Revolutionizing Pharmaceutical Innovation: Pioneering Drug Discovery and Development Strategies

Introduction

Process Management in the context of daily work for a Key Account Manager involves a comprehensive and meticulous approach to overseeing and enhancing the various workflows and activities that are integral to nurturing and developing relationships with key clients. It is about structuring and refining the processes that facilitate effective account planning and management, sales execution, communication, customer support, and the delivery of value-added services to top-tier clients.

For a Key Account Manager, Process Management is pivotal in ensuring that the sales volumes with each key customer are not only maintained but expanded upon, that the sales transactions are carried out smoothly and consistently, and that the market share of the business grows through intentional and strategic actions. This includes the seamless implementation of business strategies, adept identification of new market opportunities, and the fortification of close customer relations—all carried out in line with legal, internal, and ethical standards.

In essence, Process Management equips Key Account Managers with the tools and methodologies required to systematically assess and optimize the processes surrounding key account handling, with an aim to deliver optimal results and strengthen the long-term business partnerships that are vital to the company's success.

KanBo: When, Why and Where to deploy as a Process Management tool

What is KanBo?

KanBo is an integrated work coordination platform that aids in visualizing work processes, managing tasks, and facilitating communication. As a process management tool, it offers hierarchical organization through workspaces, folders, spaces, and cards, which help categorize and prioritize tasks. It allows for deep customization and integration, particularly with Microsoft products.

Why?

KanBo is beneficial because it allows for effective tracking of project timelines and accountability, with features like Gantt Charts and Forecast Charts. It is suited for managing intricate workflows through card relationships and parent-child task structuring. The tool’s hybrid environment ensures data compliance and combines on-premise and cloud capabilities for data storage, meeting various legal requirements.

When?

KanBo should be utilized in situations where project management and task coordination are critical. It is suitable in the planning phase for setting up workflows, during execution for tracking progress and managing team collaboration, or in the analysis phase for reporting and improving process efficiency. Essentially, it's applicable throughout the project lifecycle.

Where?

KanBo can be used anywhere, provided there's Internet access for cloud functionalities. Its compatibility with both on-premises and cloud platforms makes it versatile for remote, office-based, or hybrid work environments. This flexibility allows managers and teams to coordinate work from different geographical locations, ensuring continuity in operations.

Key account manager should use KanBo as a Process Management tool?

A key account manager should use KanBo because it enhances client relationship management by providing a clear overview of account activities, timelines, and deliverables. It empowers the manager to oversee projects efficiently, set clear expectations with customers, and ensure that key deliverables are met promptly. With the tool's in-depth analytics and reporting features, they can continuously optimize processes, tailor customer experiences, and ultimately drive value for their key accounts.

How to work with KanBo as a Process Management tool

As a Key Account Manager, utilizing KanBo for process management can significantly enhance efficiency and alignment with your organization's strategic goals. Here's how you can leverage KanBo for process optimization:

Step 1: Define Your Process Management Space

Purpose: Establish a centralized area for tracking and managing processes, ensuring visibility, and enabling collaboration.

Explanation: By creating a dedicated space in KanBo for process management, you can systematically organize process-related cards, which outline each step of the business processes you are overseeing. This facilitates clear communication and provides a single source of truth for the status of each process.

Step 2: Construct a Workflow with Custom Statuses

Purpose: Design a tailored workflow that mirrors your business process stages, promoting a clear understanding of each phase.

Explanation: Custom statuses in KanBo emulate real-world steps of your business processes (e.g., "Pending Approval," "In Progress," "Review," etc.). This transparency helps identify where each process is at any given time and what steps need to be completed next, improving process flow and allowing for better resource allocation.

Step 3: Utilize Cards for Process Tasks

Purpose: Break down processes into manageable tasks for better organization and tracking.

Explanation: Each card in your process management space represents a task with detailed descriptions, responsible parties, deadlines, and necessary attachments. This breakdown transforms complex processes into actionable items, helping to ensure nothing is overlooked and tasks are completed timely.

Step 4: Implement Card Relations and Dependencies

Purpose: Visualize and maintain the sequence and dependencies between tasks, providing clarity on task prioritization.

Explanation: Use card relations to link interdependent tasks within your processes. If certain tasks cannot begin until previous ones are completed, set these dependencies to prevent bottlenecks and ensure a smooth progression of tasks.

Step 5: Monitor Process Flow with the KanBan Board View

Purpose: Continuously observe the flow of processes in real-time, identifying potential blockages and areas for improvement.

Explanation: The KanBan board view of KanBo provides a dynamic visual representation of your entire process flow. Regular observation allows for timely interventions, such as reallocating resources or re-prioritizing tasks, leading to process efficiency and optimization.

Step 6: Analyze Process Performance with Card Statistics

Purpose: Evaluate process efficiency and identify improvement opportunities using in-built analytics.

Explanation: Card statistics provide insights into how long tasks take to complete, where delays frequently occur, and which tasks are often blocked. Analyzing these metrics enables you to refine and optimize processes for better performance continually.

Step 7: Engage in Real-Time Collaboration

Purpose: Ensure that communication is seamless and that the entire team remains informed and engaged.

Explanation: KanBo facilitates discussion and collaboration in the context of each process task. With features like comments, mentions, and notifications, team members can easily discuss issues, provide updates, and request assistance, fostering a collaborative process management environment.

Step 8: Manage Documentation within the Space

Purpose: Keep all process-related documents accessible and up-to-date within the platform.

Explanation: By attaching files directly to cards and managing documents within the dedicated space, you can ensure that your team always has access to the most current process documents, guidelines, and templates. This central repository helps maintain consistency and reduces the time spent searching for information.

Step 9: Set Reminders and Due Dates

Purpose: Stay on track with deadlines to guarantee the timeliness of process execution.

Explanation: By setting reminders and due dates on cards, you can prevent overdue tasks and ensure each process is carried out within its designated time frame. This leads to more predictable outcomes and helps to maintain process integrity.

Implementing these steps with the purpose and explanation provided will achieve process optimization, fostering sustained growth and operational excellence through methodical process management using KanBo.

Glossary and terms

Here is a glossary of terms related to process management and project management:

Process Management: The ongoing activity of documenting, managing, and improving the processes that produce a business's products or services. It ensures that processes are efficient, effective, and aligned with the goals of the organization.

Project Management: The discipline of planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at a specified time.

Workspace: A digital or physical area where work is organized and executed. In digital project management tools, it represents a grouping of projects, tasks, or teams.

Space: A specific section within a workspace created for managing a project or a collection of related tasks.

Card: An item within a project management tool representing a task, idea, or stage in the process. Cards can be moved, edited, or removed as needed by team members.

Card Status: An indicator that shows the progress of a task within a process, such as "To Do," "In Progress," or "Done."

Card Activity Stream: A chronological list of all updates and changes made to a card, providing a history of the card’s progress and alterations.

Card Blocker: An issue or obstacle that is preventing the task represented by a card from moving forward. It requires attention to resolve so progress can continue.

Card Grouping: The organization of cards according to categories such as project phase, department, priority, or any other relevant classification.

Card Issue: A problem associated with a card that needs to be identified and resolved for the process to proceed smoothly.

Card Relation: A dependency between two cards, where one task may need to finish before another can start, forming a relationship between actions.

Card Statistics: Metrics and data associated with a card that provide insight into its progression, duration, and overall performance in the process.

Dates in Cards: Important dates attached to cards, which typically include start dates, due dates, and reminder dates to keep the process timeline on track.

Completion Date: The date on which the task or process represented by a card has been completed.

Default Parent Card: In nested task structures, this is the primary task card to which "child" cards are connected, showing hierarchy in dependencies.

Forecast Chart View: A graphical representation that projects the timeline and estimated completion of tasks based on historical data and work patterns.

Gantt Chart View: A type of view that displays a visual timeline for projects, where each task is represented as a bar chart, showing when it starts and ends.

Grouping: The act of organizing related tasks or information for better clarity and efficiency in process management.

List: A categorization element that allows for grouping of tasks (represented as cards) based on certain criteria. Each card can be part of only one list for a clear-cut organization.