Читать книгу Lean Six Sigma For Dummies - Martin Brenig-Jones - Страница 56

The concept of processes and PEMME applies to everything you do, from getting up in the morning, to making a cup of tea, to placing an online order. All of these activities can be broken down into a series of steps. The process model shown in Figure 3-1 has PEMME at its heart (the “process”), but it also builds on PEMME and helps you think about the wider requirements of the process. To meet your customers’ requirements (the CTQs (Critical to Quality) covered in Chapters 2 and 4), the process elements must be addressed.

© Martin Brenig-Jones and Jo Dowdall

FIGURE 3-1: Using a process model.

Ensuring that the CTQs are understood and agreed on is the first requirement of a process. More often than not, a lack of quality or rework is the direct result of not understanding or defining the customer’s requirements properly. Even for apparently simple things, a little extra time spent in translating the voice of the customer and clarifying requirements can help save time and potential upset later on. Once the customer’s requirements have been agreed, determining your own requirements from suppliers is the next step. Now you’re the customer, so spend time with your suppliers to ensure your needs are properly understood and agreed.

Make sure you have the right number of people working in the process, and that they have the necessary knowledge and skills. If they don’t, appropriate training needs to be delivered.

You’ll need to document the process (or procedures) too. Documented processes (whether in the form of words, pictures, or videos) should describe precisely how the work gets done — the method — and must be developed, agreed, appropriately documented, and kept up to date, especially in a culture of Continuous Improvement, where enhancements are regularly being made to the process. Importantly, they should be simple to follow and understand.

Properly describing relevant standards is also sensible. They may well form part of the method, applying, for example, to regulatory requirements or service-level agreements that need to be followed. Like procedures, the standards should be documented in an easily accessible manner. Similarly, if budget constraints or authority limits on certain actions apply, management must ensure the people in the process know the details.

Equipment and facilities are needed to operate the process, and need to be capable of meeting or exceeding the customer requirements. These must be appropriate from day one, located in the right place and correctly maintained thereafter. Also ensure the environment is appropriate for the activity. The facilities link to the environment element of PEMME and could include having the right workspace, for example.