A credit card company that sought to identify its fundamental-processes came up with the results. They then mapped and improved each of these processes, developing appropriate measurement schemes and altering reward systems to better align behaviors. They also focused on identifying key bottlenecks. For critical tasks that were insufficiently under control, they revamped procedures and introduced new support tools. The result was a dramatic increase in both customer satisfaction and the productivity of the organization.
Your unit or group may have just as many processes as the credit card company. Your first challenge is to identify those processes, and then to decide which of them are most important to your strategy. Those vital activities are your core processes. For example, suppose your group’s strategy emphasizes customer satisfaction over product development. You would want to ensure that all the processes involved in delivery of products or services to customers support that goal.