Customer Reviews

Process Mastering: How to Establish and Document the Best Known Way to Do a Job (Productivity's Shopfloor)

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I found Process Mastering to be a very valuable resource. The book is well written and straight forward in describing how to develop a process master.

In my field of information technology (IT), it is critical for progam designers to have a baseline of how a program presently works. This is best done by a representative team of end users. I have found process mastering the most economical and efficient way to get a document that describes the current system. By doing a process master the team becomes empowered to improve the present process without the IT people and to know what else they want or need IT to do for them. Additionally, the team becomes more effective in their participation in the joint application development (JAD) with the IT folks.

The philosophy behind the approach is very empowering to employees since it is they, the people who do the work, who develop the process masters. I am also pleased with the emphasis that the book puts on understanding the needs of internal and external customers.

Finally, I can recommend this book to anyone who has processes they want to improve and who sees the value of engaging the energy, thought and commitment of their employees to do it. This book, this process, is truly liberating even to the extent of giving meaning and value to previously mundane work.

Streamlining, downsizing, cost cutting, etc., are terms everyone in the business world knows all too well. Coping with these situations has become commonplace, but the solutions for replacing displaced personnel are not simple. The result is an increase in process variations, customer complaints, and production concerns that add to the stress everyone in the organization experiences. When a vacancy occurs, a manager's burden increases. The manager has to scramble to find a replacement who then must be trained to function effectively. Extended training times are a luxury that neither the manager, the department, nor the organization can afford, yet truncated training results in increased process variation and errors. In Process Mastering: How To Establish And Document The Best Known Way To Do A Job, Ray Wilson and Paul Harsin offer a solution.

While the title may give the impression that the book's purpose is to ensure that system documentation is compatible with ISO or ISO/QS requirements, the authors have a higher purpose. They recognize the problems managers face and also understand that the manner in which system documentation is developed is inadequate. They propose a method of developing process documentation that not only aids in the preservation of an associate's knowledge, but also helps to reduce the learning curve for new associates. An added bonus is a reduction in process variation during the training or transition period.

The authors define "process mastering" as the fundamental building block for continuous improvement, and as such, they describe a more complete and value-added approach to process documentation. While most organizations have used process mapping for documented processes, they have failed to implement a most important element, which is the evaluation of process needs and interactions which are used to determine the critical process steps. Combining the best of process mapping, quality function deployment, process analysis and planning, and cross functional team techniques in a simple manner, the authors present a more effective method for establishing the "best known way" to do a job.

The authors are not proposing a method that is either "magic" or easy. What they are proposing is a method that managers may use to avoid suboptimizing the system while juggling multiple projects and priorities. In addition to the flowcharts, forms, and templates, the examples provided in the book make this an excellent reference for managers wishing to evaluate or implement process mastering. Whether your specialty is manufacturing, engineering, quality, or auditing, you will find this book a worthwhile resource.

Process Mastering provides a simple but effective tool for a group to determine the actual best agreed upon practice or way to do something. This is particularly valuable when an organization is trying to improve real quality of product and services by reduction of variation. I am a consultant for ISO 9000 Quality System implementation and have used the tools presented in Process Mastering to successfully take organizations beyond just being certified and realizing significant reductions in process variations. These reductions affect the "bottom line." Process Mastering is a simple hands-on approach usable by anyone and any group. It could be used as the method to develop the required documentation for an ISO 9000 compliant quality system. The book is easy to read and presents the techniques clearly to all levels of an organization.

On the surface, this book seems to be simplistic, but after reading it and considering its contents, it appears to be a worthwhile reference. The book is only 144 pages. For those relatively new to consulting and process work there's a great deal of useful information; for those more experienced, it's a gentle reminder of some of the things we tend to overlook.

The basic premise is that there's a single best way at any point in time to do a particular process; as circumstances change (different equipment, different specs/requirements, etc.) then the process should change. While this concept appears good on the surface, there are a host of possible other exceptions, not the least of which are individuals' talents and abilities (a concept that I didn't see mentioned in the book).

Among the gems that I did see, are the concept that employees are disinclined to work towards better practices if they feel their jobs or security are threatened by the "improvements". It's incumbent upon those in power to provide some degree of security to ensure that conscientious employees don't "suggest" themselves out of a job.

An interesting anecdote presented was the story of three managers studying the best way to standardize the receipt of a tank truckload of alcohol at a petroleum terminal. When they got to the step of measuring the specific gravity which was then reported to other parts of the organization they found out that each had a slightly different method of measurement. Interestingly, none of them knew what the desired range was or what to do if the product was "off-spec". In checking with the recipients of the reports, it was determined that the specific gravity was not important and the reports were discarded when received - thus the entire process of measuring and reporting was unnecessary.

The authors present and discuss a 13-step process, which lists key activities. Some discussion is covered of the food services' HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points) method in relation to their 13-step process, but they find it necessary to add a step 9-1/2: Double-check the Process. OSHA, EPA and ISO 9002 are mentioned in passing.

The Appendices include Process Mastering Forms and Checklists as well as a listing of measurement items by discipline (Accounting, Customer Service, etc.).

If you're already a Process Master and have ample references on your bookshelf, you may want to pass on this book; otherwise it can be an informative and useful tool.

There is little depth to this book that presents very simplified case studies and process tools and techniques. For instance, the authors only present flow charts for process flow and even the cases they show are quite simple. There is nothing that covers when you have overlapping processes or reuse in processes. They do not mention Use Cases for documenting business processes or IDEF0. The best point is the quotes from other notable authors

Summary: Very little depth, quite disappointing.

I am recommending this book because it is very straight forward and offers a lot of good advise and templates. Some books are either quite dated (for example BPR in the 90's) or very academic. This book is definitely useful for current real-world needs.

This is an excellent book on how to get started with Process Mastering. It gets right to the point, and is pretty comprehensive. I am utilizing the concepts and methods taught in this book on the job with good results. A couple of the diagrams were hard for me to understand, but I prefer brevity to over-explanation, so I'm good with it.