Enhancing member services, increasing productivity and lowering operating costs always rank high on the list of credit union objectives. But as more institutions analyze their business processes in order to better position themselves to make these objectives a reality, many are finding that their workflows are characterized by inefficiencies, waste and redundancies, all of which are undercutting their modernization efforts.

This accumulation of so-called "process debt" is likely the result of patchwork fixes that occurred whenever an issue arose within a business process. While such workarounds might have been convenient and even necessary at the time they were initially applied, they contribute to inefficiencies, inflated costs and a gradual decrease in quality. Just as important, they provide ample evidence that the organization simply lacks a commitment to continuous process improvement.