Process Flowcharts.

Transcription

1 Prcess Flwcharts Organizatinal chart activity invlves many separate tasks. These are ften cmplex and they change ver time in respnse t new custmer demands, new prduct and service requirements, r new laws and regulatins. These changes are ften made in islated, reactive and piecemeal ways, which are nt necessarily best fr the cmpany r the peple ding the wrk. In additin t external pressures fr change, there is a cnstant need t search fr new and better ways t d things in rder t maintain a cmpetitive edge, and t make life easier and mre interesting fr thse wh d the wrk. The nly way t cntrl change, rather than have it cntrl yu, is t clarify what actually happens and t decide whether this is the way yu want it r nt. By gruping tasks int lgical areas f activity (prcesses) and drawing flwcharts f the events which ccur, it is pssible t get a cncise picture f the way particular prcesses are cmpleted within the rganizatin. This makes it easier fr yu t mve n t the next lgical step which is t make changes fr the better. This is because the flwcharting exercise will pint yu in the right directin t cllect and analyze relevant statistics, examine ther prcesses which relate t the ne flwcharted, and pursue critical plicy r prcedure prblems. Flwcharting is a tl fr analyzing prcesses. It allws yu t break any prcess dwn int individual events r activities and t display these in shrthand frm shwing the lgical relatinships between them. Cnstructing flwcharts prmtes better understanding f prcesses, and better understanding f prcesses is a pre-requisite fr imprvement. Examples f prcesses are "Receiving rders and entering them int the cmputer system" r "Cnverting dry-mix pwder int tablet frm" r "Fllwing-up sales enquiries". The events which make up a prcess, and which appear in the flwchart, may be f any type. Fr example, they may be "taking a phne call", "cmpleting an rder frm", "printing a reprt", "deciding between a number f alternatives", and s n. The symbls used t represent each event may take any frm. They may be bxes, circles, diamnds r ther shapes, r events may simply be described in wrds. Cnnectins between events are always represented by lines; usually with arrwheads t shw the directin r rder in which they ccur. These lines represent the flw f activity in the prcess being described; hence the name f the technique.

2 What's Prcess Flwchart? Prcess flw diagrams shuld include the infrmatin regarding the cnnectin between varius systems. It als cnsists f the prcess piping and majr parts details. Flwcharts are maps r graphical representatins f a prcess. Steps in a prcess are shwn with symblic shapes, and the flw f the prcess is indicated with arrws cnnecting the symbls. In quality imprvement wrk, flwcharts are particularly useful fr displaying hw a prcess currently functins r culd ideally functin. Flwcharts can help yu see whether the steps f a prcess are lgical, uncver prblems r miscmmunicatins, define the bundaries f a prcess, and develp a cmmn base f knwledge abut a prcess. Flwcharting a prcess ften brings t light redundancies, delays, dead ends, and indirect paths that wuld therwise remain unnticed r ignred. But flwcharts dn't wrk if they aren't accurate, if team members are afraid t describe what actually happens, r if the team is t far remved frm the actual wrkings f the prcess. Standard symbls fr drawing prcess flwchart Flwcharts use special shapes t represent different types f actins r steps in a prcess. Lines and arrws shw the sequence f the steps, and the relatinships amng them. There are many symbls used t cnstruct a flw chart; the mre cmmn symbls are shwn belw:

3 Fllwing is an example f a very simple flw chart fr the prcess f getting ut f bed in the mrning: Yu can make a flwchart mre useful by adding infrmatin beside the bxes. This flwchart gives a better descriptin f the prcess when yu knw that the snze bar gets hit three times, pstpning the inevitable by five minutes each time. The Benefits fr Prcess Flwchart The prcess flw chart prvides a visual representatin f the steps in a prcess. Flw charts are als referred t as prcess mapping r flw diagrams. Cnstructing a flw chart is ften ne f the first activities f a prcess imprvement effrt, because f the fllwing benefits: gives everyne a clear understanding f the prcess helps t identify nn-value-added peratins facilitates teamwrk and cmmunicatin keeps everyne n the same page design a flw charts

4 flwchart cnstructin etc. Flwchart Example 4 A prduct assembly team in a gaming machine manufacturer were lking fr ways f building the prduct mre efficiently. They brke dwn the assembly prcess int a set f Flwcharts, shwing hw sub-assemblies were made and then built int the final prduct. Analysis f the reel assembly prcess revealed tw imprvements: 1. The kit f parts was already checked by the kit assembly line, wh were smetimes careless, as they knew the kit wuld be rechecked. The assembly line prcess was imprved s the check here culd be remved. This saved ver tw minutes per reel in checking, and up t fifteen minutes when the kit was faulty. 2. Fitting the reel band after the reel had been attached t the base was awkward. Fitting the band befre the reel was attached t the base was mre cmfrtable and saved abut a minute per reel. The prcess Flwcharts, befre and after imprvement, are shwn in Fig. 4.

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6 Hw t understand Flwchart In rder t imprve a prcess, it is first necessary t understand its peratin in detail. Describing this in text lacks the clarity f a pictrial diagram, where individual steps are mre easily seen. The Flwchart is a simple mapping tl that shws the sequence f actins within a prcess, in a frm that is easy t read and cmmunicate. The basic element f a prcess is a simple actin, which can be anything frm striking an anvil t making a cash payment, and is represented as a bx cntaining a descriptin f the actin. The mapping f 'what fllws what' is shwn with arrws between sequential actin bxes, as in the illustratin. This als shws the bxes fr prcess start and end pints f which there are nrmally ne each. Fig. 1. Basic Flwchart elements Prcesses becme mre cmplex when decisins must be made n which, ut f an alternative set f actins, must be taken. The decisin is shwn in a Flwchart as a diamnd-shaped bx cntaining a simple questin t which the answer is 'yes' r 'n' as in Fig. 2. Mre cmplex decisins are made up f cmbinatins f simple decisin bxes.

7 Fig. 2. Decisins in Flwcharts Prcesses ften g wrng arund decisins, as either the wrng questin is being asked r the wrng answer is being given. Where bxes cannt be directly cnnected with lines, the separated lines are crdinated with cnnectr bxes cntaining matching names. This typically ccurs where lines crss nt anther page, as in the illustratin. Fig. 3. Cntinuing Flwcharts acrss pages

8 By using multiple cnnectr bxes, it is very easy fr Flwcharts t becme very large, althugh this is usually self-defeating, as the Flwchart then becmes difficult t understand. The ideal size fr a Flwchart is ne page, as this gives a single visual 'chunk' that is reasnably easy t understand as a single item. Large prcesses can be brken dwn int a hierarchical set f smaller Flwcharts by representing a lwer level prcess as a single sub-prcess bx. This behaves like a nrmal actin bx at the higher level, but can be 'zmed int' t expse anther Flwchart, as in Fig. 4. Fig. 4. Sub prcesses An additinal 'actin' bx that can be useful when analyzing prcesses is the wait bx, which highlights a delay (i.e. n actin), as in the illustratin. This is a typical pint where the verall cst f a prcess may be imprved by acting, pssibly n ther prcesses, t reduce the delay. Fig. 5. Delay symbl When t use Flwchart

9 Use it when analyzing r defining a prcess, t detail the actins and decisins within it. Use it when lking fr ptential prblem pints in a prcess flwchart. Use it when investigating the perfrmance f a prcess, t help identify where and hw it is best measured. Use it as a cmmunicatin r training aid, t explain r agree the detail f the prcess.

10 Hw t Create Flwchart Are yu cnfused n hw t create a flw chart? Mst f us dn??t knw hw t deal with flw charts when we are nvice users but with the passage f time and experience we gain expertise. A gd flw chart helps t understand the systematic flw f infrmatin in the system. If a flw chart is nt created prperly then it may mislead the designer f the system r may result in fatigue cnsequences. Therefre, it is very imprtant that yu create flw chart with cautin and expertise. I wuld always suggest yu t use flw chart t ease the prcess f understanding the system and its flw. 1. Identify the prcess which is t be mapped. There are several ways this may be discvered: It has an identifiable purpse. A gd test f this is t find a realistic name fr the prcess. It has an verall wner, ften the lwest level persn wh has respnsibility fr the cmplete prcess. Fr crss-functinal prcesses, this is likely t be a senir manager. It has identifiable custmers and suppliers (these may be peple r just ther prcesses). 2. Gather the team wh are t wrk n describing the prcess. These shuld include peple wh are intimately invlved in all parts f the prcess, t ensure that it gets described as it actually happens, rather than an idealized view. 3. Agree n a standard symbl set t use, fr example as in Alternatively, a cmpany standard may be available. It is imprtant t agree a standard as there are several cnflicting cmmn uses (fr example, a circle can be a delay, an peratin, assistance, an n-page cnnectr r a terminatr). 4. Draw a 'start' terminatr bx at the tp f the wrk area. 5. Add the first bx belw the start bx, identifying the first actin simply by asking, 'What happens first?'. Add an apprpriate bx arund it. Add subsequent bxes belw the previus bx, identifying each actin by asking, 'What happens next?'. Draw an arrw frm the previus bx t this ne. Pints t nte when building the Flwchart include: Keep the descriptins shrt and simple. Use a brief phrase rather than a cmplete sentence. A verb-nun phrase is ften useful, saying what is being dne t what. Fr example, 'Check custmer

11 satisfactin,' rather than, 'Investigate the level f custmer satisfactin using the F3 survey system'. Maintain a cnsistent level f detail. Fr example, d nt g frm, 'Fix televisin' t 'Replace line utput transfrmer' in the same Flwchart. Aim t keep the Flwchart within ne page. This can be useful in helping t restrain the level f detail. Typically this will result in arund three t twelve bxes. Identify and include the key decisins in the prcess. Try t use cnsistent directins ut f decisin bxes fr the 'yes' and 'n' lines. This can help prevent misinterpretatin by peple reading the Flwchart later. Aim t make the main flw f the diagram flw frm tp t bttm, with digressins ging ff t the right. Branch left nly fr lps back up and when the right is already ccupied. Generally aim fr a clckwise flw, but nt at the cst f clarity. Have nly ne 'end' bx. 6. If the final diagram is t be used as a part f a frmal system, make sure that it is uniquely identified. This may include: The name f this prcess, plus any ther unique identificatin, such as a number frm a hierarchical numbering system. An identificatin f the parent prcess (if it exists), fr example by name r number. The name f the persn r grup wh drew the chart. The wner f chart plus their jb title. The versin number f the chart. The date the chart was last changed. 7. Use the cnsequent diagram as planned. This might be ne r mre f: Identificatin f measurement pints. Typically this will be arund critical actins such as input/utput r expensive actins. Identificatin f ptential prblems. Cmmn places fr these t ccur are arund decisins r any frm f cmmunicatin between peple. Lking fr actins that are missing, wrng r unnecessary. Inclusin in a quality management system as a frmal descriptin f the prcess.