TABLE OF CONTENTS The purpose of defining the current processes is to understand the way things are currently done and, in turn, identify possible sources of the opportunity or problem outlined in the team objective. This understanding will also help to find the root causes of the problem. Every process is a series of detailed activities that are documented in a process flow diagram.
In the process management methodology, a process flow diagram is most often used:
In Step 4, "Define / Design the Process," to document the current activities required to do the process.
Define the start and end of the process to be examined. Identify the inputs and outputs of the process. (For Step 4, this task is already completed.) Every process flow diagram must begin with an input symbol and end with an output symbol.
List the formal steps that are part of the process. If company documentation of the formal process exists, use it as a starting point. If no formal business processes or procedures exist, then you must document the process steps by interviewing process owners in a formal workshop environment.
Through direct observation of the process, one or two individuals record the actual steps that take place in the process. Each step must be recognizable as some sort of work that can be visualized (writing, inspection, handling, computer calculation,...
