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A detailed process map can help reduce everything from cycle time to defects to process steps.
One of the great contributions that manufacturing management has made to the management of services are the techniques associated to mapping processes. Process mapping is helpful both for the design and reengineering of manufacturing and service processes. This month, we consider process mapping from that perspective. In doing so, helpful techniques are introduced and reviewed. The differences associated with designing and redesigning of manufacturing and service processes are also made more apparent.
What is a process map? A process map breaks a manufacturing or service process into a series of basic indivisible steps. Each step is described not only by a name or label, but also in terms of the type of equipment, personnel, time and resources required. If an error is likely or possible, commonly referred to as a tail point, it is also noted on the process map along with other relevant information. By laying out all this information in one place and in sequential order, it becomes much easier to identify likely points of failure, required time to complete a process, and the resources required by the process. With all this information, improving the process is much easier. Activity-based Costing (ABC) uses similar information to determine the cost of a good or service.1
Process Mapping in Manufacturing
Process maps are usually offered in either tabular form or as a flowchart. (For the purpose of this discussion, a tabular form is used for consideration of manufacturing and a flowchart is used for assessing service processes.) Process maps describe each step of a process and characterize the steps tor each of the dimensions considered critical. These dimensions often include time, measures of variation in time, distance traveled by product, presence of fail points, equipment used or needed, skill types and levels used or needed. For the purpose of illustration, only two of these dimensions are considered in Figure 1: time and distance. In addition to these two quantitative characteristics, each step is characterized as being part of one of the following categories: operation, transport, inspection, delay or storage. If a step in the existing or planned process involves two of the categories, the step under consideration...