.

...and even if there were, you would get differing opinions!
 
Y

yogshastri

Thanks Jim and Peter.

I work in an Integrated Steel Plant and I am trying to draw the process map of the organization so that processes and thier interfaces are well defined. It was opinions of my seniors that I need to divide all the processes into three categories - that is Core or key Processes, Management Processes and Support processes. I also think that some kind of classification is necessary, but given a choice I would have classified them as Core Processes and non-core processes only. In my case, say for example - producing steel as per customer's order would be our core process and everything else like Finance, HR, TQM, Maintenance, Services and Utilities functions would be non-core processes. But then, I am asked to divide these non-core processes into management and support processes. To me it looks that the processes that support the core process like Maintenance and HR would be a support process and the processes that are used to manage the core processes like Finance or TQM would be management processes.

Is my logic correct or I am in a soup ? :confused:
 
A

ab001

Thanks Jim and Peter.

I work in an Integrated Steel Plant and I am trying to draw the process map of the organization so that processes and thier interfaces are well defined. It was opinions of my seniors that I need to divide all the processes into three categories - that is Core or key Processes, Management Processes and Support processes. I also think that some kind of classification is necessary, but given a choice I would have classified them as Core Processes and non-core processes only. In my case, say for example - producing steel as per customer's order would be our core process and everything else like Finance, HR, TQM, Maintenance, Services and Utilities functions would be non-core processes. But then, I am asked to divide these non-core processes into management and support processes. To me it looks that the processes that support the core process like Maintenance and HR would be a support process and the processes that are used to manage the core processes like Finance or TQM would be management processes.

Is my logic correct or I am in a soup ? :confused:

These research topics might help:
- Porter's Value Chain. Part of BPM below, the catergories you use probably come from something like Porter.
- Business Process Management. If you talk about TQM, you probably understand what a Quality Management System is. That wheel has been reinvented as BPM. It's the same stuff, just on the internet;)

The Management processes are usually hard to define. Somewhere, someone is doing things like:
- Setting strategies
- Making rules
- Deciding.
Work out who does that and see if you can write it down.

Support is most everything else.
- Maintenance
- Monitoring, Measuring & Reporting Finances/Systems/People (Fin/TQM/HR)
 

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
Thanks Jim and Peter.

I work in an Integrated Steel Plant and I am trying to draw the process map of the organization so that processes and thier interfaces are well defined. It was opinions of my seniors that I need to divide all the processes into three categories - that is Core or key Processes, Management Processes and Support processes. I also think that some kind of classification is necessary, but given a choice I would have classified them as Core Processes and non-core processes only. In my case, say for example - producing steel as per customer's order would be our core process and everything else like Finance, HR, TQM, Maintenance, Services and Utilities functions would be non-core processes. But then, I am asked to divide these non-core processes into management and support processes. To me it looks that the processes that support the core process like Maintenance and HR would be a support process and the processes that are used to manage the core processes like Finance or TQM would be management processes.

Is my logic correct or I am in a soup ? :confused:

Your management apparently has definitions in mind, so that's where you should go for clarification. Because of the fuzziness of these things, someone here could give you advice that sounds good but is not what the bosses had in mind.
 
Y

yogshastri

Thanks both of you Jim and Peter. I know what you mean and I have also studied APQC framework in details. And Jim you are right in saying that someone here may give me advice that sounds good, but may be of no use to me. But, again I just want to know if there are some standard definitions or we can define them as we want in our context.
 

RoxaneB

Change Agent and Data Storyteller
Super Moderator
We divided our processes into "Operational" and "Support" categories. They main factor used to determine which category a process fit into was if it had a DIRECT IMPACT on the ability to provide the external Customer with what they wanted. There were probably other, more subtle (and political) factors, but let's just still with that main one. :)

So, for us, Operational processes included:

  • Recycling (this was a direct source of material for us to use in making our product)
  • Procurement
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Industrial (key manufacturing processes - melt shop and rolling mill (this was for a steel manufacturer)
  • Logistics and shipping
  • Finance
  • and maybe one or two others that are slipping my mind right now

Support processes, were not less important, for without them the Operational processes would not succeed (or succeed as well). It was important to recognize and communicate that the two categories work together.

Support processes included:
  • Health and Safety
  • Environment
  • Information Technology
  • Human Resources
  • Management Systems
  • and others...

We also made a visual representation showing how Support fed Operational processes, and a flow of how the Operational processes worked.
 
A

Apple_Jack

What are Business Processes ? What are Support processes and What are management processes ? Are there some standard defintions or one can define or categorize as per one's own logic and thinking!

You've gotten some great advice on this question; I just have a couple of thoughts that may help as you're defining your processes.

You are correct in that one can define their own structure, especially when it comes to categorizing what falls under Business, Support, and Management processes.

The only advice I would give in addition to what has been given is to start with the end in mind, and simplify it as much as you can. First, you need to start with your mission statement for the company as a whole, and then decide how your three branches aid in achieving that goal. Then, come up with a mission statement for each of your three branches.

Once you can define what you need from each arm of the business, you can more easily categorize where other departments will fall in, like IT, HR, marketing, etc. There will be oversight, since, as an example, an IT department will provide support to every other department.

Keep the end in mind. After you've decided what you need each division to be responsible for, the rest of your job will be much simpler.

Does that help at all?
 
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