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Process Improvement

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What is business process improvement?

Cambridge dictionary defines process management as “the job of examining the processes used in a company, department, project, etc. to see how they can be made more effective”. This process is often also referred to as:

business process management

business process optimization

business process re-engineering

continuous process improvement

Several methodologies align with process improvement, with some being more popular than others. Among those, Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen have gained popularity among process improvement professionals because of their focus on boosting productivity and minimizing waste.

Other popular methodologies: 5S, Kanban, Plan Do Check Act – PDCA, Process mapping, Root cause analysis, Theory of Constraints, Total Quality Management – TQM, Value stream mapping

Technology plays an important role, as nowadays businesses rely heavily on the use of big data to identify then analyze inefficiencies in existing business processes. Although technology can have a great impact on the success of such initiatives, the focus should always be on workflow improvement, not the latest technology.

Introduction to Process Improvement

Please note some of these books might be reference books; reference books are only available for use in the library. You can identify those by looking at the Copies tab in the record of each book – the Location section should say Sherman Library Reference and the Status section should say LIB USE ONLY.

Please note some of these books might be reference books; reference books are only available for use in the library. You can identify those by looking at the Copies tab in the record of each book – the Location section should say Sherman Library Reference and the Status section should say LIB USE ONLY.

Required/recommended materials for selected Process Improvement courses

PIM 5450 Sower, Victor E. Essentials of Quality with Cases and Experiential Exercises.
PIM 5455 Meredith, Jack R. / Shafer, Scott M. / Mantel, Samuel J. Project Management in Practice.
SCM 5421 Dittmann, J. Paul. Supply Chain Transformation: Building and Executing an Integrated Supply Chain Strategy. (2013)

 

Subject Guide

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