Page 349 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

Design and Improvement of Service Processes—Process Management 309

10.2.6 Ingredients of Process Excellence

For processes to be truly excellent, they must be designed with
1. The best steps
2. The best tools
3. The best techniques for applying the tools
4. The best timing (that is, do everything at exactly the right time)

There are however, five key ingredients that are needed in order to develop
and establish processes that conform to the four requirements for process
excellence. The ingredients are dependent on one another and must exist in
combination not in isolation. Having a few of the factors but not the others
will not yield the full benefits of process excellence.

The five ingredients of process excellence are
1. Discipline
2. Creativity
3. Skill and knowledge
4. Decision making
5. Communication
The ingredients are not listed in any particular order. They are all very
important. Discipline requires a focus on the key processes with a detail-
oriented attitude and a commitment to do what it takes to ensure that the
processes continually become better. With discipline, an increased
awareness and deep relationship with processes can be established to
understand what makes the processes tick. Discipline also provides the
ability to trade off short-term goals for long-term goals.

Once the processes have been well established, it will take discipline and
commitment to stick to the established processes and continue to apply sys-
tematic methods for managing the entire organization. The needed dis-
cipline must be embedded into the culture of the organization so that it
becomes a way of life. The foundations for such a cultural atmosphere is
created by all in the organization, but the direction is greatly influenced by
management’s leadership. Remember, process discipline may not be fun
and games, but the rewards will be great over the long term, and the effort
always pays for itself many times over.

Creativity incorporates the spark from the human mind into the whole effort
for the designing, improving and operating processes. Creativity comes
from the unique domain of the people asset. Everybody is an expert at