Industry & Consumer Information with Johnson OPOKU-BOATENG: When process speaks!

“Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies, in the systems and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badgering individuals to do better.” W. Edwards Deming

A process can be defined in many forms but the definition that comes close to home is this, “A process is a series of progressive and interdependent steps by which an end is attained. The quality management systems per ISO 9001:2015 go a step further to deepen our understanding by stressing on a process approach when it comes to management quality. According to this standard, the process approach involves the systematic definition and management of processes, and their interactions, so as to achieve the intended results in accordance with the quality policy and strategic direction of the organization.

The understanding of this approach becomes clearer if a system is to be understood. Some define a system as A system is an organized group of interrelated components, elements, or subsystems that interact to form a unified whole and achieve a specific purpose or function. Systems possess defined boundaries, receive inputs, process them, and produce outputs, while being influenced by their environment.

These components or subsystems can be seen as processes. It is therefore logical to think of a combination of processes for a full system. A system is as good as the processes that make that system. The output of one process becomes the input for the succeeding process, and this goes on until the final product is realized. If the output of one process which serves as an input to the next process is poor, this will run through until a final product which does not meet standards is produced and so is the reverse.

Leadership understanding of this concept can save an organisation from incurring unnecessary cost for poor quality products and services. From my engagements with diverse factories and even service industries, there tend to be an interest in certain processes at the expense of others. For instance, a new packaging machine draws more attention than the raw material receipt process. This may arise as a result of the investment made in this single equipment. This equipment will, however, be useful if the processes downstream work well.

Consistent and predictable results are achieved more effectively and efficiently when activities are understood and managed as interrelated processes that function as a coherent system. Failure to understand this creates an imbalance in the way resources are channeled to each process.

Justification

The quality management system is made up of interconnected processes. Understanding how this system generates results enables an organisation to optimise both its operation and overall performance. This mindset should begin from top management and should be cascaded throughout the organisation. The burden on the quality assurance department becomes bearable if process owners are able to stop the process when it is delivering poor outputs. The motivation is that, allowing such poor outputs has the tendency of getting the next process to perform worse, ultimately affecting the end product or service.

A single process may have five elements around it: sources of inputs, the inputs, activities with starting and end points, outputs and finally receivers of these outputs. All the elements within this single process must be deliberately enhanced to contribute to system quality.

Key benefits of Process Approach

There are several benefits to accrue to organisations who adopt a process approach in managing their business. Some of these benefits are as outlined below:

• Enhanced ability to focus effort on key processes and opportunities for improvement. A process approach allows the organisation to identify processes that are critical for product quality and hence channel the right resources to make these processes work efficiently.
• Consistent and predictable outcomes through a system of aligned processes. This is important in making strategic decisions; it could be investments or market expansion.
• Optimized performance through effective process management, efficient use of resources, and reduced cross-functional barriers. Once the elements for a single process are known in detail, they could be management effectively to consistently achieve the required results.
• Enabling the organization to provide confidence to interested parties as to its consistency, effectiveness and efficiency. Customers can be assured of consistent quality, and the net effect is customer satisfaction.

Call to Action

The following actions could be taken to ensure processes work to the advantage of customers through a business that is focused on making processes work effectively and efficiently.

The Business should define objectives of the system and processes necessary to achieve them. The authority, responsibility and accountability for managing the process should be established and adequately communicated.

Make it a point to understand the organisation’s capabilities and ascertain any constraint in terms of resources prior to action. This helps to prevent stopping processes midstream.

Top management should also establish process interdependencies and analyse the effect of modifications to individual processes on the system as a whole. This helps prevent localized solutions that tend to have a negative impact on upstream processes.

Conclusion

Process speaks and when it does, the output should be quality. Business owners should manage processes and their interrelations as a system to achieve the organization’s quality objectives effectively and efficiently. Organisations should ensure the necessary information is available to operate and improve the processes and to monitor, analyse and evaluate the performance of the overall system. Finally risks that can affect outputs of the processes and overall outcomes of the quality management system must be properly managed to ensure customer satisfaction.

Johnson Opoku-Boateng is the Founder & CEO, QA CONSULT AFRICA (Consultants and Trainers in Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Health & Safety, Environmental Management systems, Manufacturing, Regulatory Affairs and SME Development). He is also a consumer safety advocate. He can be reached on 0209996002;

email: [email protected]; [email protected]

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