Process Analysis Tools

Process Analysis tools and templates for lean process improvement

Ideally, every organization will evolve their own standardized ways to systematically analyze their unique types of processes, but every organization will benefit from first becoming familiar with the popular process analysis tools and tools for standardized work that other organizations have found useful.

Popular process analysis tools

Process Analysis template

Value Stream Mapping

Flow Charts

Flowcharts are by far the most popular tools for process analysis.

See online training for the many types of flowcharts and how to use your versatile (humble) flowchart template (FlowChart.xlsx) for many diverse types of process analysis.

 

Swim Lane Functional Flowchart

Use your Functional Flowchart template (FunctionalFlow.xlsx) to analyze and improve flow within a process that has a lot of handoffs.

Unlike a simple flowchart your Swim Lane Functional Flowchart has lots of math to perform 'deep-dive' process analysis with Lean Metrics and charts that Visio simply can't do.

Process Reengineering

 

Standard Work

Your Standard Work template (StdWork.xlsx) is perhaps the most powerful tool in your lean toolkit to analyze and improve flow within each process in your value stream.

You will often start with simpler process analysis tools but this is the tool that will save your career
when your top management starts asking the tough questions, like:

"How much does it cost?"

"How many can we make?"

"What if... we reduced setup times? demand changes? we tried something different?"

Yamazumi

Your Yamazumi template (Yamazumi.xlsx) is an easier tool to answer a few of the same questions

"How might we rearrange tasks between workers?"

"Where should we focus our improvement efforts?"

Quality Analysis

A specialized type of process analysis is Quality Analysis to ensure that your process is capable
of meeting your specifications.

Your Systems2win templates come with an entire suite of Quality Tools for those times that your process analysis efforts need to focus on quality.

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what

What is process analysis?

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how

Two competing approaches for

How to do lean process analysis

Surprisingly, there are two competing philosophies for how to approach process analysis:

1) As a combined activity

2) Split those into two separate exercises

For example, if you are following the teachings of the Lean Improvement Kata, you are discouraged from random identification of wastes not specifically related to the one (and only one) Obstacle that is the focus of your current cycle of PDCA Coaching. (PDCA.xlsx)

Why? Two reasons:

1. Because you want to focus only on those wastes that are specifically obstructing achievement of the Strategic Target Challenges that are the current focus of your organization-wide Strategic Objectives.
2. Because the process is rapidly changing with each PDCA Coaching Cycle, so time spent analyzing waste that used to exist in last week's now-outdated process
   can be its own form of waste.

If you do identify an improvement idea unrelated to the current Obstacle of focus (maybe ideas for safety, or quality...???) then rather than following every rabbit trail, your Coach will want to use your 'Potential Future Improvements' template (PotentialFuture.xlsx) to ensure that all improvement ideas are captured for future consideration.

Pure Process Analysis

If you are doing pure process analysis, (not combined with a waste walk), then by far your most popular tool will be your 'Process Analysis' template (Analysis.xlsx) where you can easily hide and unhide popular lean metrics and easily add unlimited rows for the Key Performance Indictors (KPI's) that are most important to measure, analyze, and improve for your unique process.

 

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template

How to use your

Process Analysis template

also known as Results Metrics

Before getting started

Excel Ribbon bar > Systems2win tab > Translations & Substitutions > Select Translations and Substitute Phrases for THIS Template > Apply User Substitute Phrases

Use the dropdown list to choose the types of processes defined by your leaders.

For example, your leaders might have defined different things to analyze for an Office process vs. a Production process.

Find and open your template

If you don't yet own a license,
you can download your free trial now.

Save your working document

following the usual document storage and naming conventions established by your leaders

Open a Blank Sheet

Rename your new sheet.

Or... Insert Sheet

As an alternative to opening a stand-alone document (as instructed above),

you also have the option to Insert Sheet into any other Excel workbook.

If English is not your preferred language

Switch to your language, just like every Systems2win Excel template.

Now your team is ready to get started...

Enter header data

Process Name

Brief description of the process or value stream being analyzed.

Strategic Challenge

What stretch goal is this team currently working toward?

What Strategic Challenge is this team working on to support the current Strategic Plan?

Header Data

Most commonly, you will enter the Revised Date and Auditor name.

But it's your document. You can enter any header data you want.

User-Defined header data

You can optionally unhide the User-Defined header row, and can optionally copy it, for unlimited rows of header data.

Date

Enter Start Date.

Target Date is optional.

Tip: To change date format - Right-click > Format Cells > Number tab

Hide or Show Rows

 

When you click the 'Hide/Show Rows' button in the Systems2win menu

All dropdown lists (on any Systems2win template) are defined on the DV sheet.

Tip: Although it does support multi-character codes, it is usually wise to use single character codes.

Unlike most Systems2win templates...

There is no pop-up help for any of the row headers

Why? We left out the pop-up help so that you can easily personalize your template

Easily replacing any line item with your own preferred User Substitute Phrases without the annoyance of lingering pop-up help that no longer matches your new process analysis criterion

Rather than pop-up help, you can visit this training web page to find help for each of the pre-defined rows of potential Process Analysis Criteria.

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help

Help for each row of potential

Process Analysis Criteria

Usually, you will hide rows for all but your chosen 6-12 Process Analysis Criteria.

This section of this training page provides help and training for each of the potential Process Design Objectives that you might choose to keep unhidden.

Work Time Available

Notice in the sample illustration that in the Links column, the Author of this document has provided a Link Icon

that users can click to open the Excel Takt Time Calculator for this process.

That's a really smart idea for you to also do for your process, because the Takt Time Calculator provides the source data details for many of the line items in this section for 'Work Time Available'.

Shifts, Overtime, Number of Workers

Almost everyone already knows the definitions of these common terms...

so we're going to focus our attention on those Process Design Objectives that might have some confusion.

Absenteeism

How often do workers simply not show up for work?

Work Time Available

Again, the source document is usually your Takt Time Calculator.

User-Defined Metrics

It's Excel.
Use everything you know about familiar Microsoft Excel to measure anything.

Perhaps add your own user-defined metrics

In addition to all of the pre-defined popular lean metrics (listed above) you can also easily add your own user-defined metrics.

Option 1) Use the blank rows

Between each major section, there is a blank row.

You can copy that blank row, and use everything you know about familiar Microsoft Excel to add unlimited rows of your own user-defined metrics to measure anything that is important to the success of your unique process.

Option 2) Replace a pre-defined metric with your own

The worksheet is not protected.

If you are the Author of your own working document, and you want to replace a pre-defined metric with your own, then you can simply overwrite that VLOOKUP formula with your own text

the same way that you can personalize text in any Systems2win template

If you are a Process Improvement Team Leader, and you want to personalize your master template for your own metrics unique to your industry or organization, then you can do that the same way that you personalize any Systems2win template.

Copy the shaded cells

It is real easy to get your formulas right.

Simply copy the shaded cells beneath the Print Area for:

1. Delta Down % — desired direction of change is down
2. Delta Up % — desired direction of change is up
3. Delta Grey % — requires human judgment to decide whether change in either direction is good or bad
4. Delta Grey # — rather than a percent, it calculates the change as a raw number

Tip: If conditional formatting doesn't correctly show the color red immediately in a newly copied cell, you might need to manually recalculate. (CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+F9)

Tip: Formulas deliver a blank result if either of the numbers is zero.
Why? Because some metrics should treat the zero as a 1, and others shouldn't.
The situations are too inconsistent, so it just delivers a blank result.

Of course, you can use everything you know about Excel to write your own formulas
(but might your time be better spent improving your next process?)

Demand

Takt Time

See online training for Takt Time.

Perhaps use a Link Icon to link to a related document to explain your Takt Time calculation.

When you enter the unit of measure for Takt Time, notice that the unit of measure also instantly changes for several other related rows.

Target Cycle Time

If you are one of the (many) lean practitioners that makes no distinction between Takt Time, Operational Takt Time, and Target Cycle Time... then simply hide this row.

But be sure to have a conversation with the users of your document, to ensure that everyone has the same understanding and way of calculating 'Takt Time' the same way you do.

User-Defined

See the training section above to learn how to add unlimited rows of your own user-defined metrics.

Process Metrics

One of the foundational Lean Principles is for management and lean leaders to focus on both:

1. Bottom line Results
2. And the details of the Processes that produce those results

In this section, you focus on the Process,

and in the next section, you focus on Process Outputs.

Cycle Time

We put Cycle Time at the top of the Process section just so that it would be nearby for easy comparison to Target Cycle Time

Process Flow

Lead Time, Process Time, and Activity Ratio

The bread and butter most common lean metrics.

If popular terms are not yet completely familiar to you,

then you might want to schedule a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee to wander around this web site...
perhaps starting with the Lean Glossary

Value Add Time, Value Add & of Time, and Value Add Steps

Perhaps use Link Icons to link to related documents where you perform Value Add Analysis

Distance Traveled

For either or both — the item being process, and/or the human walk paths.

Perhaps link to your Supply Chain Map or your Layout Diagram.

Effective Machine Time

If any Machine Cycle Time is getting too close for comfort to your Target Cycle Time, then it's time to pull out your Machine Balancing template.

Safety Warnings and Accidents

Don't really need explanation, do they?

User-Defined Metrics

This Process section is the most likely place to add your own user-defined metrics, following the instructions already covered above.

Process Outputs

Guaranteed Turnaround Time

Guaranteed Turnaround Time is a very useful metric for Lean Office and Administration.

In Lean Manufacturing, it is better known as Every Part Every Interval.

Output

Remember... your lean objective is throughput, not output.

(Inventory that is sold, not just produced)

Good Units Produced, Defects, Rejects

Rework and % Complete and Accurate

Choose one.

Rework = How often did it require fixing?

% Complete and Accurate = How often did we get it right? (without need for fixing)

Returns, Finished Goods Inventory

Need no explanation

Cost per Unit

If your management wants you to measure cost per unit, then your management really needs to learn how to use your Standard Work template and your Standard Work Estimates template because otherwise they are asking you for guesstimates that you are going to pull out of thin air

Lean Management Systems

Improvement Ideas

The ultimate objective of every lean tool, lean method, and lean principle is to stimulate human thinking.

See online training for Hansei

Improvement Events

Improvement events might include kaizen events, value stream mapping events, as well as A3 projects, six sigma projects, and all manner of continuous improvement.

All that matters is that you define your own Operational Definitions of what qualifies as an 'Improvement Event' within your organization.

Leadership progress

There are several rows that all use the same dropdown list choices to evaluate the competence and progress of different aspects of lean leadership.

(and yes, of course you can define your own dropdown lists evaluation choices...
the same way that you can personalize any dropdown lists in any Systems2win template)

Click the 'Help' links associated with each row to learn more about each.

Cross Training

How many tasks have been cross trained?

Link to your Training and Skills Matrix (TrainingMatrix.xlsx)

Lean Assessment

Enter the Overall Score from the 'Scorecard' sheet of your Lean Assessment template (Assess.xlsx)

And use a Link Icon to link to the source document.

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improve

Okay... now that you have used the Hide/Show Rows button to show only those (usually 6-12) Process Design Objectives that you have chosen to measure for your unique process...

let's finish the instructions for...

How to use your

Process Analysis template

to measurably improve your process

Enter Start and Target Measures

For each row that you have chosen to keep unhidden, enter:

Unit of Measure

When you enter your Unit of Measure in the pink double-border cells for 'Demand' and 'Takt Time', notice that the Unit of Measure instantly changes for several other related rows.

Start

Enter the data that you observe as of the Start date.

Target

What target goal is this team working toward for each of your selected rows?

Consider Collateral Benefits

In the text boxes at the bottom of your document, also consider subjectively measured Collateral Benefits such as improved employee morale, reduced costs associated with employee turnover, reduced environmental impacts, improved safety…

Tip: See if you can find creative ways to measure Collateral Benefits
using objective measurable numbers, rather than just subjective speculation.

Complete your Executive Briefing

You should now be ready to make your first Presentation of Results to your senior managers, executives, and other stakeholders ideally also using a few of your other templates to deliver a more impressive Executive Briefing.

Do it. Improve the Process

Perform your first Periodic Audit

On your agreed upon first audit date, (usually 30 days)...

your team representative(s) meet with your Auditor(s) to review how you're coming with your goals.

Perform as many Audits as it takes

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custom

How to personalize your

Process Analysis template

Each user of this template can personalize their working document

using every thing you know about familiar Microsoft Excel.

Your leaders can personalize your Process Analysis master template

to pre-define different types of process analysis for an unlimited number of different types of processes

Most commonly, the things that you commonly analyze for a Lean Office or Administrative process are often somewhat different from the things that you commonly analyze for a Lean Manufacturing process.

And if you're in Lean Healthcare, then you already know how your people's eyes glaze over
until you sanitize your forms to remove any terminology that might have any association with an automobile.

More creatively, your leaders can pre-defined suggested standard process analysis patterns for any types of processes that are unique to your industry or organization

Perhaps for the different types of oil and gas that you produce.
Perhaps for medical procedures vs. medical supply room processes.
Perhaps for two Regional Managers that like to analyze the same process 2 different ways.

How?

The same way that you personalize every one of your other Systems2win Excel templates.

Most of your personalizations will be automatically found and transferred each time you upgrade.

The one thing that you will probably need to manually copy and paste to your new master template is your list of user-defined codes in the Hide/Show Rows column.

Almost everything else will be automatically found and transferred, including:

• Your user-defined dropdown lists
• Your substitute phrases for your own user-defined Process Analysis Criteria

When you personalize your Systems2win templates

then over the years, your templates become more and more...

yours

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Own these Process Analysis tools

 

 

to empower every team member