When doing process improvement, should we carefully document the current method and study it to find opportunities for improvement? Or, should we distance ourselves from the current process and develop a wholly new process? There are rationales supporting both approaches.

Those who favor documenting the current methods tend to be concerned that they not lose the advantages that have been built into their processes previously. They also wish to avoid repeating some of the failures of the past. They accept a logic that is based on learning from the past and reaching new heights by modifying what they have learned with each effort taking them a little farther. Their focus is on continuous improvement. Continuity (from one method to the next) is a fundamental part of continuous improvement.

Those who favor discarding the current methods and starting with a clean slate tend to see current methods as constantly deteriorating. From time to time processes become so inadequate that there is hardly anything worth preserving. As processes become cumbersome and outdated it seems appropriate to simply set them aside and start over, with another clean simple process.

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The Graham Process Mapping method was the first flowcharting method developed specifically for mapping mutiple-flow business processes.  It was introduced in 1944 and is still the ONLY process mapping method that focuses on the things we process (forms, documents, email, spreadsheets, databases, systems...)  Other methods are conceptual, giving only a general idea of the process.

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I wish you the best with your process work.

Ben B. Graham
ben.graham@worksimp.com