Last updated on Jul 7, 2024

Here's how you can align your process design solutions with industry standards and best practices.

Process design is a critical facet of operational management that can significantly impact the efficiency and quality of your products or services. To ensure your processes are not only effective but also align with industry standards and best practices, it's important to understand the intricacies involved. This involves a commitment to continuous improvement, familiarity with regulatory requirements, and the ability to integrate innovative strategies that can propel your business forward. By adhering to these principles, you can create a process design that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of your industry.

1 Understand Standards

To align your process design with industry standards, you must first thoroughly understand what those standards entail. This includes familiarizing yourself with relevant ISO standards, which provide frameworks for quality management systems, and industry-specific guidelines that dictate best practices. It's crucial to keep abreast of changes and updates to these standards, as they can evolve over time. By ensuring your processes meet these benchmarks, you're not only upholding quality but also demonstrating to clients and stakeholders your commitment to excellence.

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Patrick Kelleher

Manufacturing Technology Specialist | Project Engineer, EFI Group, LLC
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The initial focus needs to be on the product. What industry standards, codes specifications and test methods are used to evaluate the products you are trying to produce? Once the product & application requirements are understood then the process antecedents can be learned and used to define process requirements.

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Kalpana Venkataraman

Principal Consultant at Opus Regulatory
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Agree. With all things considered, it is very important to develop business processes and systems to “Fit-for-purpose” for organizations (small-mid-large) to focus on the needs, appropriate system capabilities, and efficient use of resources while being complaint.

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John Toole

Advance Maintenance Technology consultant and Training
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I once set up a multi plant standardization team so that we all could go see the manufacturing standards from more than just our perspective and view. This worked great for my team as it got them engaged in our standards.

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Jean N'TCHA SEMA

agroéconomiste/conseiller d'entreprise
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Je suis entièrement d'accord. Car, avant tout, il faut bien comprendre une ce que s'est qu'une norme : sa définition, ces avantages et implications. Cette connaissance permettra d'aller vers la normalisation

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2 Assess Processes

Evaluating your current processes is essential for alignment with industry best practices. Start by conducting a thorough analysis to identify any gaps or areas of inefficiency. Use process mapping to visualize workflows and pinpoint bottlenecks or redundant steps that could be streamlined. By comparing your current state to industry benchmarks, you can develop a clear understanding of where improvements are needed and prioritize changes that will have the most significant impact on performance and compliance.

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John Toole

Advance Maintenance Technology consultant and Training
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The best way to assess any process is to go do it. I made all my new engineers go learn and do the processes first before I asked them to do anything.

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Jean N'TCHA SEMA

agroéconomiste/conseiller d'entreprise
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Il faut ajouter à cela que avant d'évaluer, il est nécessaire d'avoir un regard sur les moyens dont on dispose. Une personne qui a compris les avantages des normes, il devra faire des options de choix, une évaluation basée sur ces ressources lui permettra de retenir un meilleur choix

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3 Engage Teams

Successful process design requires the engagement and collaboration of your teams. Encourage a culture of open communication where employees at all levels can contribute ideas for improvement. This not only fosters a sense of ownership but also ensures that the processes designed are practical and consider the insights of those who will be implementing them daily. By involving your team, you're more likely to design processes that are not only compliant with industry standards but also optimized for the realities of your workplace.

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John Toole

Advance Maintenance Technology consultant and Training
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The best way I have found to engage my team is with the coaching with a compass documentation so that the process is created by the people who own and do it.

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4 Integrate Technology

Leveraging technology is key to aligning your process design with best practices. Consider implementing systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to automate and streamline operations. These technologies can help in maintaining consistency, increasing accuracy, and providing real-time data that can be used for informed decision-making. When integrating new technologies, ensure they are compatible with industry standards to maintain compliance and interoperability.

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John Toole

Advance Maintenance Technology consultant and Training
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The best way to integrate technology in to your process is with the best CMMS available on the market for the type of manufacturing you are doing. That CMMS system should be one that is a one stop shop. Meaning it has HR / payroll Quality,Operations, maintenance, and engineering in it so you do not have a bunch of other programs that’s thier just so they can upload to the main program.

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5 Continuous Improvement

Embrace the philosophy of continuous improvement, known as Kaizen in the manufacturing world, to ensure your processes remain aligned with industry standards over time. This means regularly reviewing and refining your processes to adapt to new technologies, changing regulations, and evolving industry trends. By committing to ongoing development, you can maintain a competitive edge and ensure that your process design continues to meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

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John Toole

Advance Maintenance Technology consultant and Training
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Continuous Improvement is not review it has to be a way of life and deeply embedded in one’s culture to be effective. Too often we only focus on it once a week or month. Or review it in a KPI metrics broad. That’s not Kaizen.

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Jean N'TCHA SEMA

agroéconomiste/conseiller d'entreprise
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Dans un processus où la concurrence est de mise, il est vraiment important de rester dans un processus d'innovation continu, une amélioration des processus de production, distribution...

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6 Monitor Compliance

Lastly, it's vital to establish a monitoring system to ensure ongoing compliance with industry standards and best practices. Use audits, both internal and external, to regularly assess your processes against these benchmarks. This proactive approach allows you to identify non-compliance issues early and implement corrective actions swiftly. Monitoring also provides valuable feedback that you can use to further refine your process design for optimal performance.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Here's how you can align your process design solutions with industry standards and best practices.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Standards

2 Assess Processes

3 Engage Teams

4 Integrate Technology

5 Continuous Improvement

6 Monitor Compliance

7 Here’s what else to consider

Process Design

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Here's how you can align your process design solutions with industry standards and best practices.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Understand Standards

2 Assess Processes

3 Engage Teams

4 Integrate Technology

5 Continuous Improvement

6 Monitor Compliance

7 Here’s what else to consider

Process Design

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