Process Excellence

The main idea behind process excellence is to become efficient and effective in every organizational process so as to maintain the best quality of company products or services. Understanding process excellence requires an operational understanding of the two key words just mentioned – efficiency and effectiveness. The former is about doing things in the most skillful way, while the latter is about doing the most beneficial things. Combining these two ideas, process excellence can be summarized as doing the most beneficial things in the most skillful way.

In a company providing repair services, for instance, process efficiency may be measured by taking into consideration the time it takes from diagnosing the problem to actually completing the repair. Process effectiveness, in this scenario, can be evaluated by whether or not the repair is successful and by taking hints about customer satisfaction.

Process excellence is crucial when it comes to corporate performance. In the corporate world, performance can be assessed directly from the sales and financial performance of a company. These, however, only show where the company has been. Process excellence tells precisely where the company is going by looking at this information. It can benefit a company in several ways.

First, it drives process innovations. Companies that are able to harness the creative potentials of their employees through Six Sigma achieve the most critical innovations that translate directly into more productivity. Second, it impacts product development and manufacturing processes; very important components of a company that relies on manufactured products for marketing. Making sure that finished products are user friendly or have easy-to-carry packaging can greatly reduce shipping costs and avoid accidental damages by poor handling. Finally, excellence on after-sales customer service and support has a huge impact on consumer trust. This can bring about more sales through repeat business and often even referrals.