Detail Process Charting : Speaking the Language of Process

Detail Process Charting is a practical tool for helping professionals at all levels gain stronger control of their work environments. Applicable to all organizations, this guide revisits the work simplification approach to process improvement that prevailed for much of the twentieth century, with a special focus on the detail process chart. Looking forward to the demands of the twenty first century, the method described in this book helps readers see the detail process chart with trained eyes that perceive fresh ways of applying this valuable approach to work improvement. The work simplification approach first and foremost taps into the process specific experiences of the people who do the work. It calls upon external resources for technology specific expertise and alternative perspectives. There is no place for a "clean slate" approach that ignores the current process and the experience of the people who do the work. Detail Process Charting proposes a method of work simplification that incorporates teams of people, not individuals, from different parts of the work process coming together to improve the work they share. In fact, the more people who get involved in work simplification, the more opportunities for improvement will arise. Detail Process Charting provides a brief introduction to the history of information process charting and its derivation from manufacturing process improvement methods, offering a commonsense approach to data gathering akin to following the path of the process with a clipboard. It defines the elements of a process flowchart (symbols, conventions, and words) and explains how each is applied. With the help of more than a hundred informative illustrations and a variety of real world examples, this book demonstrates how to construct and use detail process charts to examine business processes and improve specific situations. Many professionals debate who should be involved in improving work processes and what kind of solutions to look for. Some arguments discuss using outside help or internal resources, whether to apply radical solutions or incremental solutions, and whether improvement efforts should be top down or bottom up. Detail Process Charting suggests that these "either or" arguments force a choice between one option and another to the detriment of the overall solution. The methodology presented here gives every option for work improvement a place in the process, the key being to know the right technique to apply to the right situation. Detail Process Charting is an essential book for CIOs, IT professionals, auditors, and analysts.