Risk and Security – do you need to worry?
Business Process Compromise (BPC) is a type of attack that has become more prevalent in recent years, and is on the rise. This attack targets unique processes or machines that support activities that have vulnerable or inconsistent practices, weak or obsolete system structures, or operational gaps. When these weaknesses are found, the attacker changes a part of the process without the client noticing the change. Usually, a victim organisation thinks everything is proceeding as normal while the attacker is already securing funds or products from the company. It is important to have an assessment of your critical business processes to know the extent of the vulnerabilities, the probability of abuse, and the impact should an incident occur.
Quality and Reputation – are you willing to risk yours?
How important is quality and reputation to your business? Quality is measured in the eyes of your customer and the public. Recall the old marketing adage, that a customer having one bad experience will tell nine people, while a customer having a good experience might tell one other person about it. That marketing rule was established well before the days of internet blogs, smart phones, and the scores of social networking sites that can spread news, both good and bad, with lightening speed. What is the impact on your reputation if you deliver defects to your customers? What is the impact if you lose critical data, funds, or if the public realized that your processes have been operating with known vulnerabilities for years? The online media markets are ready to report any breaches or defects in your operational methods, even to disclose weaknesses that have not yet been compromised. Process assessment techniques will allow you to measure and track the risks within your operations, and make informed decisions for solutions to close those gaps.
People – your strongest and weakest asset
We have all heard that it is the process, not the people, that causes delay, waste, risk, and other quality impairments in business today. However, we have seen that processes get compromised, and the people in your business could be the best line of defense to identify those weaknesses. Do you encourage sharing and feedback of key ideas to strengthen the way you work? Do people just do what they have always done, without encouraging innovation or new ideas from every level? Your business is full of capable people – and they know the details and nuances that could become a core strength or a gaping weakness in your operations. The business process consulting approach allows your most valuable asset, your employees, to participate and share their insight to daily operations in order to ensure you have the best view on how your company operates.
