Operations process change

A process change in operations may not involve new software at all. It could be a new intake step, a different handoff between shifts, or a changed approval path. The work is the same either way: understand how things run now, agree how they should run, close the gaps, and switch on a day when people are ready. The process maps in HRjects were built for HR, and they work for any process you can write as steps.

What you would use

Create a project from the General project template. It has four phases, Plan, Design, Build, Launch, with a gate at the end of each. Workstreams are Planning, Design, Delivery and Communications. Teams are Project lead, Team, Stakeholders and Vendor.

Process maps do most of the work

1. Write the current state. One step per line, as it happens today. "Requests arrive by email and chat." "Lead copies them into a spreadsheet."
2. Flag the pain points. Mark steps with re-keying, waiting or frequent mistakes. The business case counts them.
3. Write the future state beside it. "One intake form for every request." "Requesters see status themselves."
4. Log the gaps. Anything the future state needs that does not exist yet. "Intake form needs an approval step for large requests."
5. Turn each gap into a task. One click creates it on the board, where you give it an owner and a due date.

Add a map for each process the change touches.

What else carries over

• Business case. If the change costs money or saves it, enter today's yearly cost and the options. You get saving per year, payback in months and three-year net, and you can record the sponsor's decision.
• Gates. Add exit criteria such as "New process walked through with both shift leads". Ticking one records who ticked it and when.
• Tasks. A board with To do, In progress, Blocked and Done.
• Issues. Log problems during the trial and in the first weeks, with a severity and an owner.
• Go-live readiness. The template's checklist includes "Work tested by the people who will use it", "Stakeholders signed off", "Launch communications sent" and "Support owner named". Go needs 90% and no open critical issues.

What is not relevant

The HR-specific pieces are not in the General template: the parallel payroll tracker, the HR workstreams and the starter HR process library. You begin with one blank map.

Limits to know about

• Maps are lists of steps. There are no swim lanes, branches or diagrams. A process with many decision points will not fit neatly.
• The workstream and team names come from the template and stay as they are.
• There are no task dependencies or reminders yet. Both are planned.

If you need full process diagrams or a tool that models the process itself, HRjects is the wrong choice. It tracks the project of changing a process.

Bring in the people doing the work

Invite team members as Contributors, which is free. They can move their tasks, tick readiness items and log issues. Outside partners can join one project as Guests. See roles.

Next steps

Read how to map a process and turn a gap into a task, or start a free project. The General template's example data shows a request-intake change part-way through.