Select a Process to Improve

This suggests that more than one process may benefit from improvement.

If you're like most managers, you may see several symptoms of problematic processes occurring simultaneously.  This suggests that more than one process may benefit from improvement.  For example, Jo, who manages a regional office for a financial services company, has noticed that customers are complaining about having to provide the same personal information several times while applying for a loan.  In addition, the office's growth--in terms of the number of new accounts signed per quarter--is lower than that of other regions, despite the considerable expertise of Joe's staff.

When it seems that several processes may need improvement, how do you decide which one to tackle first?  Create a process selection matrix in which you rate each process according to criteria such as how easily it might be changed and how problematic it may be for customers.  Rate each possibly problematic process on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score and 1 the lowest.  The table below shows an example of "Joe's process selection matrix".

Once you've rated each process total up your scores.  The highest score suggests the process you might want to improve first.  In Joe's case, he decides to focus on the process of setting up new accounts.

ACTION POINT: Prioritize the processes you seek to improve.