Page 344 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

304 Chapter Ten

resources, any analysis of a process must pay adequate attention to the tools
and resources because they too will impact greatly on the output or result of
the process.

Also note that the product of a process is different from the process itself.
The process is the act of doing; the product is the result of doing. The
product is the footprint of the process that is left behind.

10.2.2 Understanding Processes

A process is similar to a project. Both processes and projects use a series of
steps or operations to convert inputs into outputs. The key distinction
between processes and projects is that processes are often fairly repetitive
and follow the same or similar steps; on the other hand, projects may be
viewed as single-pass activities or may be considered to be performed only
intermittently and to follow a potentially different sequence each time. On
the whole, however, projects and processes are more alike than they are dis-
similar. Therefore, to a great extent both terms may be used interchangeably.

A unique and particularly interesting perspective is that processes are the
integrating elements of any system. In other words, processes are the glue
that holds a system together. All the tools as well as equipment and
personnel in a system are inherently independent entities. The only way to
get them to work together and accomplish something meaningful is through
a series of process steps. This occurs as the process is performed, so flows
and interactions take place between the process steps as well as between the
resources that are in use.
If the processes are well designed, then there will be synergy between the
independent elements of the process. This is what results in excellent process
performance. If the process is poorly designed, then the result will be entropy
and, therefore, poor process performance. In integration, synergy implies
that the integrated whole is greater than the sum of the independent elements
or parts. On the other hand, entropy implies that the whole is less than the
sum of the independent parts. The final lesson, therefore, is that most system
problems are due to poor integration, and any attempt to enhance integration,
whether by using management techniques or computer integration, must
focus on improving the processes that tie all the elements together.

Because of the sequential nature of processes, some dependency will often
exist between two or more process steps. Such dependencies are known as
dynamic interactions because they are not fixed; rather, their interaction