In project management, there always room for improvement as the project progresses toward the achievement of goals. The process improvement plan is there as an integral part of the project management plan.
The process improvement plan helps to identify, analyze and improve the processes and response planning. However, it includes the documentation of how the processes will be analyzed, where and how the improvements will be made.
It’s an iterative process that never gets completed unless the successful completion of the project. So, the continuous application of the process improvement plan aims to eliminate the weakness in the business operation.
The identification of the process weaknesses may lead to;
- It reduces the process of completion time and friction in business processes.
- The improvement involves the enhancement of efficiency and quality.
- Aims to eliminate wasted efforts.
- Is the business or project meet regulatory compliance?
Process improvement isn’t a reactive approach. Therefore, it proactively approaches to find weaknesses in the processes. Also, the ways are figured out for the improvement of those weaknesses.
Related Article: Stakeholder Process Plan
Key areas of Process Improvement Plan:
There are different areas of the process that must be considered in the process improvement plan strategy for its effectiveness. These areas include;
Process Boundaries:
It covers a brief scope of the processes. It defines the purpose of the process along with the start and end dates. The process input, out and key stakeholders are also discussed in this section.
Processes Configuration:
It is the graphical illustration of all the processes of a project. The type of visual illustration helps the project managers and project teams in the analysis. Using this graphical tool, process weaknesses can be easily identified, and improvement plans can be constructed.
Process Metrics:
The process metrics are the indicators of the project performance parameters. Project teams use these metrics to determine the efficiency of the process. Also, project quality and performance can be monitors, tracked, and control using these metrics.
Steps to make a Process Improvement Plan Template:
There are several steps involves in the creation of an effective process improvement plan. However, the following steps can be adopted for the creation of a process improvement plan of a project;
Step 1:
Identify the process to improve and define the scope of improvement. Assign the task to a specific process improvement team.
Step 2:
Make a process configuration and identify the process bottlenecks. Understand the current process workflow, eliminate redundant activities for the creation of baselines.
Step 3:
Determine the stability of the process and variation. Compare the collected data with improvement objectives and identify the weaknesses in the existing process.
Step 4:
Identify the primary hindrance in the achievement of improvement objectives.
Step 5: Make recommendations and plan for implementing the changes. Do tests of the optimized process and compare it with the objectives for improvement.
Step 6: Ensure the stability and capability of the improved process in terms of operating costs and labor requirements.
Follow each of the above guidelines step by step for any type of project for the improvement of the process.