psg approach to improving a process with tools

Process Perspectives

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Assessments • Roadmap • Improvement

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A PSG Approach to Improving Processes As organizations focus on understanding and managing their processes, they will need to periodically improve their processes based on a gap between actual performance and targeted performance. Ongoing monitoring of process performance measures identifies this gap. There are many improvement methods available to an organization, including:

• Six Sigma • Lean • Workout

When organizations are in the early phases of understanding and improving their processes, we recommend they use a basic approach that will allow them to get to their objective, without getting in the way. As you get experience and start managing and improving your processes on an ongoing basis, your methods and tools will need to expand to match the increasing maturity of your processes. They key is to use the right approach for the job at hand, and continue to develop and expand the toolset for process management and improvement. Every improvement approach has at its core these four elements.

Your process teams need a working knowledge of improvement techniques and how to apply them. The teams will be led by a facilitator who has knowledge of the improvement method to be used, and can guide the team to reach their objective. As your processes are managed and under control, the methods and tools you use will expand to match the increasing maturity of your processes.





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Our basic approach has 4 basic tenets: The goal is to address a business issue by improving the process that is impacting the issue. This approach can also be used to develop the initial map of a process.

Develop a picture of the current process: Define and document cross-functional business processes using process maps. Capture the assumptions, which underlie the process. Map the process to the level of detail needed to resolve the business issue at hand.

Document Problems & disconnects: Identify, capture and prioritize problems or disconnects associated with the current process environment.

Perform Value added analysis: Identify the value each activity adds to the overall process and the impact on the customer.

Analyze Cycle times: Assess process performance based on cycle and elapsed time and identify areas to improve overall process time.

Identify Performance Measures: Identify and define criteria for measuring and monitoring process performance.

Identify Process capabilities: Identify the capabilities that are needed in the new process.

Develop the “To Be” process: Develop and Map the “To Be” process. Address the problems identified in the current process.

Develop implementation plans: Identify the process changes that are required to implement the new process. Identify the impact of the changes and what is needed to implement the changes.

After the workshop is completed, the Process Team implements and manages the process Implement implementation plans: Implement the process changes that are required to implement the new process. Manage the New Process: Manage the process on an ongoing basis using the process measures identified. Continually update the process as needed to manage performance.





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Tools we use in a Process Improvement Session We use a room with enough wall space to hang a plastic drop cloth (this becomes our portable white board!) to capture the process steps and all the session output.

1) Develop a Picture of the Current Process and Develop the New Process:

We use 9’ by 12’ plastic drop clothes (at least 2 mil thick so they don’t rip). • Identify roles on the left hand side • We use small post it notes to capture process steps and place the steps by roll on the drop cloths.

2) We use flip cart paper to capture the rest of the analysis of the processes (Process Issues, Capabilities, and any items for follow up). These sheets are placed on the walls around the drop cloths (you can see them on the map above)





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3) As we look at the new process developed, the team will identify on the map the process measures to be developed to monitor the process as it is implemented. These are captured as a different colored post it note (here red) and placed on the process map (as shown below)

4) We capture the process changes as Transition Plans, and tie each of the changes back to problems identified in the analysis of the Process.

If you would like to learn how we facilitate these sessions along with more details on our approach, contact us.

psg approach to improving a process with tools

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