Thursday, May 14, 2020

Process Mapping

Process mapping is an important and fundamental task in TQM. Process Maps are useful document for TQM standards like ISO 9001:2015 and related standards. 

What is process? :
Every activity in the world is a "process". 
An "activity" which transforms inputs to an output is called "process".
In this world no activity is done without input and no activity is done without a purpose or result. Resources like equipment, information are examples for input. Purpose or result is the example for output. (example : Product/service provided to a customer). So every activity is in the world is a "process".

Preparing Process Maps :
To implement Total Quality Management System standard like ISO 9001:2015 in an organization ,  we should do process mapping of every process of the organization. 
To do a process mapping, we have to identify the functions/departments available within the organization.

For Example, if output of an organization is product (tangible/physical/hardware), then the following functions are available in general…
  • Product Development (Design/Research and Development)
  • Business Development
  • Purchasing
  • Outsourcing
  • Stores /Inventory Management
  • Production
  • Installation and servicing
  • Quality Assurance
  • Machine Maintenance
  • Human Resource Management
  • Internal Auditing
  • Business Planning/Strategic Planning
  • Reviewing/monitoring the systems and processes
We have to prepare a process map for each function by listing four elements: 1) Inputs, 2)outputs, 3)risks and 4) objectives for the function.  
Process Map is the output document of process mapping.
Process map can be prepared in any form.
“Turtle diagram” is a simplest form to prepare a process map.
Simple 4 box turtle diagram is given below for business development process…

Turtle Diagram : Process Map : Business Development
Inputs
Outputs
·        Customer needs & expectations
·        Technical requirements of the product/supporting services  
·        Commercial requirements of the products/supporting services
·        Competency of Business development team
·        Sources of information to business development team
·        Changes in the requirements
·        Market survey/Data  
·        Enquiry data
·        Feasibility reviews
·        Quotation/Proposals
·        Contracts/orders/agreements
·        Records of communicating contract requirements to other functions
·        Agreement for changes and its communication to other functions   
Risks
Objectives
·        Requirements not clear
·        Requirements not understood
·        False commitments
·        Not feasible
·        Enquiry conversion ratio
·        Contract commercial value
·        Number of new customer developed
·        Enquiry response time

Similarly we have to do process map for all function. 
If need more information, if necessary, we can do process map for a sub process in a function also (for example : In purchase function, "development of new supplier" is a sub process, if we need more information, we can develop a separate process map for development of new supplier also. But preparing process map for sub process is not mandatory as per ISO 9001:2015 standard.

Conclusion:
By doing this task we are able to understand the processes within a function/department clearly and this process mapping is helpful to apply necessary controls in every process.
The process mapping is the fundamental task for TQM, ISO 9001:2015 and other related standards. 

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No-5, Kutralam Nagar, Kovaipudur, Coimbatore 641042, Tamilnadu, India.
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