Institutional inertia—the tendency to stick to long-standing processes simply because “that's how it's always been done”—is a challenge that many organizations face. Eaton, a global intelligent power management company, tackled this challenge head-on by leveraging SAP Signavio solutions to optimize operations and drive efficiency.
In this exclusive Q&A, we speak with Chris Lore, enterprise architect for ERP and Process Excellence, and Erin Smith, vice president of Business Process Excellence, Architecture, and Integration—both from Eaton. They share lessons learned, best practices for process standardization and cultural transformation, and the role that SAP Signavio solutions have played in supporting Eaton’s goals.
Q: Eaton has a deep-rooted history, with many employees spending decades in the company. How did the company’s institutional knowledge impact your process optimization efforts?
Erin Smith: When I first joined Eaton, I noticed that some business process documentation varied in completeness and consistency, and it wasn’t always stored in a centralized or easily accessible location. Employees had deep institutional knowledge stored in their minds, but nothing was formally documented. This created significant inefficiencies, especially for new hires who had to navigate complex workflows without guidance.
Chris Lore: The lack of documentation made it difficult to identify inefficiencies. We needed to make processes transparent, reusable, and easier to understand. That's where SAP Signavio Process Manager became a game changer.
Q: You’ve mentioned that process standardization was one of Eaton’s critical goals. How did you approach this transformation?
Smith: The shift toward standardization started with a mindset change. Instead of creating 31 different versions of the same process, we took a unified, modular approach. We moved away from region-specific customizations and toward standardized frameworks that could scale across the enterprise. SAP Signavio solutions played a significant role in driving this shift by providing clear, visual process maps that made standardization easier to adopt.
Lore: We built momentum by focusing on high-impact processes first. By demonstrating the benefits of standardization through real-world examples, we gained buy-in across multiple business units. The key was showing teams that a standardized approach didn’t mean losing flexibility—it was about gaining efficiency.
Q: Resistance to change is common in large organizations. How did you foster grassroots adoption of these process improvements?
Lore: Initially, we targeted teams that were most open to change. Our Aerospace group, for example, documented core processes and used them as a foundation for training other teams. We identified champions within different business units to drive process adoption and share success stories, which created a network effect.
Smith: Additionally, instead of overwhelming employees with 500-page documents, we used SAP Signavio solutions to provide intuitive process maps. By making processes easier to understand, we saw increased engagement across teams.
Q: How did your efforts help to drive operational efficiency?
Smith: Traditionally, our project teams would configure a system for a single region. However, once we redirected the approach by defining core capabilities that would apply across the company, we could better understand which capabilities were truly required. From there, we could assess those capabilities and move them around in process maps as needed.
Lore: Using SAP Signavio solutions, we created capability maps linked to process models and architectural diagrams. This helped ensure everyone in the business—whether from IT or operations—had a shared understanding of the system’s structure, its inputs and outputs, and how different components are connected. This holistic approach streamlined implementation and prevented redundant customizations.
Q: Adoption of process tools often starts small. How did Eaton scale its use of SAP Signavio solutions?
Lore: Adoption was initially slow, so we took a proactive approach. We reached out across the company, explaining why an effective and transparent process framework was critical, as well as giving demos. As teams began using the tools, word spread.
We have the process maps, know the inputs and outputs, and understand what we're trying to achieve. Additionally, we’re using SAP Signavio solutions to document architectures in the ArchiMate format to align with the overall process maps.
Now, from an enterprise architecture perspective, we’re asking ourselves how all these systems will integrate with one another? For each program team, we want to provide a playbook—essentially an overarching strategy to say, “Here’s what you’re trying to achieve and enable for the business, and here’s the architecture diagram to support it.”
Smith: We now have 135 active modelers and more than 142 commentators—and we expect those numbers to grow significantly as more teams get involved. Our users’ success stories helped accelerate adoption, showing people why this was worth their time.
Q: What advice would you give to other companies looking to embark on a similar process transformation journey?
Smith: My best advice is to start somewhere—perfection is the enemy of progress. Many organizations hesitate because they feel the need to document everything before taking action. Instead, they should focus on one impactful process, demonstrate its value, and build from there.
Lore: We also learned the importance of simplifying wherever you can. Business process modeling can seem complex, but it doesn't have to be. We narrowed down the critical elements of our business process model and notation process and eliminated unnecessary complexity. Making the process accessible and easy to understand is essential to drive adoption.
Q: What’s next for Eaton’s process transformation journey?
Lore: We’re planning to expand our capabilities with process mining and simulation. Our goal is to create a process landscape where decisions are fully data driven. So instead of making changes in isolation, teams will have complete visibility into how modifications impact the broader organization.
Smith: From an organizational perspective, we look forward to creating a culture where process-oriented thinking is embedded in decision-making at every level. Fundamentally, we’re working toward making transformation not just something we do at Eaton, but a core capability embedded in the way we work. By leveraging tools such as SAP Signavio solutions, we are well positioned to root every change in data and design it for long-term success.
Lessons learned and the road ahead
Eaton’s transformation journey showcases the power of a process-first approach. By standardizing workflows, fostering grassroots adoption, and leveraging SAP Signavio solutions, the company has transformed process optimization from an afterthought into a strategic advantage.