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Business process
analysis is a management phrase that really means taking your business in for a
"checkup" - in the same sense that you take your car or yourself in to a
specialist for a checkup - except we make "house calls".
You may suspect your business isn't as profitable as
it should be, or suspect you're not getting all you can get from your computer
systems, or maybe you'd just like to have a management specialist's assessment
of your business processes.
We are trained to apply
the same standard management analysis techniques that large corporations use
every day to maximize revenue and profit - scaled for your business.
We can perform statistical analysis of your sales and
product mix, analyze your business and employee efficiency, analyze your
workplace efficiency and apply other analysis and research-based techniques to
give you an better picture of how your business works. We can also apply
techniques designed expressly to look at how your information system works.
Data Flow Diagramming is a tool we use regularly to illustrate every element of
data an organization produces, how and where it is produced, where it goes and
how it gets transformed into information you can use. In most cases, the data
you already have is not telling you all it could.
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Business Analysis FAQ's |
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Frequently Asked Questions on Business Analysis
...
Q: I already know how my business works - why would I need
an analysis of it?
A: You certainly do - You are the expert in
your business.
What we offer is expertise in best practices for
business management and information technology application that may be able to
help you reduce costs, increase revenue and profit, save your time and
generally help you better understand your business.
Please consider this
...
Lots of people and corporations pay Tiger Woods
lots of money to watch him hit golf balls during tournaments. On the other
hand, Tiger Woods pays several professional golf instructors to watch
him hit golf balls - in order to get a professional, "outside
perspective" of his golf swing. At the very least, Mercury can
give you a professional, "outside perspective" of your business model and
processes.
Q: How expensive is it?
A: It
depends ...
We have performed Y2K analysis and developed mechanisms for
on-going employee efficiency analysis for small organizations for as little as
a few hundered dollars, to developing full business plans and franchise
prototype templates for several thousand dollars.
It costs you nothing
to have us come in and talk with you for an hour or so to get an idea of the
questions you have. Most clients who contact us already have an idea that they
may have a problem and want us to look into it - once we understand the scope
of the analysis required to resolve the issue, we'll deliver a proposal to you
that includes a "Not To Exceed" cost quote.
Q: What do I get out
of an Analysis, just more advice?
A: Sort of ...
When we
have completed the project, we'll deliver a written report that will detail
what we've looked at, what we've found and what options you have to resolve the
issues. The difference is our "advice" will be backed up with research, best
management practices analysis and a cost-benefit analysis of each option open
to you. We'll also sit down and explain it to you in terms we can both
understand.
Q: Can you help with basic Business
Plans?
A: Yes - and more ...
Every business management
book, management consultant, small business reference agency, the SBA, and
"Start Your Own Business" pamphlet will tell you that you need to have a
Business Plan - primarily for you to use to document, review and periodically
update your Business Processes in the face of an ever-changing business
environment.
They're right (almost.) Business organizations don't need
things they don't use - and many business organizations don't use their
Business Plan. For many small and mid-sized organizations, the Business Plan
(if it exists at all) is a document that's stashed away in the filing cabinet
and hasn't seen the light of day in 7 or 8 years. It's out-of-date and
management is too preoccupied keeping the business running to use, update or
even look at it. Even worse, if your Business Plan doesn't have a section
called Information Technology Management Plan, I
can assure you it's out-of-date and of limited value.
Mercury can help
you evaluate your Business Model and Processes and create a Business Plan you
can use - and we'll build the Information Technology Management Plan section
for you.
What is an Information Technology
Management Plan?
Your information technology tools (computers,
software, telecommunications, Internet connections) are an integral part of
your business processes. As such, they are capital assets that require
management, updating and maintenance to the same degree as any other part of
your plant and equipment. Additionally, because of the rate of technology
advancement, you should have a plan for periodic review and potential upgrade
of your systems and their contribution to your business.
Mercury can
help you plan for an organized integration and upgrade of your
information technology tools and build that methodology into an Information
Technology Management Plan - so you're on top of information technology rather
than IT being on top of you.
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| ©
1997-2002 Mercury Business Systems |
Update:
07/11/2002 |
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to: WebMaster at
MercuryInfoTech |
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