Change Plan: Going Paperless
Change Plan: Going Paperless
When implementing or even creating a change plan a manager needs to follow
a strict process.
Big parts of project management are the quantitative techniques
that can positively help with any change plan or technique.
Before going through the different steps and stages needed to build and
implement my change plan I want to first give a brief summary of my
organization and how we function as a group. I currently work with
a local
bank within the Wholesale Lending Division. My current position is Operations
Manager. The Wholesale Lending Division consists of three different business
lines, Sales,
Operations and Underwriting. My position is to oversea the
Operations Department. I currently have four managers and 29 indirect reports.
While the Wholesale Lending Division has three different business lines the
Operations group controls 2/3’s of the entire process. The Sales group is
responsible for obtaining business for the division and Underwriting deals with
the risk/qualification of each borrower.
Problem Statement
& Description of Problem
Many
mortgage operation
departments’
today work within
a paperless
environment
. U
nfortunately my department is in the
f
lintstone
ages
and still
work with
paper files.
Working within a paperless
environment
has a lot of
advantages
that can help many
companie
s
be successful. Below are some
advantages
Reduces
overall everyday costs
Quicker access to information
More space
Document security
Can handle additional growth
The main issue I see with paper files is the un
–
organization between the
different business lines. It absolutely weakens customer
satisfaction
an
d makes
the group inefficient with the process. There are many
scenarios
where
many
issues could have been resolved or elevated if the department was in a
paperless environment.
There are many moments when both underwriting and
operations are in need of th
e file and it delays the process for the customer.
In
order to ensure the Wholesale Lending Division sustains continuous business
and growth a change plan to enforce a paperless environment is absolutely
required. It will only create more business for the
division and allow us to be
efficient as one division.
Goals
My overall goal is to obviously make the division more efficient and obtain
more business. Going paperless isn’t an easy
task and will require many tasks
before even starting to be enforced. I p
lan to roll different phases of the project
to ensure it
is absolutely successful.
Step 1: Research different programs that offer
a
paperless
feature
and assess
cost v
ersu
s allowed budget.
Along with
senior management and all other
business lines
we will
determine which program is best to use within
the
division.
Step 2
: Update all PC equipment’s to be able to handle new software and
programs needed for going paperless
.
Step 3
: Research a flow process or production flow on how
the projected
process can wo
rk. Determine the earliest finish and start time to see how long it
would take for a file to reach the office
.
Step 4: Perform testing for two weeks with other business lines to determine
any issues with
the system
. All business lines need to designate at
least three
lead experts in the system to help in training the entire staff.
Step
5
: Update or program all internal systems including published
website for
entire team and brokers.
Step 6
:
Arrange a training schedule for entire team.
Test the system rem
ote
ability to send any documents from website to office.
Step 7
: Arrange an official rollout date and implement
Applications used towards goal
Both Senge and Brown gave many tools that anyone can use to
successfully
implement
any change plan. The four techniques I wish to use for
my Paperless change plan are systems thinking, design thinking, mental
models and shared vision. All these techniques may have different qualities but
if used the right way they can be extremely benefi
cial to any big project
and
work concisely together
. Below is how I plan to use each technique.
Systems Thinking
:
Systems thinking
technique will allow me to find the correlation between
implementing the new process and how it will benefit other important
components
.
Since many business lines are involved I need to ensure that every
idea is positively correlated.
Systems thinking will allow me to explore
interdependencies and patter
n
s.
If one component is lacking then like a domino
effect it will hamper the
other. One good thing with systems thinking is that
there is not one specific right answer. With systems thinking I’ll be able to use
different
flow processes
and use the best one. In order to ensure I use systems
thinking correctly I need to ensure I am
taking the important component
s
and
completing it completely.
Design Thinking
Design thinking can be thought as the official cognitive model to problem solve.
One important component of design thinking that will absolutely benefit my
change plan is process mapping thinking. Process mapping is very important
since
it will allow me to
think
of different helpful beginning points and using
innovation to have a successful end result. Design thinking will allow me to
create and
investigate
which tools are best to start a paperless environment.
This will be beneficial when I start my testing period. Testing period can be
very tricky since we are looking for underlying issues that may arise. Design
thinking will allow me to completely map out
my process and see which
sequence fits best for the organization.
Mental Models
One important mental mode that I use on a daily basis and wish to use for my
change plan is creating
scenarios
. Creating
scenarios
can be thought of as
brainstorming.
This t
echnique will allow me to test all different kinds of
outcomes and scenarios. When I start any project I like to list all my options and
determine which is best for my current situation. Creating scenarios will benefit
my plan since I’m not sure which path
will work. I need to list different possible
scenarios and choose one underlying one that will fit my team. I think mental
model
s will be most beneficial for me
especially during my first phases of
rolling out my plan. Before I start to implement changes
with going paperless I
want to use this mental model technique to determine all possible scenarios.
Shared Vision
While shared vision may not be an actual structural technique but
it is just as or
possibly
more important since it reflects the importance o
f the project to my
personal concept. Shared vision will allow me to strive for the best and ensure
th
is project is completed correctly. By completing
this project successfully it will
al
l
ow me to show my dedication and vision to my division. I want my div
ision
to succeed and I thank my vision for those aspirations. Being able to
successfully implement this change plan will only allow me to better myself as
an individual and pursue my personal vision.
Approach to Sustainability
In order for a paperless en
vironment to be effective it will require a lot of
testing and tweaking. Since this is a new design it most likely will have a lot of
issues but doing test/trial runs will be crucial. Before officially rolling out to
the
complete broker base we would
absol
utely need to
ensure it was 100% effective
and
if not we will need to
improve the process.
Also, i
n order to ensure my plan
goes successful
ly
I need to do continuous monitoring even after the division
goes paperless. I would like to continuous
ly test
and review at least up to three
months after
implementation.
Another important part to sustainability is team
involvement. The constant feedback from my team will allow the process to be
successful. My team will be the true test
of whether my change plan
is working
successfu
l
l
y
.
Conclusion
Going paperless for my department is the #1 goal on my wish list.
I have tried
to stress the importance of this change plan and the success it can have on the
division
to senior management
. Yes the initial cost may
be
high but the end
result will have outstanding results for the business line.
My superiors keep
pushing my request to the bottom
of their list because
the cost associated to go
paperless
is too high
. They know that amount of work that go
es
into the design
i
s extremely great
. It’s just not as simple as turning off a switch but a matter of
the department being ready and underlying issues. However, even though the
cost can be high the end result is well worth. The amount of profit the company
can attain is neve
r ending and can increase
.
I hope
by creating this change plan
I can
show
my manager the importance
of going paperless and how
the
strategic plan I have put together
can
be successful. I have learned a great deal
with this project and
have
prepared me to persuade my plan.
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