Five ways IT and digital teams are winning at process optimization

IT and digital leaders recognize the power of processes as a lever for generating business value, with 88% agreeing process optimization can deliver bottom, top, and even green-line value at the same time. That’s according to the IT edition of The Process Optimization Report.

The report is based on an independently-run survey that's part of a broader piece of research involving over 1,200 senior business leaders from process and operations, finance and shared services, and supply chain, as well as IT and digital – all working in Europe and the United States.

The purpose? To find out how leaders view their processes and their plans to optimize them. Comparing the responses across these four functions reveals one very clear trend: IT and digital teams are leading the way in process optimization.

Here are five ways IT is surging ahead:

1. The need to optimize processes is part of IT DNA 

While the need for process optimization is acknowledged across all functions, the extent to which IT leaders recognize its value is exceptional. A full 100% of IT and digital leaders believe process optimization is important (or even essential) to meet business objectives at the organizational level. The figure is only fractionally lower for departmental objectives, with 99% saying process optimization is important to achieve their goals within the IT and digital function.

2. IT leaders are most proactive on process performance 

IT and digital leaders take a more proactive approach to process improvement than their peers, according to The IT edition of The Process Optimization Report. Looking across the responses from all four functions, 46% of business leaders say they don’t think about process performance until something goes wrong. This figure drops to 36% for IT and digital leaders, and even further to 27% for IT leaders in the US, indicating these teams are already paying more attention to their processes than other departments.

3. IT and digital are optimization first-movers but it’s all relative

Some 42% of IT and digital leaders say they haven’t optimized a single process in the last twelve months. That might not sound like a positive finding. And it’s not. But it’s lower than in other departments. Almost half (48%) of process and operations leaders, 54% of supply chain leaders, and 62% of finance and shared service leaders say they haven’t engaged in process optimization in the last year. So, relatively speaking, IT functions are real process pioneers.

4. Investment in optimization tech is strong

More than half (53%) of IT and digital leaders say their organizations are already investing in process optimization technologies, and a further 31% are planning to invest over the next three years. Of the four functions surveyed, IT and digital are the most likely to be using process mining – 46% compared with an average 38% across all functions. IT and digital teams clearly have a better understanding of how process mining can help them find and extract the value that’s hiding in their business processes.

5. IT and digital are seen as process changemakers 

Driving change is always a challenge in any enterprise. So pushing forward with process optimization requires changemakers: teams that not only improve their own processes but also set an example for process excellence across the enterprise. IT and digital is the function most likely to be seen by their colleagues as potential process changemakers, followed closely by process and operations, and supply chain.  

There’s process progress to be made: get more insight here  

While IT and digital may be surging ahead with process optimization, not all the report’s findings are so positive. To explore the barriers getting in the way of process optimization and the impact of sub-optimal processes, as well as the impressive results being achieved by those that are optimizing processes, download The Process Era is Here: How IT leaders are using processes as a lever for value and a driver for innovation.

Edward Baggaley

Content Marketing Lead

Edward writes about Celonis, its customers, partners, and product. He creates blogs - perhaps the one you’re reading - as well as ads, ebooks, keynotes, and advertorials. Newsweek, The Times, Time, and many B2B magazines have published his work.