Content area
Full Text
Abstract: Increasing process efficiency is crucial for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) competitiveness. In the past decades, various solutions and tools have been developed to support enterprises in implementing data-driven process analysis and optimization. However, these solutions are mainly designed for large-sized businesses and thus they focus on standardized processes. However, processes in SMEs, particularly in small-sized enterprises, are often flexible and non-standardized. Therefore, there is a gap between the existing offers and the SMEs' needs.
This study highlights the limitations of existing process analysis concepts in analysis of non-standardized and it offers a new concept to analyze such processes, via integration and video and sensor analysis tools.
Keywords: Process Analysis, Process Optimization, Non-standardized processes, SMEs
1 Introduction
Processes are vital contributors to SMEs' innovativeness and competitiveness (Henriquez-Alvarado et al., 2019). A study by Keeley et al. (2013) on over 2000 firms indicates that although most companies focused on improving and innovating their product and services, the most successful companies focused more on the improvement of internal processes and configurations. Agile processes also assisted enterprises in enhancing their resilience during and after supply chain crises and market turbulences (Raj et ak, 2022).
Currently many European countries, especially Germany are dealing with the shortage of workforce. A report by the European Commission (2023) indicates that 53% of micro companies, 65% of small companies, and 68% of medium-sized companies face a shortage of labor force. 42% of survived SMEs consider the lack of technicians as the main workforce shortage in the company. Although this shortage existed before 2020, it was amplified during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and it is expected to remain a main challenge for the economic growth of Europe. Scholars have suggested different strategies, from new approaches for skill education (Lice, 2017) to the inclusion of digitalization of some processes (Velez-Lapao, Maia and Dussault, 2019). Nevertheless, the new studies show most of the existing approaches to bridging skills gaps do not impact companies' performance significantly (Nostrum, 2023). Nostrum argues the common approach of intensive utilization of the workforce does not also support companies to fill the workforce gap.
Following the argument of Nostrum, this study suggests a new approach that focuses directly on company performance by focusing on the optimization of the company's...