How to Improve a Work Processes A Simple Approach Quality Minds, Inc. 3/27/09

Step One: Define the Opportunity for Improvement What are your customers saying about your product or service? Complete a Project Charter: Project information: Pick a team leader, a team mentor, and a start and end date for the project Team Members: Pick five to six team members making sure the membership is cross functional Process Start/Stop: Where does the process (to be improved) start and stop? Process Importance: Why is this process important to your business? Process Improvement Opportunities: What needs to improve? This may come from your customer or from within your organization Process Goals: What are your goals for this process? What do you want to achieve in the project? Process Measurements: How will you know if you reached the goals? How will you track progress? Project time frame: List the key steps of your project with dates. Mske sure the dates fit within the start and end dates for the project.

What are your customers saying about your product or service?

Complete a Project Charter:

Project information: Pick a team leader, a team mentor, and a start and end date for the project

Team Members: Pick five to six team members making sure the membership is cross functional

Process Start/Stop: Where does the process (to be improved) start and stop?

Process Importance: Why is this process important to your business?

Process Improvement Opportunities: What needs to improve? This may come from your customer or from within your organization

Process Goals: What are your goals for this process? What do you want to achieve in the project?

Process Measurements: How will you know if you reached the goals? How will you track progress?

Project time frame: List the key steps of your project with dates. Mske sure the dates fit within the start and end dates for the project.

Project: Project Information Leader: Mentor: Project Start: Project End: Cost of Poor Quality: Process Importance Process Improvement Opportunities Team Members Mentor: Leader: Team Members: Process Start/Stop Start Point: Stop Point: Project Goals Process Measurements Project Time-Frame Milestone: Date:

Step Two: Measure the Process Understand the process as it exists today. You are painting a “before picture” Techniques: Time it Videotape it Talk to the people that work within it Create a SIPOC Diagram of the Process: S (Suppliers): Who supplies each input? I (Inputs): What are the key inputs for this process? These are the ingredients needed to make the process happen. P(Process): Write out the general steps of the process. Look at the process from a satellite view. This is the recipe for the output O (Output): What are the key outputs of the process? These are what the customer is paying for C (Customer): List your customers. You have external customers (those that pay you for your product and/or service) and internal customers (internal departments that receive output from this process) Collect performance data for the different areas of the SIPOC diagram: Supplier, Inputs, Process, Output, Customers

Understand the process as it exists today. You are painting a “before picture”

Techniques:

Time it

Videotape it

Talk to the people that work within it

Create a SIPOC Diagram of the Process:

S (Suppliers): Who supplies each input?

I (Inputs): What are the key inputs for this process? These are the ingredients needed to make the process happen.

P(Process): Write out the general steps of the process. Look at the process from a satellite view. This is the recipe for the output

O (Output): What are the key outputs of the process? These are what the customer is paying for

C (Customer): List your customers. You have external customers (those that pay you for your product and/or service) and internal customers (internal departments that receive output from this process)

Collect performance data for the different areas of the SIPOC diagram: Supplier, Inputs, Process, Output, Customers

SIPOC Diagram of Process Metrics Customer Satisfaction Customer Complaints Returned product On time delivery SPC Inspection and Testing Process Capability Process Audits Scrap First Time Quality Changeover Cycle Time Incoming Inspection Process Audits Supplier Quality Supplier Delivery Quality System Audit Process Audits Customer Output Process Inputs Supplier

Step Three: Analyze the Process Once you have measured the process and understand how it is performing, analyze the process to understand the specific areas that need to be improved Basic Techniques Fishbone Diagram Brainstorming Nominal Technique Issue a root cause statement

Once you have measured the process and understand how it is performing, analyze the process to understand the specific areas that need to be improved

Basic Techniques

Fishbone Diagram

Brainstorming

Nominal Technique

Issue a root cause statement

Root Cause Statement

Step Four: Improve the Process Using the root cause statement and the results of the analysis, take actions to improve the process Use the plan/do/check/act approach to implement improvement actions: Plan the action: List the action along with a responsibility and due date Carry out or do the action Verify or check that the action worked Take action based on what you learned from your check

Using the root cause statement and the results of the analysis, take actions to improve the process

Use the plan/do/check/act approach to implement improvement actions:

Plan the action: List the action along with a responsibility and due date

Carry out or do the action

Verify or check that the action worked

Take action based on what you learned from your check

Change in Process Before After

Step Five: Control the Process Implement controls to sustain the improvement Develop a control plan to document the process controls Techniques Statistical Process Control Process Audits 5s Audits Standard Operating Procedures Work Instructions

Implement controls to sustain the improvement

Develop a control plan to document the process controls

Techniques

Statistical Process Control

Process Audits

5s Audits

Standard Operating Procedures

Work Instructions