METHODOLOGY OF

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

PROCESS MODELLING

Miroslav Drljača, M. Sc.

Zagreb Airport, Ltd., Pleso bb, Zagreb, Croatia
Cargo Division Director
Mob: +385198454673
E-mail: [email protected]

Summary
The requests of interested parties, amongst which the customer has the central position, are
the starting points of a quality management system that complies with the requirements of the
ISO 9000ff and ISO 14000ff international norms. Regardless of whether we want to arrange a
management system to meet the requirements of these norms, one should be able to recognize
the exact requests of interested parties. A classic structural model of organization must be
upgraded through developed, documented and implemented processes. Processes are one of
the structural elements of each management system, and of environmental management
systems, too. Scientists and experts do not agree about a generally accepted methodology of
process modelling.

Keywords
Environmental Management System, methodology of process modelling.

OBJECTIVE

Despite the fact that only 332 organizations in Croatia possess the ISO 14001 certificate as
international confirmation of the required quality level of their environmental management
system (EMS), the idea of organization, as marketing orientation and as business philosophy
and everyday practice, is more and more to be found in Croatian organizations.1
Independently of the degree of awareness of management in an organization, processes can be
developed in any of the following ways: 1) in a long-established manner – which is based on
“know-how” of the most important parameters of business processes, with interventions only
in situations where reliability of business process is seriously affected, 2) without any control,
where in extreme cases the business process develops in completely uncontrollable
conditions, 3) in partly controllable conditions – characterized by a business process model
according to the chosen methodology, in conditions which are controlled to the same degree
as the basic parameters that define them, and 4) in completely controlled conditions – those
business processes whose basic parameters of definition are under complete control.2

1
At the end of 2008 there were 332 organizations with the ISO 14001 certificate. The first one in Croatia was
issued to the Split Ship Management organization on 12th May, 1997. Quality Pages, Croatian Society for
Quality.
2
The basic parameters for definition of business processes are: a) object of activity (material, information,
product, service and similar), b) frequency of operation (continually, sometimes, only once, and similar), c) area
In order to create a completely controlled environment for the development of all processes in
an organization, and EMS too, it is necessary that organizations’ processes be: 1) named, 2)
described, 3) structurally organized, 4) controlled, 5) managed, and 6) always improving. In
order to fulfil this, business processes in an organization need to be conceived, i.e. developed
according to a chosen methodology. The problem lies in the fact that the ISO 9001:2000 norm
(Quality Management Systems – Requirements), and ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental
management Systems – Requirements and guidance for use) require proof that business
processes are managed, but a methodology of business process development is not suggested.3
The choice of methodology, and often its definition, is left to be made by the organization’s
management.

METHODS

The word “process” evolves from the Latin word “procedere”, which originally means
“move” or “go ahead”. This word form was followed by the noun “processus”, which is
translated as “process”, and means “… a series of actions, phases or events, development (in
any direction or form) and transformation (inputs → outputs) of anything taken under
consideration (element, structure, sub-system, system, etc.)”.

RULES AND CONTROLS

INPUTS TRANSFORMATION OUTPUTS

AREA

MECHANISMS

Figure 1. Process presentation

Source: According: Miroslav Drljača, “Methodology of Business Process Development in a Hotel Industry”, 18th
Biennial International Congress Tourism & Hospitality Industry 2006, New Trends in Tourism and Hospitality
Management, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Opatija, 2006, pp. 752-763.

of activity (state, city, company/organisation, part of company, and similar.), d) manner of operation (usual,
uncontrollable, in partly controllable conditions, in completely controllable conditions).
3
In writing about the methodology of business process development, the authors avoid presenting final
solutions, because a methodology of business process development represents intellectual ownership (know-how)
by the author or consultant. Rare examples in Croatian literature are: Ivan Mamužić, "Procesni pristup u sustavu
upravljanja kvalitetom", Kvaliteta, Broj 3, Infomart, Zagreb, 2002, pp. 3-4, in which the author presents a
possible methodology of business process development and shows part of a diagram of process flow; Miroslav
Drljača, "Proces kao ishodište modela ISO 9001:2000", Kvaliteta, Broj 3, Infomart, Zagreb, 2002, pp. 5-6, in
which the author presents a methodology of business process development and shows the break-up of one
business process; Živko Kondić, Kvaliteta i ISO 9000, Tiva, Varaždin, 2002; and partly: Nenad Vulić, Sustavi
upravljanja kvalitetom, Veleučilište u Splitu, Split, 2001. A complete presentation of methodology of business
process development is written in: Nenad Injac i Marko Bešker, Metodologija izgradnje poslovnih procesa u
sustavu kvalitete, Oskar, Zagreb, 2003.
Process can be also defined as “a course, evolution or manner through which something was
born or transformed, it is a development, a procedure …”.4 HRN EN ISO 8402:1996 norm
defines the process as a “group of mutually independent resources and actions which
transform input elements into output elements.”5 Transformation of input elements into output
is in fact a transformation of one into the other. Each process thus becomes unique and
special. Transformation of input into output is a system of complex interactions of operations
and resources. It is a technology. It is “know-how”. International norm ISO 9000:2000
defines the process as a “group of connected or mutually dependent activities which transform
input into results”6. The application of a process system in a company, its definition and
mutual interaction, as well as the management of the process system, can be called a “process
approach”7. The process approach has the advantage of the permanent managing of links
between particular processes (within the process structure), which is the structural element of
management system, and the combination and mutual interaction of these elements.8 When
applied in the EMS context, this process approach underlines the importance of the following:
- understanding and meeting of interested parties’ requests,
- need of supervision of EMS in value-added conditions,
- achieving the results of EMS and its efficiency, and
- permanent improvement of EMS, based on impartial estimation.

Regardless of many possible types of processes, and much diversity of process structures, all
processes in an organization can be divided into four types:9
- processes for the management processes of an organization (management processes),
- processes for managing resources (support processes),
- realization processes (core processes), and
- measurement, analysis and improvement processes (MAI processes).

4
Želimir Domović, Šime Anić i Nikola Klaić, Rječnik stranih riječi, SANI-PLUS, Zagreb, 1998, p. 1163.
5
HRN EN ISO 8402 Quality management and quality assurance – Vocabulary, (ISO 8402:1994; EN ISO
8402:1995), Quadrilingual version.
6
International norm HRN EN ISO 9000:2002 Quality management systems – Fundamentals and vocabulary
(ISO 9000:2000, EN ISO 9000:2000), Quadrilingual version, p. 40.
7
International norm HRN EN ISO 9001:2002 Quality management systems – Requirements (ISO 9001:2000, EN
ISO 9001:2000), p. 14.
8
Apart from process structure, the structural elements of the management system of every organization are:: 1)
strategic documents of the company (mission, vision, strategy, politics, general and special managerial aims), 2)
organization, 3) resources, 4) partnerships, and 5) communication and notification.
9
After the revision in international norm ISO 9001:2008 on 15th November 2008, we now talk about four typical
processes that can be identified. Before that revision, we had three types of business processes: management
processes, core processes and support processes.
 Management MAI
processes processes

Core Inputs Outputs

processes

Support
processes

Source: Made by author.

Figure 2. Four typical types of business processes

Many industries have more than one core or “macro” group of business processes, including:
management of the business system, management of resources, realization of products and
services, measurement and control.10

Management processes are important for the progress of core processes, as well as of support
processes. These are processes of development, planning, quality management, management
of the organization, and environmental management, too. Because of the entirety and
directions of their influence on core processes, Management processes are called vertical
processes.

Support processes, which are also called logistical or resourceful processes, are directed
towards producing the satisfaction of internal users within the organisational structure. They
are able to create added value for the customer. However, this influence on making added
value is indirect and is fulfilled through the support of core processes. Support processes are
auxiliary business processes and represent a support for core processes. With regard to the
direction of activities onto core processes, they are also called vertical processes.

Core processes are focused on the achievement of the satisfaction of customers

(buyers/users). They directly add new value to the product, meaning service. They meet the
requests of the customer and are a generator of their contentment. Core processes, processes
of fulfilment or realization, are processes whose result – in the form of a product or service –
has direct value confirmation on the market. The plan and the product in their creation are
strongly integrated in core processes. Core processes are called horizontal processes.

Measurement, analysis and improvement processes (MAI) include the processes needed to
measure and gather data for performance analysis and improvement of effectiveness and
efficiency. They include measuring, monitoring, auditing, performance analysis and
improvement processes (e.g. for corrective and preventive actions). Measurement processes
are often documented as an integral part of the management, resource and realization

10
Herbert C. Monnich, Jr., ISO 9001:2000 for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, American Society for
Quality, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 2001, p. 3.
processes, whereas analysis and improvement processes are frequently treated as autonomous
processes that interact with other processes, receive inputs from measurement results, and
send outputs for the improvement of those processes.

Numerous management, support, core and MAI processes develop within this process
structure simultaneously. They have a series of interactions. Each interaction in certain
measure affects the business process result in terms of meeting the interested parties’ requests.

RESULTS

In identifying processes in an EMS as an integral part of an integrated management system in

organization and dividing them into types, it is necessary to avoid the identification of
business function and business process in an organization, too. The essential differences are at
least those which follow:

Table 1. Types of business processes of an environmental management system

1. Process of identifying environmental aspects.

2. Process of identifying and updating legal requests.
3. Process of environmental management program development.
4. Process of education about EMS.
5. Process of providing internal communication.
6. Process of providing external communication.
7. Process of EMS documentation development.
8. Process of documentation management.
9. Process of waste management.
10. Process of waste water treatment.
11. Process of ecological monitoring of purchasing.
12. Process of work protection in emergency situations.
13. Process of air and ground treatment.
14. Process of noise treatment.
15. Process of danger identification, keeping and response in emergency situations.
16. Process of measurement and control.
17. Process of calibration of measurement equipment.
18. Process of preventive activities provision.
19. Process of corrective activities provision.
20. Process of quality statement management.
21. Process of internal audit provision.
22. Process of management review.
23. Process of environmental cost management.
24. Process of EMS improvement.

Source: Made by author.

- business function is a static category, while process is a dynamic category,

 - business function mostly operates within one structural unit of an organization,
and is usually named after it, while process implies more participants from more
structural units in an organization,
- business function operates within an organization, while process can have
participants from outside the structural organization, but who are important for
the progress of a concrete process,
- business function is run by a functional manager, and process is run by a process
manager, and identification of these roles must be not a rule but an exception,
- process is one of the possible inner aspects of the supervision of costs, quality
costs as well, while function is not,
- due to all these differences, function is a narrower concept than process.

The basic task of management of an organization during process development is in fact

establishing, directing and describing events during the transformation process of input into
output. In order that this task can be accomplished, we must have a suitable methodology of
business process development within the quality system, an EMS, too. Different companies
use dissimilar methodologies. The modelling of methodology in great measure depends on
knowledge of quality and environmental management, too. Regardless of which methodology
is used by teams developing processes, they should remain consistent when they apply it in
developing all processes within an organization. The management in an organization must
create its own methodology or choose an already existing methodology of process
development and process of EMS, too. Teams for process development in practice often
encounter the problem of verification of correctness of their own solutions. This paper
presents one of the possible approaches to a methodology of process development including
processes of EMS, too.

1. Identification of EMS business processes is the initial task in process development, and
demands (from the team): naming of the process, appointment of the leader (manager) of the
process, definition of its objective(s), definition of input and output requests, description of
mechanisms, rules and controls. Afterwards, they must determine the outer and inner users of
process results, as well as designate process steps as consisting parts of the processes in an
EMS, too.

2. Diagram of process context is a simple display of the process of EMS at the highest level
from which an interaction can be seen: rules, controls and mechanisms during transformation
of input into output.

RULES AND CONTROLS

Interested Interested
EMS IMPROVEMENT
parties parties
PROCESS
requests satisfaction
A-0

MECHANISMS
Source: Made by author.
 Figure 3. Diagram of context of business process in EMS

3. Display of static model of process presents a logical sequence of development of process

steps as constituent parts of processes of the EMS. This phase of process development
identifies structural units where an individual process step develops, and locates control points
at which measurements will be performed – and thus manages the process of EMS.

4. Process description describes requests that result from requests and needs of interested
parties, then from specifications, norms, regulations, elaborations, methods and resources.
Also identified here are requests, objectives and descriptions of their fulfilment, as well as any
deviations allowed. By defining allowable deviations we in fact determine the minimum
quality level of processes of EMS.

5. Diagram of process decomposition is a methodologically confirmed graphical

representation of the process with all its constituent parts – process steps. It represents the
logical sequence of process step development. It specifies the input, rules and controls,
mechanisms and output of each process step. The diagram of decomposition represents a
technology. It shows the process of EMS per process steps that logically develop in sequence.
At least one exit from a process step is also an entry into the next. Process steps in the
processes of EMS improvement (for example) are identified as follows:
• A-0.1 Interested parties’ requests.
• A-0.2 Scanning the current situation.
• A-0.3 Preparing the improvement measures.
• A-0.4 Implementing the improvement measures.
• A-0.5 Measuring process performance.
• A-0.6 Final activities.
 Refusal of request
Interested
parties request ANALYSIS OF
INTERESTED
PARTIES REQUEST
A-0.1 SCANNING THE
CURRENT
SITUATION PREPARING
A-0.2 THE IMPROVING
MEASURES
A-0.3

The list of improving measures

IMPROVING
MEASURES
IMPLEMENTATION
A-0.4 MEASUREMENT
OF PROCESS
Fulfillment
PERFORMANCE of requests
A-0.5
FINAL Reports
ACTIVITIES
A-0.6

New cycle of environmental management business process

Source: Made by author.

Figure 4. Decomposition of the EMS improvement process

6. Description of process steps in processes of EMS must specify the input, output,
mechanisms, rules and controls of each process step, as well as locate the structural
organization unit in which a certain process step develops. Also, written procedure is named,
if any of the process steps should be additionally documented.

7. Presentation of dynamic model of process is a plan of the implementation of the

developed process of EMS into the functional structure of the organization. The plan shows in
which structural organization unit develop the activities of each process step, and which unit
of organization is responsible for their execution. The making of a presentation of a dynamic
model of the process is a precondition of the process organization itself.
 Table 2. Dynamic model of EMS improvement process

Structural units

Quality / Environmental

Human Resources Divis.

Maintenance Division
Commercial Division

Marketing Division
Production Division

Purchasing Depart.
Financial Division

Sales Department
General Manager

Manager

Partners
Process steps

Analysis of interested
parties request A-0.1
Scanning the current situation
A-0.2
Preparing the improvement
measures A-0.3
Improvement measures’
implementation A-0.4
Measurement of process
performance A-0.5
Final activities
A-0.6
Source: Made by author.

8. Establishment of responsibility for process is a logical continuation of the work on EMS

process development. It implies an exact establishment of the responsibility of the concrete
executor of an individual process step. After establishment of responsibility, the conditions
for establishment of the management team for a concrete process are prepared. The
management team is headed by the manager of the process of EMS. It can be a Quality
Manager or Environmental Manager or other competent person. In this way we have a model
of process organisation, based on team work.11

9. Plan for measurement within process is based on the description of a process in EMS,
i.e. defined limits of allowable deviations, up to which the process still shows reliability as
one of its crucial characteristics. The measurement plan defines the names of control points
where certain measurements will be performed. It also defines target value, allowable
deviations and measuring method. Through all these measurements, comparisons with target
values, and possible application of corrective measures and activities, we manage the process
in EMS.

10. Plan for providing information within process of EMS is necessary in order to clearly
define which participant of the process provides the information, who receives it, what its
content is, and when the information is sent and received.

11
Pere Sikavica, “Procesna i timska organizacija”, Slobodno poduzetništvo, br. 18/98, Zagreb, 1998, pp. 108-
116.
11. Producing further process documentation implies the writing of procedures for
particular process steps which definitely need them, and the writing of lower-level documents,
like work instructions, check lists, plans of corrective measures and activities, etc.
Continuous
PLAN ipmrovement ACT

Policy and Management

principles review

Planning Improvement
Interested parties

Interested parties
Satisfaction
Requests

Operation control of critical aspects

Input Transformation Output

Implementation Measurement
and operations of performance
DO CHECK

Figure 5. Generic model of integrated management system

Source: Dick Hortensius, Louise Bergenhenegouwen, Rene Gouwens and Annemarie De Jong, "Towards a
generic model for integrating management systems," ISO Management Systems, Vol. 3, No. 6, 2004, pp.
21-28.

CONCLUSION

In the audit of EMS it is necessary to document and prove the request for process approach
and process management. The difficult question for organizations is: which methods were
used to name, describe and organize structural units of processes, and how these processes
were controlled, managed and constantly improved. There are no ready universal solutions.
Imitation of another company's solutions, or adoptions of lesser adjustments of these solutions
as their own optimum solutions, are delusions, and in practice will cause entropy. Every
process is different. It can even have the same name, same number and same names of
process steps, same inputs and outputs, but still there are no identical processes. Differences
and originalities arise in the interaction of inputs and outputs, rules, and controls, as well as
mechanisms in each process step – in the area of transformation of inputs into outputs. In the
context of quality management systems, we may conclude that the ISO 9001:2000
international norm and ISO 14001:2004 does not suggest a methodology of process
development, but demands proof that processes are being managed. It can be concluded that
every methodology of process development is satisfactory, if it can prove the management of
processes.

REFERENCES
[1] Avelini Holjevac, Ivanka, Kontroling – Upravljanje poslovnim rezultatom, Sveučilište u
Rijeci, Hotelijerski fakultet Opatija, Opatija, 1998.
[2] Domović, Ž., Anić Š. i N. Klaić, Rječnik stranih riječi, SANI-PLUS, Zagreb, 1998.
[3] Drljača, M., “Proces kao ishodište modela ISO 9001:2000”, Kvaliteta, Broj 3, Infomart,
Zagreb, 2002.
[4] Drljača, M. “Methodology of Business Process Development in a Hotel Industry”, 18th
Biennial International Congress Tourism & Hospitality Industry 2006, New Trends in
Tourism and Hospitality Management, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management,
Opatija, 2006.
[5] Hortensius, D., Bergenhenegouwen, L., Gouwens, R. and Annemarie De Jong, “Towards a
generic model for integrating management systems,” ISO Management Systems, Vol. 3, No.
6, 2004.
[6] HRN EN ISO 8402 Quality management and quality assurance – Vocabulary, (ISO
8402:1994; EN ISO 8402:1995), Quadrilingual version.
[7] International norm HRN EN ISO 9000:2002 Quality management systems –
Fundamentals and vocabulary (ISO 9000:2000, EN ISO 9000:2000), Quadrilingual version.
[8] International norm HRN EN ISO 9001:2002 Quality management systems – Requirements
(ISO 9001:2000, EN ISO 9001:2000).
[9] International norm ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems – Requirements.
[10] Injac, N. i M. Bešker, Metodologija izgradnje poslovnih procesa u sustavu kvalitete,
Oskar, Zagreb, 2003.
[11] Kondić, Ž., Kvaliteta i ISO 9000, Tiva, Varaždin, 2002.
[12] Mamužić, I., ”Procesni pristup u sustavu upravljanja kvalitetom”, Kvaliteta, Broj 3,
Infomart, Zagreb, 2002.
[13] Monnich C. H., Jr., ISO 9001:2000 for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, American
Society for Quality, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 2001.
[14] Ould A. M., Business Processes, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, England, UK,
1995.
[15] Sikavica, P., “Procesna i timska organizacija”, Slobodno poduzetništvo, Broj 18, Zagreb,
1998.
[16] Vulić, N., Sustavi upravljanja kvalitetom, Veleučilište u Splitu, Split, 2001.