Process Management Overview

Do any of these situations apply to you?

• Your company has an existing process improvement program, but you find yourself::

• Wondering why improvements do not happen as quickly as you hoped.
• Feeling frustrated that improvements do not really change your bottom line.
• Thinking that you have poured resources into improvement initiatives without adequate returns.
• Asking why improvements don’t “stick.”
• Expecting a lot more than you are getting out of your improvement efforts.
• “Pushing” improvement in your organization without adequate management support, resources or funding.

• Your company wants to start a process improvement effort but is afraid that although considerable costs, time, and resources will be used, there will be no sustainable gains a few years down the road.

If you are in either of these situations, you are not alone. Several recent surveys have shown that while companies still place a tremendous emphasis on process improvement, only a very small percentage of organizations systematically pursue and sustain these efforts over a period of time. All too often, what begins with a bang fizzles out in a few years with clearly demonstrable gains that have not been sustained.

This is because many organizations emphasize the “improvement” side of process improvement, but not the “management” side. A process improvement program alone will not produce significant results that affect the company’s bottom line or its competitive position without the continued support and guidance of leaders who ensure that the focus of the program remains on areas of strategic importance. Similarly, improved processes will not remain improved by themselves without a systematic effort to sustain them. Without such oversight, entropy takes over and the even the best performance improvement program will stall or regress.

Our process management methodology is designed to combat the effects of entropy in your organization. Whether your organization is well on its way in its process improvement journey or is just testing the waters, you need process management. Our process management approach is completely integrated with our world-renowned Six Sigma offering, but it focuses on filling the “missing ingredients” that often make the difference between the truly transformational process improvement programs and those that are only marginally successful.

The STAT-A-MATRIX process management model has the five components shown in the accompanying chart. Based on your needs, we can either bring specific aspects of the model to your organization as a series of targeted workshops and training sessions, or we can help you implement the entire model from scratch. Explore our full range of training and consulting options.