DETERMINE THE TIME FOR EACH STEP:
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Time is both a measure of the resources used and a dimension of quality. Customers’ perception of a product or service is usually high correlated with time.
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Therefore it is recommended that the estimated average time to complete each step in the flow chart is discussed and estimated.
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It is especially important to estimate the time for delays because the total process time may consist of 90% delays (waiting time, storage etc.) and 10% activity. All the estimated times should be written on the flow chart beneath each step.
CHECK THE FLOW CHART:
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The facilitator’s job is to secure that the vital questions as above are discussed.
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It is important that the participants both are objective (facts) as well as creative in this step.
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There are good opportunities here to apply the seven basic tools for quality control as well as some of the seven new management tools (e.g. affinity diagram).
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The output of this step should be a list of ‘OFIs’ (Opportunities for Improvements).
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Some of the suggestions may be complex and difficult to implement immediately so a plan for evaluation and implementation may be needed.
IMPROVE THE FLOW CHART (IMPROVE THE PROCESS):
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The output of the previous step is a list of improvements to be implemented immediately.
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The flow chart has to be revised according to this list and the process has to be changed accordingly (education, training, communication, etc.).
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The quality measures and goals as well as a plan for data collection should be decided.
CHECK THE RESULT:
This step follows the rules of the check activity in the PDCA cycle.
STANDARDIZE THE FLOW CHART (STANDARDIZE THE PROCESS):
If the results are satisfactory the process can be standardized. The process flow chart is a vital part of the documented standard.
