Process Mapping and Management

As the economy moves toward a services orientation, companiesare struggling with how to improve their offerings.Process management is a key component of the services thatcompanies provide, and author Sue Conger has written a helpfultool to learn more of this key component now helping companiesaround the world.This book has three main parts: mapping, improvement,and error-proofing and metrics. In the first part-mapping-the reader will learn how to map a process so that the mapis immediately understandable for identifying the roles, worksteps, and automation support used in process delivery. Thesecond part-improvement-provides a series of techniquesfor defining, prioritizing, and analyzing problems from severalperspectives. The first perspective is called "leaning," andits purpose is to remove waste from an existing process. Thesecond perspective is "cleaning," during which the remainingsteps following leaning are analyzed for possible improvement.The third perspective is "greening," which explores opportunitiesand trade-offs for outsourcing, coproduction, andenvironmental improvements related to the process.The final part of the book-error-proofing and metrics-presents several techniques for ensuring risk mitigation forthe new process and for measuring changes that define theirimpacts and discusses a method for proposing changes toexecutives in a "case for change." And throughout this book,Conger provides a blueprint of how to develop a discipline forprocess management that applies to any type of orientation.