Process Redesign

Reengineering and Total Quality Management promised dramatic improvements in profit, efficiency, and quality, but a number of TQM initiatives ended in failure as a result of an incorrect or incomplete implementation process. Here is a book that will help put the odds on your side by giving you specific skills and experience-based advice for successfully planning and implementing process design. Comprehensive in scope, this book integrates the three major approaches to process redesign -- benchmarking, continuous improvement, and reengineering -- showing how to combine them for maximum effectiveness. It explains the circumstances for which each approach is appropriate and describes how to apply each specific technique effectively. The book also points out the many potential pitfalls that can impede even the most well thought out program. You will find detailed and methodical coverage of such topics as defining processes, measuring performance, reducing cycle times, team building, benchmarking, the critical success factors for reengineering, and much more. Numerous examples from many different industries demonstrate concepts and techniques in action, illustrate common mistakes, and provide a model for successful implementation that you can apply to your own organization. The information is presented in an accessible format, with guidelines, checklists, worksheets, discussion questions, and clear graphics to help you absorb essential information quickly and apply it successfully.