Process Approach Model

Question: Discuss about theProcess Approach Model. Answer: Introduction: In this assignment, an analysis tool has been examined that can help an organization to get competitive advantage. The analysis tool is named as the process approach. Three major components of this model are like management process, realization process and support process. The intend of this assignment is to develop in depth understanding about the process approach model to ISO 9000 family of the Quality management standard of system. This assignment will also act like guidance for the application of this model to any management system irrespective of the size and type of the company. As Weske (2012) stated that, along with management system there various other fields in which this model can be applied. They are like business risk management, social responsibility, Occupational health and safety, and environment. In this assignment, at first the process approach model has been analyzed and then it has been discussed how Woolworths can apply this model in its management to improve its business operation. What are the Essentials of the Process Approach Model? According to Post and Preston (2012), a process is a Set of interrelated or interacting activities, which transforms inputs into outputs. According to the sub clause 0.2 of ISO 9001:2008, Process approach is The application of a system of processes within an organization, together with the identification and interactions of these processes, and their management to produce the desired outcome, can be referred to as the process approach (Chase 2012). It has been found that while implementing this approach, a company has to define the types and number of processes that is required to be fulfilled for its business objectives. However, some typical processes have been identified. They are such as management processes, realization processes, support processes. They are mentioned below: Management Processes According to Huczynski (2012), management process is related with development of organization policies, strategic planning, establishing business objectives, and development of effective communication. It also helps to ensure the availability of resources so that a company can fulfill the objectives and get positive outcome. Realization Processes As Hitt et al. (2012) mentioned that, it includes all processes, which provide the desired outcomes for a company. They are such as development of appropriate business structure, proper communication system and appropriate promotional activities. Support Processes According to Lee et al. (2012), the Support process is also known as analysis, measurement and improvement process. Weske (2012) stated that support process includes the processes needed to measure and gather data for performance analysis and improvement of effectiveness and efficiency. They include measuring, monitoring, auditing, performance analysis and improvement processes (for corrective and preventive actions). Measurement processes are often documented as an integral part of the management, resource and realization processes; whereas analysis and improvement processes are treated frequently as autonomous processes that interact with other processes, receive inputs from measurement results, and send outputs for the improvement of those processes. According to Weske (2012), performance of a company can be enhanced with the help of process approach model. In this model, all processes are managed as a system. The process networks and their interactions can define this system. Hence, this model can create a better understanding about the added value. Huczynski (2012) mentioned that, The consistent operation of this network is often referred to as the system approach to management. Often it has been found that, all the processes of an organization are interrelated. Output of one process can be input to other process. The concept and the use of this model for the management system of an organization has been given below: Figure 1: Process approach model and its implication (Source: Scheer 2012) The purpose of implementing process approach is to improve effectiveness and efficiency of an organization to achieve the defined objectives. In accordance to ISO 9001:2008, it means enhancing customer satisfaction by meeting their all requirements (Chase 2012). The benefit of using this approach is that, it can provide predictable, consistent and improved outcomes. (Kapferer 2012) stated that, this model can align and integrate all the processes of an organization to achieve desired outcomes. How does Woolworths use this model? Company Woolworths can use the following methodology to apply any kind of process within the organization. They are mentioned below: Step 1 Process identification Step 2 Planning of the process Step 3 Implementation and measurement of the process Step 4 Analyzing the process Step 5 Improvement of the process Figure 2: Stages of Process approach model (Source: Lee et al. 2012) Process Identification In order to conduct the first step, the management of Woolworths has to follow a number stage. These stages are described below: Figure 3: Stages related with Process identification (Source: Post and Preston 2012) Woolworths has to determine which processes needs to be documented depending on the type and size of the company, complexity and criticality of the process and its interactions and availability of qualified personnel. Planning of the Process In this stage, the management of the company needs to define the interaction and sequences of activities within the process. After that, the management of the organization has to measure and monitor the requirement of the process. As Lee et al. (2012) stated that, it includes factors like wastes, on time delivery, customer satisfaction, performance of suppliers. Implementation and Measurement of the Process Woolworths can implement this model for activities such as change management, communication, training, management involvement and developing awareness among employees (Post and Preston 2012). Analyzing the Process In order to quantify the performance of the process, the management of the organization needs to evaluate and analyze the process information obtained from measuring and monitoring data. The management of the company has to compare the performance of the process with process requirements in order to confirm its effectiveness. Improvement of the Process The management of the organization needs to apply Risk analysis tools in order to analyze the potential problems related with the implementation of the model. The management has to identify the root causes of the problems and eliminate them. They can use Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology to define, implement and control the corrective actions. Conclusion In this assignment, the importance of process approach model has been discussed. Different processes related with this model have been analyzed. Then it has been discussed how the management of the company Woolworths can implement this model within the organization. References Chase, J., 2012.Operations management. Tata McGraw-Hill. Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E., 2012.Strategic management cases: competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning. Huczynski, A., 2012.Management gurus. Routledge. Kapferer, J.N., 2012.The new strategic brand management: Advanced insights and strategic thinking. Kogan page publishers. Lee, H., Kim, M.S. and Park, Y., 2012. An analytic network process approach to operationalization of five forces model.Applied Mathematical Modelling,36(4), pp.1783-1795. Post, J. and Preston, L., 2012.Private management and public policy: The principle of public responsibility. Stanford University Press. Scheer, A.W., 2012.Business process engineering: reference models for industrial enterprises. Springer Science Business Media. Weske, M., 2012. Business process management architectures. InBusiness Process Management(pp. 333-371). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.