The application of Process Management for reliability enhancement of the Taguchi method

The concept of Process Management has been used by managers and consultants that search for the improvement of both operational or managerial industrial processes. Its strength is in focusing on the external client and on the optimization of the internal process in order to fulfill their needs. By the time the needs of internal clients are being sought, a set of improvements takes place. The Taguchi method, because of its claim for knowledge share between design engineers and people engaged in the process, is a candidate for process management implementation. The objective of this paper is to propose that kind of application aiming for improvements related with reliability of results revealed by the robust design of Taguchi method.

On minimal models of process systems

Minimal representations are known to have no redundant elements, and are therefore of great importance. Based on the notions of performance and size indices and measures for process systems, the paper proposes conditions for a process model being minimal in a set of functionally equivalent models with respect to a size norm. Generalized versions of known procedures to obtain minimal process models for a given modelling goal, model reduction based on sensitivity analysis and incremental model building are proposed and discussed. The notions and procedures are illustrated and compared on a simple example, that of a simple nonlinear fermentation process with different modelling goals and on a case study of a heat exchanger modelling. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improvement of radiology services based on the process management approach

The health sector requires continuous investments to ensure the improvement of products and services from a technological standpoint, the use of new materials, equipment and tools, and the application of process management methods. Methods associated with the process management approach, such as the development of reference models of business processes, can provide significant innovations in the health sector and respond to the current market trend for modern management in this sector (Gunderman et al. (2008) [4]). This article proposes a process model for diagnostic medical X-ray imaging, from which it derives a primary reference model and describes how this information leads to gains in quality and improvements. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Describing and Analyzing Information Technology through Total Quality Management and Process Management: Case Stora Enso Newsprint

Laatu on osaltaan vahvistamassa asemaansa liike-elämässä yritysten kilpaillessa kansainvälisillä markkinoilla niin hinnalla kuin laadulla. Tämä suuntaus on synnyttänyt useita laatuohjelmia, joita käytetään ahkerasti yritysten kokonais- valtaisen laatujohtamisen (TQM) toteuttamisessa. Laatujohtaminen kattaa yrityksen kaikki toiminnot ja luo vaatimuksia myös yrityksen tukitoimintojen kehittämiselle ja parantamiselle. Näihin lukeutuu myös tämän tutkimuksen kohde tietohallinto (IT). Tutkielman tavoitteena oli kuvata IT prosessin nykytila. Tutkielmassa laadittu prosessikuvaus pohjautuu prosessijohtamisen teoriaan ja kohdeyrityksen käyttämään laatupalkinto kriteeristöön. Tutkimusmenetelmänä prosessin nykytilan selvittämiseksi käytettiin teemahaastattelutta. Prosessin nykytilan ja sille asetettujen vaatimusten selvittämiseksi haastateltiin IT prosessin asiakkaita. Prosessianalyysi, tärkeimpien ala-prosessien tunnistaminen ja parannusalueiden löytäminen ovat tämän tutkielman keskeisemmät tulokset. Tutkielma painottui IT prosessin heikkouksien ja parannuskohteiden etsimiseen jatkuvan kehittämisen pohjaksi, ei niinkään prosessin radikaaliin uudistamiseen. Tutkielmassa esitellään TQM:n periaatteet, laatutyökaluja sekä prosessijohtamisen terminologia, periaatteet ja sen systemaattinen toteutus. Työ antaa myös kuvan siitä, miten TQM ja prosessijohtaminen niveltyvät yrityksen laatutyössä.

Logistinen ketju vähittäiskaupan kilpailukykyä lisäävänä tekijänä

Tutkielman tavoitteena on tutkia logistista prosessia vähittäiskaupan kilpailu-kykyä lisäävänä tekijänä. Pääongelmana on selvittää kuinka logistista ketjua johdetaan tehokkaasti vähittäiskaupan asiakasnäkökulma huomioiden. Aihetta on käsitelty määrittämällä logistiikan käsite ja selittämällä logistisen prosessin keskeisiä malleja, logistisen prosessin johtamista, logistiikan kehittymistä, asiakassuhteiden johtamista sekä strategioita varsinkin kilpailun näkökulmasta. Empiirinen osuus on tutkimuksen kannalta keskeinen. Empiirinen tutkimusaineisto on luonteeltaan kvalitatiivinen, jossa henkilökohtaisten haastattelujen avulla kerätty tutkimusaineisto näyttelee merkittävää roolia. Tutkimuksen keskeisimmät tulokset ovat aiemman tutkimuksen ja kirjallisuuden perusteella nelikenttään muotoiltu teoreettinen viitekehys ja tutkimuksen tekijän empiirisen tutkimusaineiston perusteella esiin nostetut logistisen prosessin asiakasodotukset. Keskeisimmät johtopäätökset saaduista tutkimus-tuloksista ovat asiakkaiden halu vaikuttaa ja kehittää toimintaa koko arvoketjussa, tehdyt parannusehdotukset päivittäistavaroiden logistiikkaan ja johtamiseen sekä logistiselle prosessille löytyneet menestystekijät ja päämäärä.

An examination of the appropriateness of the contemporary strategic management models for the Greek small manufacturing enterprises

The starting point of the project was the observation that strategic management is absent in small businesses. The first objective of the project was to examine the reasons causing this situation in Greece, the second one, to examine the appropriateness of the contemporary models of strategic planning for the Greek S.M.E.s, and the third to examine the appropriateness of the alternative approaches to strategic management for the Greek S.M.E.s. The term appropriateness includes (a) the ability of managers to use the models and (b) the ability of the models to assist the managers. The results of the research indicate that none of the two above conditions exists, hence, it is suggested that the contemporary models of strategic management are inappropriate for the Greek S.M.E.s. Many previous research projects on the topic suggest that since the strategic decision making process in S.M.E.s is informal, the whole process is absent or ineffective. Current trends in S.M.E.s' strategic management do not consider the informality of the strategic decision making process as a kind of managerial illness, but as a managerial characteristic. The use of sophisticated data collection and analytical methods does not indicate successful strategic decisions, but it indicates the method large firms use to manage their strategy. According to the literature review, the S.M.E.s' managers avoid the use of the contemporary models of strategic management, because they do not have the knowledge, the resources or the time. Another thesis, expressed by some firms' specialists, suggests that small firms are different from large ones, hence their practice of strategic management should not follow the large firm's prototypes.

A MODEL FOR EVALUATING IMPACT OF BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT IN ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Business Process Management (BPM) is able to organize and frame a company focusing in the improvement or assurance of performance in order to gain competitive advantage. Although it is believed that BPM improves various aspects of organizational performance, there has been a lack of empirical evidence about this. The present study has the purpose to develop a model to show the impact of business process management in organizational performance. To accomplish that, the theoretical basis required to know the elements that configurate BPM and the measures that can evaluate the BPM success on organizational performance is built through a systematic literature review (SLR). Then, a research model is proposed according to SLR results. Empirical data will be collected from a survey of  larg and mid-sized industrial and service companies headquartered in Brazil. A quantitative analysis will be performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to show if the direct effects among BPM and organizational performance can be considered statistically significant. At the end will discuss these results and their managerial and cientific implications.Keywords: Business process management (BPM). Organizational performance. Firm performance. Business models. Structural Equation Modeling. Systematic Literature Review.

Social BPM – The role of social networks in business process management

Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Estatística e Gestão de Informação

A Comparison of the Management Models of Protected Areas between China and the Southern African Region

A Comparison of the Management Models of Protected Areas between China and the African South Region allows reading and evaluating the similarities and differences in the use of management model as a management tool for protected areas in China and South African Region. Specifically, some positive and negative features of the management approaches for the two regions. Secondary data was collected from various related literature such as policy documents, students‟ dissertations/thesis, scientific articles and magazines. Based on the method above, the study found out that China's first nature reserve was the Dingus Mountain Nature Reserve in Zhaoqing, Guangdong province established in 1956. By the end of 2005, about 2,349 nature reserves of various kinds were set up throughout the country, covering a total area of 149.95 million ha and accounting for 15 percent of the total land territory. The study further found that Southern Africa has approximately 4,390 protected areas out of 11487920 total land areas and Eastern Africa has approximately 1838144 protected areas, which is equivalent to 15.0% of the total land areas. South Africa in this region had its first declared natural park in 1926 after Paul Kruger (a war hero) had alerted the authorities of the extinguishing threat of some animal species of region.

Utilization of Knowledge Management in Business Process Modeling and Process Improvements

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on tutkia telekommunikaatioalalla toimivan kohdeyrityksen ohjelmistojen toimitusprosessia° Tutkimus keskittyy mallintamaan toimitusprosessin, määrittelemään roolit ja vastuualueet, havaitsemaan ongelmakohdat ja ehdottamaan prosessille kehityskohteita. Näitä tavoitteita tarkastellaan teoreettisten prosessimallinnustekniikoiden ja tietojohtamisen SECI-prosessikehyksen läpi. Tärkein tiedonkeruun lähde oli haastatteluihin perustuva tutkimus, johon osallistuvat kaikki kohdeprosessiin kuuluvat yksiköt. Mallinnettu toimitusprosessi antoi kohdeyritykselle paremman käsityksen tarkasteltavasta prosessista ja siinä toimivien yksiköiden rooleistaja vastuualueista. Parannusehdotuksia olivat tiedonjaon kanavoinnin määritteleminen, luottamuksen ja sosiaalisten verkostojen parantaminen, ja tietojohtamisen laajamittainen implementointi.

Innovation process management of complex consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm – case location based business

Innovation is the word of this decade. According to innovation definitions, without positive sales impact and meaningful market share the company’s product or service has not been an innovation. Research problem of this master thesis is to find out what is the innovation process of complex new consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm. The objective is to get answers to two research questions: 1) What are the critical success factors what company should do when it is implementing the paradigm change in mass markets consumer business with complex products and services? 2) What is the process or framework one firm could follow? The research problem is looked from one company’s innovation creation process, networking and organization change management challenges point of views. Special focus is to look the research problem from an existing company perspective which is entering new business area. Innovation process management framework of complex new consumer products and services in new innovation paradigm has been created with support of several existing innovation theories. The new process framework includes the critical innovation process elements companies should take into consideration in their daily activities when they are in their new business innovation implementing process. Case company location based business implementation activities are studied via the new innovation process framework. This case study showed how important it is to manage the process, look how the target market and the competition in it is developing during company’s own innovation process, make decisions at right time and from beginning plan and implement the organization change management as one activity in the innovation process. In the end this master thesis showed that all companies need to create their own innovation process master plan with milestones and activities. One plan does not fit all, but all companies can start their planning from the new innovation process what was introduced in this master thesis.

Developing Supply Chain Process Management and Measurement in Global Manufacturing Company

The objective of this research is to create a current state analysis of pulp supply chain processes from production planning to deliveries to customers. A cross-functional flowchart is being used to model these processes. These models help finding key performance indicators (KPIs) which enable examinations of the supply chain efficiency. Supply chain measures in different processes reveal the changes need processes that affect the whole supply chain and its efficiency and competitiveness. Structure of pulp supply chain differs from most of the other supply chains. The fact that there are big volumes of bulk products, small product variations and supply forecasts are made for the year ahead make the difference. This factor brings different benefits but also challenges when developing supply chain. This thesis divides pulp supply chain in three different main categories: production planning, warehousing and transportation. It provides tools for estimating the functionality of supply chain as well as developing the efficiency for different functions of supply chain. By having a better understanding of supply chain processes and measurement the whole supply chain structure can be developed significantly.