Here's how you can overcome the challenges of strategic thinking in Process Design.

To overcome strategic thinking challenges in process design, encourage collaboration across disciplines to bring in diverse expertise. Use advanced simulation tools like ASPEN and HYSYS for precise modeling and scenario planning. Stay current with industry trends and technological advances through continuous learning. Apply strong project management practices to align with strategic goals and ensure timely execution. Foster an innovative environment that supports experimentation and iterative improvement. This comprehensive approach helps manage complexity and achieve strategic success in process design.

Define what holistic means and the boundaries. Understand that different people will have different points of view on opportunities and obstacles. Don't only talk to executives, middle management, and frontline employees but reach out to customers and vendors/partners too.

Prioritizing objectives is often best achieved by taking an outcomes focussed approach. If you are keenly aware of the desired outcomes and success criteria, it becomes much easier to prioritize the work. Throughout my work in the healthcare IT space, I always encourage teams to start with the end in mind and understand the trade-offs. In my current environment of autonomous coding, there are trade-offs between quality and automation. Without understanding which of those is more important and the cost associated with achieving those results, it is impossible to design processes to support successful outcomes.

I’ve learned, sometimes painfully, that engaging those involved in a process, i.e., the stakeholders, is essential. This essentially means asking good questions, then shutting our mouths and listening while people share their responses. Sometimes I literally bite my tongue to force myself to listen! By getting stakeholder input before we launch a strategy, we not only achieve a better outcome, but we also ensure better buy-in once we actually do launch.

The FDA created a new form, the MedGuide. Little thought was given to stakeholders: The drug manufacturer, who had to print these and supply them to pharmacy chains. The pharmacy chain, who had to handle inventory per store. The pharmacist, who had to find the pad and hand one out. Compliance was abysmal at 2%. I built a system for our pharmacy partners, automatically printing a MedGuide along with their Patient Information. It removed the burden from the pharmacist and increased compliance to 100%. For one Midwest pharmacy chain leader, this process improvement resulted in a standing ovation from his pharmacists at their quarterly meeting. For my organization, it was a modest investment for a huge gain in customer satisfaction.