Quality and productivity through process management

Summary form only given, as follows. It is pointed out that, too often, the implementation of total quality management is characterized as a wholesale assault with a variety of quality tools. The key to successful implementation is a strategically driven, integrated approach to managing the organization's critical processes. For the most part, though, when executives first try to think in terms of processes rather than in terms of their functional stovepipes, they find a great deal of difficulty in making the translation. Putting aside parochial interests in favor of cross-functional processes which benefit the entire corporation is essential. Process management begins by assigning ownership for the process. Functions which in the past were retained as prerogatives of management now become the purview of the process action team. The first responsibility of the process action team is to clearly define the process. The next step is process simplification. After simplification, it is time to measure the performance of the process. At this point, one is ready to move to process control by examining key variances to determine where they occur, why they occur, and how they can be prevented. when the process is in control, then one is in a position to look for breakthrough opportunities.<>