process flow defined

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Process Flow Defned

Process fow - a task or unction that is perormed to get a desired end-result. Process

management represents a systematic approach to process improvement.

Documents a process

Evaluates the current process in place

Evaluates how many people are involved in the current process

Evaluates how many steps are in the current process

And uncovers potential sources o trouble in the current process

Creating a Process Flow:

The Five Essential Steps to Process Flowing:. !ommunicate why and the bene"ts

#. $ollow the guidelines

%. Determine the level o detail&. Ask probing 'uestions( or e)ample( who( what( why( and how long*

+. Provide process fow diagram

Benefts o a Process Flow: ,o assist with analying the process or bottlenecks and duplicate processes

,o help in eliminating unnecessary steps

,o identi"es potential dollar and time savings

And helps identiy how technology is or is not being put to use

uccessul companies have distinct processes in place de"ned by key processes and

measurements based on customer re'uirements and priorities.

,hey de"ne and implement strategies to keep each process measure in control and

proactively look or ways to keep improving processes.

Improving a Process

Ke Elements or Improving a Process. /dentiy the process

#. /dentiy potential problems in the process

%. Analye the causes

&. 0ede"ne the process

+. !ommunicate the results1. /mplement the process changes

!" Identi the Process. Prioritie processes by identiying those processes that need to be enhanced or

changedi. 2ow to Prioritie Processes3

4 Priority 5ne3 ,hose processes you have the ability to change now

4 Priority ,wo3 ,hose you can infuence now

4 Priority ,hree3 ,hose you cannot change or infuence

#. Assign owners6teams - someone in the company who has the authority to

approve changes made in the process%. Establish guidelines or time lines( responsibilities and tasks /dentiy the Process

/dentiy the Process

#" Identi Pro$lems in the Process:4 7rainstorm ideas

4 0eer to customer data and inormation

4 7reak-down processes to the smallest elements


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4 0e-prioritie( i needed

%" &nal'e Ca(ses:4 0oot !ause 4 the most basic cause o the problem

4 ,alk to !ustomers6uppliers 4 really understand their needs and get their input

4 !ollect Data to 8alidate !oncerns 4 measurements

4 tate the Problems 4 be clear and speci"c 4 a problem statement4 7enchmark 4 sharing 7est Practices

)" *edefne the Process 4 Eliminate teps

4 increased e9ciency : save money and time 4 et ;ew hen you take action to change 4 Do /t?4 Ater the plan is communicated 4 evaluate and inspect the new process

4 /mplement your new process

Process Flow Terms: &h-.a- A new idea that comes out o the process fow session that is captured or later

consideration.

Par/ing 0ot- ,he tasks( lack o materials( redundancies( etc. that make one@s ob

cumbersome. ,hese items are captured or later consideration.

Process Flowchart- Bives a pictorial representation o a process showing the steps(decision points( and fow.

,he fowchart should depict how the process is actually being perormed on the day the

process is charted 4 not the way it was intended or you wish it to be.

1pport(nities For Improvement 21FI3 -,he Ah-2a@s and Parking Cot items are turned

into positive statements and presented as opportunities or improvement within the o9ce.

De$rie 4eeting4 ession where the Ceadership ,eam analyes the process and begins to

look or ways to eliminate unnecessary steps( eliminate duplicate steps( move to a paperless

environment and optimie the use o technology.

&ction Plan4 A spreadsheet that lists each 5pportunity or /mprovement that the

Ceadership ,eam decided to implement.

,he Action Plan lists the 5$/( who it is assigned to( the target completion date( status

updates( and completion date.

Action Plan - ,arget Date Buidelines3

4 A Priority 4 %F Days rom Debrie

4 7 Priority 4 GF Days rom Debrie

4 ! Priority 4 1


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A process fow can3

make a huge process understandable

bring a large group together

resolved diKerences

create a vision

create an action plan

P$A is a visual aid to enable us to LEEL the whole process rom end to end( identiying the

value( making it fow and eliminate waste. P$A helps to address the "ve elements in the

cycle : peciy 8alue M /dentiy the value stream M $low M Pull M Perection 4 all aimed at

relentlessly eliminating waste rom a process.

,his module draws upon LCeanL principles3 Cean is oten described as an approach or

providing products or services that a customer re'uires on-time( o the right 'uality( at the

right price( in the right amount( whilst meeting budgetary constraints and continually

reducing costs.

,his module includes a LnotesL eature which encourages learners to ocus their thinking

around real lie situations rom their work place. At points throughout the course learners will

be asked to stop and think about their own work situation and( using the LnotesL eature(

document how this could apply in their own work environment.

,his module also gives you a step-by-step guide o how to create a fow diagram using E)cel.

,he overall aim o this module is to give learners a broad knowledge o the theory behind

and the tips or undertaking Process $low Analysis.

2aving completed this module learners will be able to3

Nnderstand the process fow tool and how to use it

Nnderstand the pitalls and issues associated with running a process fow

Nnderstand the importance o the action plan

0esson Plan

Areas covered include3

>elcome and Cearning 5bectives

Cean Principles

Process $low Analysis and ummary

&ccreditation

,he content o this course has been independently certi"ed as conorming to universally

accepted !ontinuous Proessional Development I!PDJ guidelines.Certifcation

5n completion o this course you will be able to download a 8irtual !ollege certi"cate.

D(ration

Appro)imately % - & hours. ,he length o time taken depends entirely on how 'uickly you can

study and absorb the material. Hou can proceed as 'uickly or slowly as you like.


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Target &(dience

,his e-learning module is aimed at anyone running a large process fow proect involving

teams= however( the principles are the same or smaller-scale activities. Process $low is

e'ually powerul with two people( a piece o paper and a pen.

Although this module uses e)amples and scenarios rom a 2ealth and ocial !are setting( it

is e'ually useul to anyone outside o this sector( who would like to understand Process $low.

>hat is a Process $low !hart*

A fowchart is a pictorial representation using special symbols to show each step in a

process.

Flow Chart Sm$ols$lowchart symbols represent the type o

processing perormed3

0ectangle3 Activity in the process= a step

Diamond3 A decision in the process is

needed

5blong3 ,he start and6or stop o the process


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Process Flow Chart sm$ols

5PE0A,/5;


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tandardie3


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containing a simple 'uestion to which the answer is LyesL or LnoL as shown in $ig. #.


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Fig" %" Contin(ing Flowcharts across pages

7y using multiple connector bo)es( it is very easy or fowcharts to become very large(

although this is usually sel-deeating( as the $lowchart then becomes di9cult to

understand. ,he ideal sie or a $lowchart is one page( as this gives a single visual LchunkL

that is reasonably easy to understand as a single item.

Carge processes can be broken down into a hierarchical set o smaller $lowcharts by

representing a lower level process as a single sub-process bo). ,his behaves like a normal

action bo) at the higher level( but can be Loomed intoL to e)pose another $lowchart( as

shown in $ig. &.

Fig" )" S($ processes

An additional LactionL bo) that can be useul when analying processes is the wait bo)(

which highlights a delay Ii.e.noactionJ like the illustration. ,his is a typical point where the

overall cost o a process may be improved by acting( possibly on other processes( to reduce

the delay.


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Fig" +" Dela 7owchart sm$ol

2ow to Draw an EKective $lowchart

Hou need to consider a ew things when drawing an eKective fowchart. !heck out asimple

fowchart guidebeore you start.

De"ne the process boundaries with starting and ending points.

!omplete the big picture beore "lling in the details.

!learly de"ne each step in the process. 7e accurate and honest.

/dentiy time lags and non-value-adding steps.

!irculate the fowchart to other people involved in the process to get their comments.

$lowcharts dont work i theyre not accurate or i the team is too ar removed rom

the process itsel. ,eam members should be true participants in the process and

eel ree to describe what really happens. A thorough fowchart should provide a

clear view o how a process works. >ith a completed fowchart( you can3

/dentiy time lags and non-value-adding steps.

/dentiy responsibility or each step.

7rainstorm or problems in the process.

Determine maor and minor inputs into the process with a cause O eKect diagram.

!hoose the most likely trouble spots with the consensus builder.

Buidelines or Drawing a $lowchart

,here are no hard and ast rules or constructing fowcharts( but there areguidelines which are useul to bear in mind. 2ere are si) steps which can be used

as a guide or completing fowcharts.
https://www.edrawsoft.com/simpleflowchartguide.phphttps://www.edrawsoft.com/simpleflowchartguide.phphttps://www.edrawsoft.com/simpleflowchartguide.phphttps://www.edrawsoft.com/simpleflowchartguide.php


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Agree on a standard fowchart symbolset to use. Alternatively( a company standard

may be available. /t is important to agree a standard as there are several conficting

common uses.

Draw a start terminator bo) at the top o the work area.

Add the "rst bo) below the start bo)( identiying the "rst action simply by asking(

L>hat happens "rst*L. Add an appropriate bo) around it.

Add subse'uent bo)es below the previous bo)( identiying each action by asking(

>hat happens ne)t*. Draw an arrow rom the previous bo) to this one.

Describe the process to be charted.

tart with a LtriggerL event.

;ote each successive action concisely and clearly.

Bo with the main fow Iput e)tra details in other chartsJ.


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Detailed Flowchart

A imple Process $low !hart


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9hat is a B($$le Diagram

A bubble diagram is a diagram which represents inormation visually in the orm o a serieso bubbles. ,his type o diagram can be used to present a wide variety o inormation or the

purpose o activities like presentations( planning out designs( and developing strategy.


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Braphical tool that shows the matri)s tabular ormat o connections or correlations

between ideas or issues. A present or absent relationship e)ists at each intersection o rows

and columns.

,he matri) diagram shows the relationship between two( three or our groups o

inormation. /t also can give inormation about the relationship( such as its strength( the

roles played by various individuals or measurements.


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