H. James Harrington Streamlines His Methodology

So you could streamline your processes

Published: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - 15:12

In Streamlined Process Improvement (McGraw-Hill, 2011), H. James Harrington has optimized his well-known Business Process Improvement methodology so that it generates faster, major improvement in key processes of your operations. This book is about process redesign and focuses on doing the right things at the right time.

The processes that you select to improve should provide you with the best-value future-state solution, which may not be represented in today’s best practices, says Harrington. New approaches, such as simulation modeling, risk analysis, Five Ss, and process variation have been applied to the PASIC methodology, which have realigned its subprocesses with today’s business world. Harrington explains how these approaches are used in the five phases of PASIC, which include:
• Planning for improvement
• Analyzing the process
• Streamlining the process
• Implementing the new process
• Continuous improvement

Each phase is described in detail and is comprised of many activities to help analyze processes and decide which one to focus on first. The tools to use in these activities are thoroughly explained and illustrated, including flowcharts, value-stream mapping, process walk-through questionnaires, statistical charts, checklists, simulation models, and more. Thorough definitions and many examples of waste, value-added activities, and best practices help you to apply streamlining approaches.

“Challenge everything,” says Harrington. “There is no sacred cow in SPI [streamline process improvement]. Every activity can always be done in a better way.”

Could streamlined process improvement be applied to your department? Appendix A lists several job functions and related business processes where streamlined process improvement can be applied.
Appendixes B through H include:
B. Process walk-through questionnaire
C. Process simulation tool suppliers
D. Definitions
E. Simulation symbols
F. Typical government processes
G. Nonmanufacturing typical processes measurements
H. Harmful and useful (HU) diagrams

Download Chapter 2, “What Is Streamlined Process Improvement?” here.

About H. James Harrington

H. James Harrington is CEO of the Harrington Institute, an international consulting firm providing a full range of services, including management, technology, education, e-learning, and knowledge solutions. He serves on the board of directors of a number of national and international companies and is a former president of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the International Academy for Quality (IAQ). He has written more than 35 books, including Business Process Improvement, and developed 11 software packages. He is a past columnist for Quality Digest and also writes for Quality Review, Cost Management, TQM Magazine, and News for a Change. He was named an ambassador of goodwill by former President Clinton.

About The Author

Laurel Thoennes @ Quality Digest

Laurel Thoennes is an editor at Quality Digest. She has worked in the media industry for 33 years at newspapers, magazines, and UC Davis—the past 25 years with Quality Digest.