Application of business process modeling at Timberland

Process modeling and simulation was introduced to the Timberland Co. in order to help improve the company´s increasingly complex and cross-functional business processes. Two case studies are mentioned, the sample room and EDI purchase orders. Process simulation was able to show the impact of different resource levels on sample room cycle times and helped convince management to hire additional staff to meet anticipated demand. The simulation also illustrated second and third order impacts of resource changes not anticipated by experienced managers. Simulation of EDI purchase orders was able to identify key “as-is” process issues and quantify process behavior. A number of initiatives were launched to address these. In both cases there were people issues to consider, ranging from training staff to properly building and analyzing simulations to getting middle-management buy in. Results show the technical usefulness and power of good simulations while at the same time paying close attention to “softer” change management questions