Continuing with the processes, you need to identify if some scoping was done earlier. This might have been at the RFP stage, or at the business plan stage. You can connect to some of the key people who lead this initiative and change. In case they are not directly approachable, people at one or more levels above you can get you the information.

Now what will this contain? Ideally, there would be inputs on many things, like the head count in scope, the volume of transactions, the nature of the processes, locations from where these will be moved from.

I could bullet the list as under:

  • Key parameters:
    • Process Name
    • Sub-Process Names
    • Process description
    • Sub-Process description
    • Head count originally executing the function
    • Break up in permanent and temporary staff
    • Volumes
    • Seasonal trends
    • Critical periods
    • Activity peaks
    • Approval matrices
    • List of valid documents comprising the transaction
    • A high level workflow or a swim lane
    • A relationship chart with other functions

There needs to be some baseline data, which will be important for you to show how you will benefit the prime entity over the period of your engagement.

  • Baseline data
    • Time to process each transaction
    • End to end processing time
    • End to end closure deadlines
    • First time exception rate and number or accuracy
    • Or FPY (First Pass Yield) – how many transactions go through in the first time
    • Average number of iterations before final closure
    • Required turnaround time

At this stage we do not really look into improvement opportunities, except those highlighted in the business case or the RFP.

Based on the function, the list could increase or be modified.