There are a number of common obstacles that get in the way of business process improvement initiatiatives. Among them are:

1. We are too busy to take this on right now: If your organization is going through a period of exceptional resource challenges, it may be best to wait until the situation has stabilized. However, day to day resource constraints should not be used as a reson to defer a business improvement initiative. The project can be divided into smaller components that can be easily absorbed into day to day operations. A series of small wins will energize the organization and will get your people behind the change initiative, making it easier to digest significant change over time.
2. Our people usually resist change: Reistance to change is a powerful human characteristic that could be very positive for an organization. The same emotion that gets in the way of change will ensure new business practices, once adopted, will survive the test of time. Most resistance is tied to people's firm belief that the current way of doing business is working well. We overcome resistance by communicating the positive aspects of the change initiative in a way that relates to people's work.
3. We can do this ourselves: Unless your organization's core business is managing change, you may not have the experience, resources, and staying power to get the job done. Also, most organizations run fairly lean, which means you likely don't hvae the free resources to move the project forward at a meaningful pace.
4. We don't like bereaucracy - we like to give our people the freedom to use their judgement: No matter how much situational freedom people have, every organization has rules and guidelines that must be followed. In fact, most project professionals like to have some guidelines in place. We can design as much or as little control as you feel is necessary. Our objective is not to enforce a particular level of control but to bring forward industry best practices in a way that supports - and even enhances - your culture and values.
5. Standard processes would limit our ability to respond to our clients' needs: Clients expect service providers to accommodate their needs, but that does not mean they support an environment where anything goes. Once your process has been adjusted to suit the needs of a client or program, it's important that the processes are followed going forward.