Process Improvement

Process Improvement is essential for a business to compete effectively both nationally and globally.

Identifying processes in your business that can be improved will help the company grow, expand and improve customer satisfaction and employee effectiveness.

There are several basic steps to help you identify the processes in your business that can made more productive and efficient.

• Step 1

Be familiar with the actual processes. Process improvement starts with having a firm foundation and understanding of all parts of the company. Understand how and what makes the organisation work today. Interview as many people as possible, get familiar with all departments and how they work together through observation, participation and questioning. The first step is knowing where to find opportunities. Document these processes, or even better map them.

• Step 2

Identify measurable processes in the core business functions. Gather data measurements of the business processes to get a better understanding. If a process cannot be measured than it cannot be improved. Measurable processes can include lead times to complete a task or deliverable, inventory levels, costs, sales, demand, labor hours and space allocations.

• Step 3

Look to where waste occurs in the process flow. Waste is defined as processes that do not add value to an organisation. Process improvement drives away waste and increases value in an organisation. Look for areas that are wasteful processes that do not add value. Such as dead/down time, excessive quality testing, delays, inventory overages, or excessive labor. Eliminating waste is a key step in identifying where processes can be improved.

• Step 4

Construct root cause analysis. Many opportunities for process improvement can be identified when searching for the root of problem areas. Get familiar with some tools of root cause analysis, such as Fish Bone Diagrams, and Value Stream Mapping. These tools will help identify where a process can break down and help to increase overall efficiency.

If you would like a discussion / need help to review your processes, identify opportunities for improvement and implement the steps necessary to achieve and realise them, please contact us.