Process Mastering: A Sure Way to Invigorate Your Improvement Efforts

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Process MasteringA Sure Way to Invigorate Your
Improvement Efforts

• Presented by
• Ray W. Wilson

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Definitions

• Process Mastering A discipline which focuses on
  reducing process variation and increasing process
  knowledge through experts, linking customers and
  suppliers. In this case the experts are the
  people who do the work in the process everyday.
• Process Master The documented, current best
  known way to do a job or run a process. A
  cookbook for doing the process - putting the best
  known way down on paper or on line.
• Best Known Way The safest, easiest, simplest
  current way to get results that satisfy customer
  needs the road map for everyone to follow until
  a better method is chosen.

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Step One Select Team Leader

• Done by the Process Mastering team sponsor

• The Team Leader
• Assembles the team
• Sets agendas
• Leads team meetings

• Coordinates paperwork
• Trains new workers using process master
• Monitors the process to be sure master is
  followed
• Is the process owner

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Step Two Define the Process

• Set process boundaries

• What is the name of the process?
• Where does the process start and stop?
• What inputs and suppliers are part of the
  process?
• What is the process output?
• Are there naturally occurring boundaries?

• Smaller is normally better because processes are
  always more complicated than they look. An
  ideally sized process could have up to 9 major
  steps with fewer than 5 sub-steps each

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Step Three Select a Team

• Sponsor and team leader select team

• Team members should have
• Process know-how, tricks of the trade
• Process theory, safety information
• Approximately five process workers

• Team members should
• Keep rest of workers informed
• Get input from other workers
• All shifts need to be included
• May include suppliers and customers

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Step Four Establish Team Norms

• Team chooses standard, rules, or pattern for
  their individual and group behavior

• Decided by the team and sponsor
• Every team member gets a copy
• Everyone is expected to follow, challenge and add
  to the list as necessary
• Examples
• Everyone participates
• Honesty
• No put-downs
• No beepers or cell phones

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Step Five Flowchart the Process

• Decide on the best sequence of job steps

• Use a top-down flow chart with major steps at the
  top and sub-steps underneath
• Capture the best known methods
• Start step name with an action verb

• Number flow chart steps for later identification
• Identify key steps with asterisks
• Capture new, untried ideas on a Parking Lot List
  for later trial

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Step Six List Customers Needs and How the
Process Fills Those Needs

• (Do this for External and Internal Customers)
• List the vital few customers or customer classes
• List and choose two to five most important
  customer needs
• List process actions (steps) which affect how the
  customer needs are met
• Evaluate how strongly the process actions affect
  the customers needs

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Step Seven - List What is Controlled

• List two to five critical conditions or control
  points watched in the process
• Write how the critical conditions or control
  points can be monitored for effectiveness
• Evaluate how important the measurement is to the
  critical condition or control point

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Step Eight - List Needs From Suppliers

• List the vital few suppliers or classes of
  suppliers
• List what is wanted or needed most from suppliers
• List how the process uses the suppliers
  deliveries
• Evaluate how important the supplier inputs are to
  the process

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Step Nine List Tools, Equipment and Supplies

• . . . that are necessary to do the job.
• (Those that are necessary but may be removed from
  the work area)
• Ex. A volt meter, grease gun, or gas mask, NOT a
  desk or light fixtures
• List supplies that may be used up during the
  process
• Note if inspection, calibration or maintenance is
  required before use

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Step Ten - Capture Key Steps -Identification

• Identify key process steps on the flow chart

1. Has the step caused errors in the past?
2. Is the step complicated?
3. Does the step have a safety issue?

1. Has the step been found important to internal or
   external customers? (Check the A Charts)
2. Is a control point associated with the step?

• Mark key steps on flow chart with asterisks

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Step Ten - Capture Key Steps (cont.) - Worksheet

• Transfer flowchart step number and name to
  worksheet
• Reach consensus and document the best known way
  to do the step
• Capture tricks of the trade
• Identify consequences of doing the step wrong
  including safety issues
• List or identify at least one measurement for the
  process
• Discuss possible exceptions to the best known way

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Step Eleven - Try Out Process Master

• Train those not on the team
• Follow process master to check for errors and
  omissions
• Have a novice work through the process to see if
  it makes sense
• Collect exceptions that may be added to the
  process master

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Step Twelve - Review and Modify Process Master

• Discuss how it went

• Are any steps, tricks, or safety concerns
  missing, wrong or unclear?
• Should any exceptions be included in the master?
• Did the novice follow through the process master
  to find anything that doesnt make sense?

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Step Thirteen - Sign Off and Take Responsibility

• Update the Process Master and get documents put
  into final form
• Have everyone including the sponsor sign the
  finished document
• Monitor the use and the process measurement(s)
• Begin improving to make the process better

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Some Benefits From Process Mastering

• Stable predictable processes
• Trained workforce
• Communication cleaner and friendlier
• Management support (Workers are empowered)
• Less reliance on inspection
• Data used to manage and make decisions
• Fewer workers injured on the job

• Happier, more fulfilled workers. More pride and
  joy in work.
• Lower employee turnover
• Fewer breakdowns
• Organization learns more rapidly
• Support for revised ISO 9000
• More profit, less waste

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Additional information

• Ray Wilson, P.E. served on the executive
  management team of Countrymark Cooperative, Inc.
  for 10 years and led the company's Customer
  Focused Quality improvement effort. He is
  co-author of Process Mastering - How to Establish
  and Document the Best Known Way to Do a Job. His
  firm, Ray Wilson Associates, specializes in
  organizational and operational improvement.
• Email rwwilson_at_iquest.net
• Web Page www.rwwilson.com