Because of the sheer volume of traffic entering and leaving seaports on any given day, it is crucial to streamline the logistics involved in controlling these flows of ships and trucks to minimize waste in terms of waiting and processing times. EFFORTS (Effective Operations in Ports), an institution funded by the European Commission, took it upon itself to accomplish just that. Through the use of the Enterprise Process Center®, EFFORTS was able to document and analyze existing processes. Their mandate was to eventually have a turnkey operation that could be implemented at any port under its jurisdiction.

The Challenge

Seeing as ports house a multitude of competing logistics entities that must coordinate with one another every day to assure a smooth flow of traffic, there must be a degree of information sharing. When taking on this BPM initiative, many felt uncomfortable with giving access to some of their intellectual property. This resistance intensified when individuals that had been performing tasks in a certain way for decades did not understand the value of documenting them; they believed that their way of performing a task was the best. The different stakeholders of this project had to thus be shown how this project could help them reach their own objectives.

Outcomes Achieved

The EFFORTS team now has access to a detailed library to be used by supply chain managers and port authorities so as to have a baseline on which they can continuously improve on. By mapping out their processes, key stakeholders can now better evaluate performance through key performance indicators, have a concrete framework for evaluating and mitigating risks and have access to important files within a single platform.

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