The Process Approach

Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

David Muil
 The Process Approach:
Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

Introduction

Management systems are sometimes misunderstood as nothing more than a heavy

administrative burden providing limited business benefit. Many organizations with
management systems in place have not effectively defined the processes, and have
not put the required measurements in place. Perhaps it is because they think “ISO
9001 is separate from how we run the business,” and limit their management
system to simple checklists and work instructions.

By maintaining these beliefs, organizations are missing out on significant

opportunity. Increasingly, customers and stakeholders are not satisfied with basic
compliance – they are looking for less reliance on procedures, and more focus on
risk management. This brings the value of the ISO standards in question. How can
an international standard unite with a strategic business plan?

Using the Process Approach

The Process Approach is more than an auditing technique – it’s a philosophy. It

means shifting focus away from basic compliance to embrace an “improvement”
mindset. When activities and related resources are managed as a process, the
desired results can be achieved more efficiently.

A process is commonly defined as a number of reproducible, interacting activities

that together convert an input into an output.

An input is something that drives or starts the process, such as people, resources,
or materials. Multiple inputs can, and usually do, exist.

An output is a deliverable resulting from the process, addressing the expectation of

a customer (either external or internal). Typically an output is a product, a service, or
the input into another process.

The Process Approach is a review of the sequence and interaction of processes and
their inputs and outputs. It’s looking at the management system as not just a
document, but an active system of processes that addresses business risk and

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 The Process Approach:
Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

customer requirements. A process-based audit would ask questions such as “Who

is the process owner?”, “What are your customer requirements?”, and “How do
you demonstrate improvement?” … not “Show me your procedure.”

The Turtle

A Turtle Diagram is just one of the auditing techniques that can be used to
evaluate a process. Asking With What, With Who, How, and How Many results in
evidence of effectiveness, measurement to goal, evaluation of internal and external
customers, and focus on deliverables.

With What names the tools, equipment, and resources needed to perform an
activity. This could include equipment, software, hardware, or support from other
departments.

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 The Process Approach:
Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

With Who defines the human resources required for performing a task. This
includes a definition of competency requirements such as skills, education,
experience, and training.

How identifies all the supporting documentation that may exist to support this
process.

How Many is process monitoring – identifying the measurements needed to assess

the effectiveness of the process, in support of the business plan. There should be
evidence of continuous improvement and corrective action in the process.

Process analysis with the Turtle can encompass many elements, including:

• Activities
• Resources/Linkages
• Methods/Tools
• Measurements
• Regulatory requirements applicable to the process
• Risks associated with the process
• Effectiveness and Efficiency
• And perhaps most importantly: customer requirements, both external and
internal

The results of the Turtle yield many benefits to the business. First and foremost, it
provides process measurements that can be linked directly to the organization’s
strategic plan. It provides a means to assess both external and internal customer
expectations, as well as any business risks associated with the process. It allows for
use of the PDCA cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act) as it applies to the process. And finally,
it allows for an important deliverable out to the management team – a SWOT
analysis.

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 The Process Approach:
Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

SWOT Analysis

SWOT is a business tool that translates “ISO language” into a format that senior
management can more easily understand. A SWOT analysis provides feedback on
the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to the organization. This
approach is widely used to assess risks, benchmark competitive differentiators, and
determine new business strategy.

A SWOT analysis looks at:

• Strengths: Present view. Best practices and benchmarks – learn from these
and apply them to other processes.
• Weaknesses: Present view. Areas that comply but are not fully effective,
and therefore require correction.
• Opportunities: Future view. Areas of improvement to consider.
• Threats: Future view. Areas of high risk and/or non-compliance.

The results of this analysis can be summarized into a SWOT diagram, such as this
one:

Strengths Weaknesses
1. Weekly meetings 1. Broken PDCA
2. Internal Audit process 2. Tool design and maintenance
3. Monitoring of Corrective Action
Opportunities Threats
1. Sales 1. Action plan
2. Operator instructions 2. Training needs
3. Supplier reports

The Impact of the Process Approach

Any organization seeking to certify its management system still needs to meet the
requirements that are presented in the appropriate standard. But the standard by
itself does not necessarily add value to the organization, or bring benefit to senior
management. By assessing the effectiveness of operational processes in achieving
overall company goals and objectives, the concept of risk is now being considered.

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 The Process Approach:
Adding Business Value and Minimizing Risks

What’s more, it results in solid feedback that is presented in a language that the
management team can understand.

A process-based management system is not an administrative burden – in fact, it’s a

necessity for a truly competitive business. It is a critical tool that provides continuity
throughout operations, forming the link between policy, requirements, performance,
objectives, and targets.

About the Author

David Muil is Intertek's General Manager for Systems Certification in Canada.

David has over 15 years' experience in the third-party registration business, in
addition to experience in quality and management roles in the Aerospace and
Automotive industries. David holds a degree in business and economics from
McMaster University (Hamilton, ON, Canada), and continued post-graduate studies
in business at the Henley Management College (London, England). He has also
attained a Green Belt designation in Six Sigma.

About Intertek

For more than 100 years, companies around the world have depended on Intertek
to ensure the quality and safety of their products, processes, and systems. We go
beyond auditing and certification to help our customers improve performance, gain
efficiencies in manufacturing and logistics, overcome market constraints, and
reduce risk. With our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over
26,000 people in more than 100 countries around the world, we can deliver
innovative compliance solutions everywhere you do business.

To learn more, visit www.intertek.com/systems-certification or contact us at

[email protected].

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