Page 368 - Design for Six Sigma for Service (Six SIGMA Operational Methods)

328 Chapter Ten

means more transactions are completed in a given time period. Clearly higher
throughput means higher productivity in the office process. The bottleneck in
the office process is usually the primary constraint on its throughput; therefore
attempts to improve throughput must focus on the bottleneck operation.

Transaction Cost
The average cost per transaction is a good measure of the cost of operating
the office process. The transaction cost depends on many factors, such as
process efficiency and labor cost. It is very important to reduce transaction
cost to a minimum to ensure operation profitability.

Flexibility
In the transaction process, it is natural that each transaction might be different.
It is a must that the office process handle mixed transactions well, and change
over from one transaction type to the next without slowing down the process.

Customer Interaction Quality
One key difference between the office process and manufacturing process is
that during the execution of the office process, the process operator may
directly interact with customers; during the execution of the manufacturing
process, the operators usually do not interact with customers. The total
experience and feeling of the customers during operator-customer interaction
is a very important part of process quality and customer satisfaction.

Office Process Analysis

Typical activities in the office process include
• Data entry
• Paperwork review
• Retrieving rules and regulations
• Database updating
• Document preparation
• Decision making
• Report generation
• Application approval
The resources needed for the office process include computers, software,
office equipment, shipping and handling, and most importantly, the work
force. Good design of the office process, good computers and software
maintenance, and training for operators and support staff are the primary
determinants of office process success.