Remember to think about measuring a process in four dimensions: quantity, quality, timeliness and cost.Īnytime there is a diamond on a process flow diagram, it represents a potential measurement point. Ever had someone say that you can’t measure what they do? Draw a process flow diagram of his/her process, and the measurement points will be evident. This is something that is often overlooked with process flow diagrams – using them to discover where to measure a process. Once the process flow diagram is completed, it is easy to see where the process can be measured. These two shapes are all you really need for a process flow diagram. First, only two shapes are used: a rectangle for a step in the process and a diamond for a decision point in the process. One thing to note about the process flow diagram in Figure 1. A process flow diagram also helps gain consensus on what the process is, in this case, for empowering a project team. This is why process flow diagrams are useful as training tools. The process flow diagram above helps an individual understand how a project team is empowered. Too large a scope can lead to a huge process flow diagram. This defines the “scope” of the process flow diagram. The steps in between the starting and ending points simply lay out the flow for empowering a project team.įigure 1: Process Flow Diagram for Empowering a Project Teamĭefining the starting and ending points for a process flow diagram is very important. The 23 steps in this example are labeled. The starting point for this process is: “Individual or group has an idea for a process improvement project.” The ending point is that the facilitator enters the information into the Project Tracking System (once the project is complete). So, this process flow diagram needs enough detail so an employee understands the process. Its intended use is to explain the process to employees who may want to submit an idea for a process improvement project. For example, you will have less detail in a process flow diagram that is describing your process to your customer than you would if you are using the process flow diagram for finding improvement areas.įigure 1 is a process flow diagram for empowering a project team to work on a process improvement idea. The amount of detail in a process flow diagram depends on who the customer is for the process flow diagram. It can be very detailed or more of an overview. You can download a pdf copy of this publication at this link.Ī process flow diagram provides a picture of your process. Please feel free to leave a comment at the end of the publication. A process flow diagram helps identify and eliminate waste. It is also easier to see where a process can be measured or improved when looking at a process flow diagram. It helps get agreement on what the process steps are. Ever found that someone else is doing a process more efficiently than you?Ī process flow diagram provides a method of defining the steps in a process. Talk about increasing variation in a process! And everyone thinks his/her way is the best. But what about the support processes – those like paying suppliers, receiving incoming material, or responding to a customer complaint? These processes are often not well-defined and sometimes not defined at all. It is easy to follow a part through the processing steps. Are your processes well-defined? Many manufacturing processes are well-defined. Think about your processes – either at work or at home. This publication examines how to use a process flow diagram for process improvement. This is a simple, non-statistical tool that gives you many insights into your process. There is one simple tool that is not included in this list. If you search the internet for the seven basic quality tools, you will find the tools that we covered in a recent publication – histograms, cause and effect diagrams, check sheets, Pareto diagrams, graphs, control charts, and scatter diagrams. Select this link for information on the SPC for Excel software.) Select "Return to Categories" to go to the page with all publications sorted by category. (Note: all the previous publications in the process improvement category are listed on the right-hand side.
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