ANOTHER TEN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT BUSINESS PROCESSES

1. A process has to “transform” all its Inputs, including Resources – No, whether a transformation happens or not is incidental and may in some cases be the worst possible outcome. This is one of the flaws in the production-line mindset of the ISO9000 definition.

2. All “Inputs” have to go in at the start of the process – No, some may be required only at the very end of the process.

3. All “Outputs” have to come out at the end of the process – No, some will be “put out” almost as soon as the process has started.

4. Inputs are always “put” in from within the process – in fact, the wording implies the opposite. They may be “taken” in from outside the process.

5. Reducing variation in a process is always desirable – No, some processes rely on competent staff to respond to the particular circumstances that occur at the time.

6. A task can belong to only a single process - No, it can also be part of a number of other processes.

7. Staff who regularly follow a process know what the process actually is (objectives, tasks, roles, outcomes etc) – even (especially?) managers often don’t know.

8. Drawing “words in boxes”-type flowcharts is the best way to define a process – they have (extreme) limitations in (eg) the amount of information they can show, the way in which they identify task responsibilities (and other role involvements) and the ability to print a complete process description in a usable format. Getting a consistent presentation format can also be a “challenge”.

9. There are only one or two distinct types of business process - No, we can identify at least five, with distinct characteristics.

10. The ISO9000 definition of a process can be applied to service and administrative processes - in fact it doesn’t always work too well even for a manufacturing process.