The ADKAR model is a popular change management framework that helps individuals and organizations understand the stages of change, and how to manage change effectively. The ADKAR model was developed by Jeff Hiatt, the founder of Prosci, a leading change management firm.

ADKAR is an acronym that stands for:

1. Awareness: This stage involves creating awareness about the need for change among the people who will be affected by it. This includes understanding the reasons for the change, the benefits of the change, and the potential impact of the change.

2. Desire: In this stage, individuals need to have a desire to support the change. This involves understanding why the change is necessary and how it will benefit them and the organization.

3. Knowledge: Once individuals have a desire to support the change, they need to acquire the knowledge necessary to make the change successfully. This includes training, education, and communication about the change.

4. Ability: In this stage, individuals must have the skills and ability to make the change happen. This may involve providing additional resources, tools, or support to help people adapt to the change.

5. Reinforcement: Finally, in this stage, individuals need to be reinforced and rewarded for making the change. This includes recognizing and celebrating successes, and providing ongoing support and encouragement to ensure that the change becomes a part of the organizational culture.

The ADKAR model is a useful framework for managing change because it focuses on the individual level, and helps to ensure that people have the necessary knowledge, skills, and motivation to make the change happen. By following the ADKAR model, organizations can increase their chances of success and achieve their desired outcomes.

PMI (the Project Management Institute) has recently introduced new content into it's curriculum....the Process Owner and Process Manager.  The distinction between these two roles seems to originate from ServiceNow's influence.

In small organizations the same person wears both hats, but in larger organizations these two roles may be split between two people.  Basically the Process Owner is a senior person responsible for "working on" the process, to improve it, while the Process Manager "works in" the process to execute it with efficiency.  A description of each role follows:

Job Description for Process Owner:

Process Owner's are responsible for the end-to-end oversight of a particular business process within an organization. Their main responsibilities include designing, implementing, monitoring, and continuously improving the process to ensure it meets the organization's goals and objectives. Process owners also ensure that the process is compliant with regulatory requirements and industry standards. They work closely with cross-functional teams to identify areas for improvement and implement changes that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance quality. Other key responsibilities of a process owner include:

• Developing and maintaining process documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), process flowcharts, and process metrics.
• Monitoring process performance using key performance indicators (KPIs) and other metrics, and identifying areas for improvement. (Note, both roles include this bullet point as it is an ongoing common point of review and discussion.)
• Leading process improvement initiatives, including process re-engineering and process automation.
• Collaborating with other process owners to ensure that processes are integrated and aligned across the organization.
• Communicating process changes to stakeholders, including senior management, process users, and customers.
• Providing training and support to process users to ensure that they understand and follow the process.

Job Description for Process Manager:

Process managers are responsible for the day-to-day management of a particular business process within an organization. They ensure that the process is executed efficiently and effectively, and that process users comply with the process requirements. Process managers work closely with process owners and cross-functional teams to identify areas for improvement and implement changes that increase efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance quality. Other key responsibilities of a process manager include:

• Ensuring that the process is executed in compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Monitoring process performance using KPIs and other metrics, and identifying areas for improvement. (Note, both roles include this bullet point as it is an ongoing common point of review and discussion.)
• Providing training and support to process users to ensure that they understand and follow the process.
• Identifying and addressing process issues and bottlenecks that impact process performance.
• Collaborating with other process managers and process owners to ensure that processes are integrated and aligned across the organization.
• Communicating process changes to stakeholders, including senior management, process users, and customers.
• Developing and maintaining process documentation, including SOPs, process flowcharts, and process metrics.

Overall, while both roles are involved in managing and improving business processes, the process owner has a more strategic and high-level focus, while the process manager has a more operational and hands-on focus. The process owner is responsible for setting the direction of the process, while the process manager is responsible for executing the process according to the owner's direction. The process owner is more involved in initiating and leading process improvement initiatives, while the process manager is more involved in implementing and monitoring process changes on a day-to-day basis.

The Hidden Factory is everything your group does over again because it didn't go right the first time around.

This ranges from re-doing a failed multi-year project, to re-pushing a production release which had some minor issues the first time around. Sometimes these activities are called "Fire Fighting."

Most groups I talk to tell me that about 35% of their teams efforts are lost to this problem.

Someone must pay for this, and it's very expensive.  Higher prices, lower wages, and lower shareholder dividends are one way to quantify the hidden factory.  In addition, the opportunity cost of not being able to reach your project monetization goals 33% faster means you left money and customers on the table.

The Stable Framework™ is a performance management framework for IT designed to give IT departments the tools needed to tame this wild Hidden Factory beast and bring the fire-fighting down to nearly zero, where it should be.

Read more about it here

Mike Berry

ITIL, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, was created by the British Government in the 1980's to address growing complexity in the management of IT infrastructure.  It is based on many of W. Edward Deming's quality principles, and Walter Shewhart's Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, which the Western world was just finding out about.

ITIL originated as a voluminous set of books which were simplified during versions 2, and 3, down to 5 books. In 2019 ITIL 4 was released, adding considerations for cloud-based management, DevOps, and Agile.

ITIL 4 emphasizes looking at an organization as a Service Value System (SVS).

Four dimensions that comprise a SVS are:

1. Organizations and People
2. Information and Technology
3. Partners and Suppliers
4. Value Streams and Processes

In addition, ITIL 4 covers governing the SVS, Continual Improvement, and multiple areas of practice, in which ITIL principles can be applied.

Mike Berry Red Rock Research