Portaal is one of the Netherlands’ largest housing associations, with 600 employees who work hard every day to meet the housing needs of over 56,000 households in towns and cities such as Amersfoort, Soest, Leiden, Nijmegen and Utrecht. “Even though each area of activity is different, each of Portaal’s processes is unique,” says Jacques van Iperen, Business Process Consultant. In an interview with CorporatieGids.nl, he explains how.

In early 2014, housing association Portaal selected the BPM software offered by Sensus process management. When asked what exactly the term BPM tool means Jacques explains, “Sensus software is a process modeling tool. At Portaal, we are using this BPM software to design, redesign, define and manage all our relevant processes that are linked to the responsible process owners, KPIs, relevant applicable legislation and regulations, etc. Sensus software lets us compile a consistent picture of all these processes across our association.”

New system

Portaal has recently recalibrated and analysed its processes based on the CORA process architecture to figure out to what extent they are aligned with Portaal’s new policy and operational principles. Jacques explains, “The implementation of a new primary system also plays a big part here, because the new processes are the starting point for the configuration of this system.”

“Seeing as our processes were largely undocumented, we used Sensus software to clarify, document and, where necessary, optimise all relevant processes. Accurate process descriptions are, after all, the foundation for organisational improvement.”

Process architecture and information infrastructure

To make this happen, Portaal used both its process architecture and its information infrastructure during the implementation of Sensus software. According to the business process consultant, this ensured better alignment of individual changes, developments and adjustments: “An organisation’s constituent parts, such as services, processes, data and systems, are more in sync. This greatly improves the alignment of the results of changes and adjustments.”

“The aim behind this is to have an organisation that ‘fits together’ better and is more flexible,” says Jacques. “As a result, it is easier to implement any required changes quickly, and this aligns well with Portaal’s objective and strategy.”

Enterprise Architect

To support this architecture and infrastructure, Portaal created an interface with Sparx Systems’ Enterprise Architect during the implementation of the Sensus software. Jacques explains, “Enterprise Architect is a tool that was used to document Portaal’s system, application, and information landscape, including the interconnections.”

“The Sensus software uses the interface with Enterprise Architect to access the current system architecture and to link it to the individual processes. This allowed us to identify dependencies between processes and applications, such as the phasing out of applications.”

Uniformity and ease of use

Jacques singles out uniformity of the process language used in Sensus software as one of its strengths. “Aside from that, Sensus software is also easy to use for both users and the system administrator. This quickly creates a clear picture of how these processes run, making it easier to make progress in terms of organisational improvement. Unnecessary process steps, for example, are easier to spot and eliminate.”

Minimising regional differences

Portaal’s network of regional offices presented an added challenge in improving the overall organisation. But factoring in the regional differences and specific needs proved not to be a problem for Sensus software. “One of the basic aims at Portaal is standardisation of both the process and the system. We have minimised regional differences as much as possible during the process, without compromising on the ideal running of a process and the quality of our services.”

Flexible and uniform

So, Jacques van Iperen is (on behalf of Portaal) very satisfied with Sensus software: “The various units within the organisation are now truly better aligned thanks to the pragmatic and consistent process language, facilitating acceptance of the principles of process management across the organisation. Aside from that, Sensus software is also flexible and easy to use, both for users and system administrators.”

Source: Johan van den Beld | CorporatieMedia