Process and Procedure Development

Perhaps you thought those were building blocks on the previous page - and in a sense they are. Process control uses graphic symbols to represent various processes and procedures. For example, a decision point in a process chart is represented by a diamond shape.

The Bible says to "let all things be done decently and in order." While I may be taking some liberty in my hermeneutics, I like to use that verse to validate the necessity of doing right things right. Our God is, after all, a God of order and precision.

I strongly believe in documenting basic business processes and procedures. The reason is simple: having either printed or on-line (recommended) documented processes and procedures establishes a standard for your business. Staff use them as the basis of your business activities. This helps them to stay in-tune with your core values, business objectives, and work methods. Documented processes and procedures also establish a basis for training for new employees and they define your business methodology. As a Christian business person, I use the Bible to illustrate the importance of documentation. God documented His standards for us - they are recorded in the Bible. Any question about how we are to operate - we have a Manual to refer to. Simply stated, documenting your processes and procedures works!

Efficient businesses have developed detailed processes and procedures to delight their customers - whether it be a service or a product. I enjoy taking a process that is broken, tearing it apart, and rebuilding it in such a way that it runs decently and in order. And as you might expect, there is a process for fixing processes. For several years I used the Rummler-Brache process methodology, but in today's fast-paced business environment, I find it too cumbersome and "meeting intensive." [For an overview of Rummler-Brache, click here.] Even better than fixing a broken process is setting up new processes and procedures for a new business. It's a great opportunity to involve every person in building a stake in the business.

Below you will find an abbreviated PowerPoint presentation on process methodology. I'd be the first to admit process people can be a bit nerdy sometimes, so if all this is just too much for you, you can escape right here...

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Otherwise - on to process control! Click the process map to start the presentation in a new window (link temporarily unavailable).

ISO-9000 - The International Organization for Standardization

Now, a quick word about ISO-9000. Much has been said about this quality program, but it is a very basic, entry-level program at best. Some companies have gone bankrupt in their attempts to implement an ISO-9000 type program for European Union acceptance requirements. ISO-9000 is VERY BASIC and contains nothing that will delight your customer base or get your financial people all excited. Don't expect ISO-9000 to save you money: in fact, it will cost you, and cost you dearly if improperly implemented. Much the same applies to ISO-9000s environmental counterpart, ISO-14000.

There are only five basic requirements to ISO-9000. These are:

1. Record (document!) what it is you do 2. Do precisely what you say you do 3. Record (document!) what you did 4. Compare the difference between 1 and 3 5. Act on the difference

In ISO-9000 there is NO requirement to continually improve the process, NO requirement to reduce and/or eliminate sources of variation, and NO requirement to actively encourage employee involvement. All of these are vital and essential to proper process implementation and control. The bottom line: don't be fooled by ISO-9000: it is not what it is cracked up to be. Do your homework before you jump in!

Need more? Visit the ISO website.

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