Overview
Process improvement can be an important method for companies to control their costs or create product value drivers
The common methods of process improvement include the following:
- Automation - automating a process as much as possible can be a key driver of process improvement.
- Eliminating Bottlenecks - bottlenecks are situations where resources are idle because the inputs to their task are unavailable. Bottlenecks represent waste in its purest form. If a bottleneck is identified, the process either needs to be modified in order to eliminate the bottleneck, or the resources need to be shut down or idled in a way that does not incur cost.
- Including Controls and Monitoring - monitoring of business processes can create a way to catch problem areas early, when they can be solved with minimal cost.