Process Mapping
Work flow or process mapping is the means to lower errors, increase productivity, and generate a positive impact on customer satisfaction and shareholder value. This effort is similar to accumulating the road maps necessary to define the alternative routes before making a cross-country road trip with your entire family.
The process typically involves the following steps:
(click on the step below to learn more)
Use the Messenger
Contact Mercury Management to guide you through this process, from targeting processes ripe for improvement, to celebration of accomplishment, improvement and closure. We will manage the interpersonal issues that will arise along the way so that they do not interfere with progress toward improving the target process, improving customer satisfaction and increasing shareholder value.
---
Select the process that you want to target for improvement. Some examples of candidate processes include: manufacturing glass bottles, handling customer service at an appliance repair facility, a registration process at a community college, or bulk deliveries.
The team should include representatives from all departments involved in the targeted operation. This cross-functional team may be made up of customer service reps, managers, engineers, administrative staff, accountants and department heads. The team must be empowered to make significant changes and management must be committed to sanction and oversee justifiable changes.
Step 3: Map current process flow
Generate a diagram for each process step including the decision trees, branches, time spent, distances traveled, people contacted and other key aspects. In some cases, it will be more productive to generate a list of the individual tasks first, then use this information as input for creating the process diagram.
Step 4: Identify problem areas
Problem areas are those areas in which team members perceive or know that there are unresolved major issues, such as poor customer satisfaction, lengthy lead times, lack of ownership, loopholes, excessive expenses, finger-pointing, etc.
Use the available resources, knowledge and experience to identify possible action steps for each problem area. Avoid the temptation to evaluate each of them at this point. The work flow mapping leader will ensure that each potential action is evaluated later in the process.
Identify preliminary and final action steps. Gain group consensus. Alternatively, ask each team member to produce a list of favorites and establish a cross-section of all lists, or create a “top 10” list.
Step 7: Assign responsibilities
Team members must take ownership and responsibility for each action step approved by the team. Form sub-team where appropriate.
Set deadlines with clear interim milestones. Assign responsibilities for actions and deadlines. Gain final consensus on content.
The work flow process leader should be accountable for follow-through. Set dates for follow-up meeting at appropriate intervals to asses progress and the availability of resources.
Once the process is complete (change is complete, or change has been proved not feasible) the team should be brought to formal closure. Senior management responsible for the process/operation should be advised of the result. Team members should sign off on the outcome. The ream may sunset, or move on to another opportunity.
Mercury Redstone Rocket
M² Offerings:
Interviewing Employees
Lean Operations
Diagnostics
Continuous Improvement
Activity-based costing
Process Mapping
Waste Minimization & P2
> See Services section for more
