Handbook For Basic Process Improvement Page 24
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40Handbook for Basic Process Improvement
Is the step being performed by the appropriate person?
Is the step a work-around because of poor training or a safety net inserted to
prevent recurrence of a failure?
Is the step a single repeated action, or is it part of a rework loop which can be
eliminated?
Does the step add value to the product or service produced by the process?
If the answers to these questions indicate waste, the team should consider doing away
with the step. If a step or decision block can be removed without degrading the process,
the team is recovering resources which can be used elsewhere in the organization.
Eliminating redundant or unnecessary steps confers an added benefit: a decrease in cycle
time. Only part of the time it takes to complete most processes is productive time; the rest
is delay. Delay consists of waiting for someone to take action, waiting for a part to be
received, and similar unproductive activities. Consequently, removing a step which causes
delay reduces cycle time by decreasing the total time it takes to complete the process.
After making preliminary changes in the process, the team should create a flowchart of
the simplified process . Now comes the sanity check:
Can the simplified process produce products or services acceptable
to customers and in compliance with applicable existing directives?
If the answer is “yes,” and the team has the authority to make changes, they should
institute the simplified flowchart as the new standard picture of the process. But perhaps
the team is required to get permission to make the recommended changes. In that case, a
comparison of the simplified flowchart with the original as-is flowchart can become the
centerpiece of a briefing to those in a position to grant approval.
At this point, the people working in the process must be trained using the new flowchart of
the simplified process. It is vital to ensure that they understand and adhere to the new way
of doing business. Otherwise, the process will rapidly revert to the way it was before the
improvement team started work.
The tools the team needs to simplify the current process and make preliminary changes
are explained in the following modules of the Basic Tools for Process Improvement :
Module 1:
Operational Definitions
Module 6:
Flowchart
20
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