Speaking of Business

Flow charts help to assess problems with the process

Systems evaluation can yield clues to shortfalls in worker performance

Q: We’re having trouble getting our staff to perform the jobs they were hired to do. They seem willing, but after a few weeks on the job it’s apparent they are not going to cut it. Is it them, or is it me, or is the U.S. work force getting worse?
A: You’re either hiring the right person and managing them wrong, or you’re hiring the wrong person. Assuming you’ve been hiring the wrong people, you need to look at your hiring process. The most-skipped task in the hiring process is surveying or testing for behavior and skill sets. Previously, I’ve written about using behavior profiling to help hire the right person for the right job. The tool, www.pdpworks.com, is proven to be 95 percent correct in predicting an applicant’s behavior. Additionally, I would test their skill sets to make sure they really have the tools to do the job.
On the other hand, you may have hired the right person, but you may be managing them wrong. Your systems or processes may need to be documented and then improved.
Begin by flowcharting your key processes to help illustrate the steps in a process, and to assist in quickly identifying bottlenecks or inefficiencies where the process can be streamlined or improved. I recommend you flowchart areas such as labor-intensive processes, delays, review cycles, paperwork, duplications and omissions. Here are some flowcharting tips:
n Chart the process the way it’s really occurring. Do not document the way a manager thinks the process happens, or the written process. People typically modify existing processes to enable a more efficient process. If the desired or theoretical process is charted, problems with the existing process will not be recognized and no improvements can be made.
n Note all circumstances that actually occur. If the operations described on the chart don’t happen as charted all the time, note the exceptions on the chart.
n Important assumptions and details should be noted on flow charts such as special training or assumed knowledge, special procedural requirements or time limitations, to ensure awareness of all these issues when analyzing a process for changes.
n When process improvements are time-based, collect data on the typical time it takes for each step in the process; note each time on the flow chart at each step. The time information can be used to set priorities for time reduction efforts so that the largest contributors to the overall cycle time are more easily recognized. This same tip can be applied to other measures such as complaints, costs and defects.
n Test the flow chart by trying to follow the chart to perform the process charted. If there’s a problem performing the operation as charted, note any differences and modify the chart to correct it. A better approach would be to have someone unfamiliar with the process to follow the flow chart and note questions or problems.
n Include mental steps in the process such as decisions. These steps are sometimes left out because of familiarity with the process. However, these steps represent sources of problems due to a possible lack of training or because information used to make the decision can be inadequate or incorrect if performed by a different person.
Besides the detailed description of the process flow, the process-flow description should also list measurements described below:
1. Look at the process-flow description summary.
A. Make an initial, subjective judgment about the number of operations, transfers, reviews or inspections, storage and delays.
B. Compare the number of operations and the time per operation to determine if either seems out of proportion.
2. Study the list of operations listed in the process. See if the number of operations can be reduced by eliminating or combining operations.
3. Look at the number of transfers.
A. Can any transfers be eliminated by changing the order of the tasks?
B. Simple changes in the sequence of the task can sometimes eliminate one transfer every time the process is used.
4. Examine the reviews or inspections listed.
Can the process be made more efficient by removing unneeded reviews or inspections or altering the sequence or timing?
5. Investigate delays.
A. Determine whether delays are perceived or actual.
B. Determine how to improve the processes to eliminate actual delays.
6. Compare tasks to persons doing tasks.
Is the person doing the task at the appropriate level? Is the right person to do the job at the right level, such as having a manager doing a clerical or assembly task?
7. Review the distances between operations.
A. Are assemblies or documents recycling between the same personnel?
B. Can efficiencies be improved by moving people or workstations closer together?

Windsor resident Russell Disberger is a founding member of Aspen Business Group, a Northern Colorado-based specialty consulting and venture capital firm. He can be reached by e-mail at russell@aspenbusinessgroup.com, or at (970) 396-7009.

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