Naval Group implements a high-performance quality management system

Implement a high-performance quality management system

Naval Group is Europe’s leading provider of naval defense systems and services. The company generated €3.6 billion in revenue in 2018 and had 14,860 employees at year-end.

In 2015, Naval Group’s quality assurance department noted a series of operating problems and quality issues resulting from the incorrect implementation of the company’s business processes. More specifically, the processes were not being followed consistently across the organization, they were not stored in a way that employees could find them easily, and there were missing processes in certain critical areas.

The company therefore decided to revamp its Business Management System (BMS) with four main goals in mind:

• Simplify and standardize its business processes, in ways that better aligns the company’s operations with its strategy.
• Make process documentation more readily available with the help of business process modeling. The recent update to ISO 9001 – which no longer talks about quality manuals or procedures, but rather “documented information” – was another driver for the BMS upgrade and paved the way to a process-modeling approach.
• Train staff across the organization on the BMS, to increase buy-in and make it easier for them to understand and use the application.
• Boost the effectiveness of process implementation out in the field. By monitoring whether processes are implemented correctly out in the field, management can spot any failures and update the processes if needed.

All the company’s business processes in a single repository

Naval Group’s management decided to use MEGA’s HOPEX Business Process Analysis solution to model all the company’s processes. Until then, the company had 1,200 instructions and over 3,000 operating documents and templates. The BMS project team decided to start from scratch and redefine all the processes required for the company’s operations. They then mapped the processes, depicting the upper layers, the process end-points, the main rules to follow, and the interfaces among different processes. The documents associated with each process were linked to them within the HOPEX application and included instructions for how the processes should be implemented.

Setting up the modelling method and installing the related software took six months, during which the BMS project team worked closely with a team of MEGA consultants. The whole BMS implementation took 18 months. The project concluded with the launch of a company intranet for all employees, where process descriptions could be stored and shared dynamically and interactively.

Today, Naval Group managers use the business process models as a reference and guide to how the company’s operations are structured. The models are also used in a company-wide online training program – involving thousands of hours of training – to teach employees about the processes related to their particular function. The business process models are currently managed by a centralized team that works to ensure consistency and proper implementation across the organization. A network of 130 employees around France are responsible for overseeing the models on a decentralized level.

“When we decided to model our business processes, we started from scratch. First we came up with a description of each process used in our operations, then we divided each process up into sub-processes. That also allowed us to align our procedures with international quality standards, correct any inconsistencies, and make sure we weren’t missing anything.“
Thibaut Farineau, Head of Performance Quality and System Quality, Naval Group 

Improved quality in operations, thanks to simple and accessible processes

The project team streamlined all the company’s processes and slashed the number of documents by 75%, whittling them down to 16 macro-processes, 80 sub-processes, and 1,200 documents (including 200 instructions).

Processes are better followed because they are clearer, easier to understand, and more readily shared. Today, management can measure process compliance in real-time with the help of around 30 tables that list various criteria for determining how well processes are being implemented. The number of process points being measured rose from 450 in 2017 to nearly 700 in 2018, giving managers a more granular view of actual implementation at each entity within the organization.

The company now has an intranet where all employees can view process documentation for their function and collaborate on processes efficiently. The new intranet also has a feature where certain documents can be shared with customers and other stakeholders outside the company. Management now plans to expand the intranet to employees worldwide as part of its international development strategy.

"We launched the intranet just 18 months after presenting the BMS project to management, thanks to the active support of MEGA consultants. Now all our employees can see models of all our business processes.“ 

Business processes are better aligned with the company’s strategy and operations. Everything the company does is now documented in the BMS, including for the most recent initiatives like those on cybersecurity. 

Rewriting the processes enabled the company to ensure they comply with the international standards that customers require, such as the systems engineering standard ISO 15288. Now the company can demonstrate its BMS and business process models to its customers, who can use the application’s search and browsing features to check the process interfaces (inputs and outputs) and make sure processes are ISO compliant.

"100% of our operations are now documented in our BMS. HOPEX is the solution for structuring our views of our business processes, with their interfaces, content, and related documentation.“

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About Naval Group

Naval Group is the European leader in naval defense. The company’s success as an advanced technology company with a global reach is built on meeting customer needs by deploying exceptional know-how, unique industrial resources, and an ability to develop innovative strategic partnerships. Naval Group designs and builds submarines and surface combatants and offers a full range of services to naval bases and shipyards. It has also expanded its focus into marine renewable energy. Aware of its corporate social responsibilities, Naval Group is a member of the United Nations Global Compact. In 2018, the company generated revenue of €3.6 billion and employed 14,860 people.