Don’t let the technical-sounding phrase “process improvement” discourage you into thinking that it’s something beyond your reach, because it’s not.  It’s something you can implement in your business in a relatively short period of time.  Once you begin improving your processes, your business will start becoming what you have always wanted it to be—the building service contracting firm in your region that has a reputation for consistent high quality service and a legion of loyal and satisfied customers. 

The meaning of system is similar.  A system is the method, process, or result of interrelating or coordinating all human, human-machine, or automatic functions, facilities, equipment, resources, time, and effort toward the accomplishment or maintenance of desired conditions, goals, objectives, or policies.  Whew! Definitions can be exhausting at times. 

As you can see, the meanings of both words “process” and “system” are similar and are often used interchangeably.  For example, a system flowchart is sometimes called a flow process chart.  The definitions of both words include the working together of human resources and material resources to accomplish the end goal, namely, customer satisfaction. 

Think about that statement for a moment:  "Doing things better, faster, and cheaper." What that means is the end goal of process change is to improve quality, provide services on time every time, and reduce labor and material costs.  What will that do for your bottom line? Your net profit will improve, and your customers will remain happy and loyal.  That being the case, isn’t process improvement something worth seriously considering? 

Process reengineering assumes that everything currently being done should be performed differently, radically different.  It assumes that everything can be improved at least 100 percent or more.  Process reengineering is a revolution, not an evolution, or gradual change, of processes. 

An example of process reengineering in the building services industry is: A company decides to change from zone cleaning to team cleaning.   This, of course, would apply primarily to larger accounts requiring two or more persons to complete the work in a normal work shift.  However, it can apply to smaller one-person accounts, but would require the worker to change hats with each task. 

With zone cleaning one person is responsible for all aspects of cleaning and knows more about the space cleaned than anyone else.  If he gets sick, goes on vacation, or quits, the supervisor has to train and supervise someone else for this area.  With team cleaning other members of the team can pick up the slack, because they have all performed those particular tasks when previously assigned to that position. 

Process improvement, on the other hand, is typically thought of as an approach that aims for incremental change with improvements of 25 percent or more.  It is a gradual change in the way business is being done.  An example of process improvement in the building services industry is: the company decides to streamline the tag job order process.  It's not a complete change in the process, but an improvement. 

The first rule, focus on  your customer, means that process improvements are made with the goal of better serving the customer. 

The second rule, use the process view, includes three steps: 
1.   Identify the input, that is, determine whatever you need to start the process, such as labor, material, equipment, cleaning specifications, and so forth, 
2.   Identify the tasks or individual things you add to the input, such as the steps, activities, or things done to perform the cleaning 
3.   Identify the output, the things you give your customer, the products or services you sell your customers. 

The third rule of process improvement, begin the cycle again, means that improvement never ends.   You must keep looking for ways to improve your products and services and increase your share of customers. 

Reengineering and process improvement have a number of similarities.  At CPI we use a combination of both to help clients, and simply use the term process improvement. 

Benefits for Employees

Here is a list of benefits for employees who work for companies that make process improvement a way of doing business: 

•  Feeling of contribution and accomplishment
•  Feeling of pride in your work
•  Increased job security
•  Enjoying work more
•  Working hard, but having fun too
•  Creating satisfied customers
•  Increased promotion and earnings potential
•  Feeling of focus and forward movement.

•  Greater customer satisfaction
•  More customers 
•  More sales
•  More profit
•  Company growth
•  More opportunities for everyone in the company

For more information on process improvement go to CPI Business Development Courses and click on Customer Service and Quality Management.