Organizational leaders rely on a plethora of data and information to make timely and informed decisions. Yet a common complaint is that the data doesn’t seem trustworthy, isn’t extensive enough or is in some other way deficient. Perhaps the data has been triangulated from 4 different IT systems and has been manipulated and cleansed and there is a tacit fear that accuracy has been affected. Or perhaps it is out-of-date and not helpful in yielding future insight. These situations can lead to a ‘decision gridlock’ where leaders feel unable to act as they do not have the information that they need.

At first glance this sounds like a topic that is a world away from process design and management—yet in reality there are useful overlaps. Often the very data and information that our decision makers need is created, transformed or derived from instances of our processes. Therefore, when designing or re-designing processes it is important that we consider not just the immediate desired outcomes, but also the information that is created and the management decisions that this information will support.

When designing our processes there is benefit in considering not only the immediate desired outcomes, but also the information that is created and the management decisions that this information will support.

In this article, Adrian Reed suggests useful ways to ensure our processes can actively support executive and management decision-making. Login to continue reading.