Introduction of process organisation within the manufacturing industry

The case study describes how CANEA helped the client to implement a process organisation and rebuild the firm’s management system.

The client

The client manufactures products for both private customers and businesses. Manufacturing plants can be found in several places in Sweden and the products are sold through an international sales organisation.

The challenge

The firm has certificates for the quality standard ISO 9001 and the environmental standard ISO 14 001. During the most recent audit a large number of non-conformities where found which meant that the certificates were in danger.

On a more general level the organisation as a whole experienced that responsibilities, authorities and communication was unclear. A lot of time and effort was spent on finding information and correcting errors. In short, the cost of unnecessary activities was high.

CANEA was assigned for a project that partly focused on ensuring that the certificates were kept but mostly focused on increasing clarity and creating structure in areas such as ways of working, responsibilities and authorities and information flows.

The solution

After a preliminary analysis the conclusion was made that there was a relatively low focus on the processes of the firm. The decision was made that the best way to clarify flows and communication as well as to rectify the non-conformities in the current management system was to implement a process organisation. Parts of this included defining and mapping the processes of the organisation and appoint persons with the responsibility to monitor and improve the processes, so called process owners. Furthermore, the existing documentation in the current management system was to be linked to the mapped processes.

As a first step the project organisation was defined and a detailed plan was created. In order to create focus on and commitment for the project a seminar on processes and management systems that was attended by a large number of managers was held. With this as a foundation the implementation was started.

During the initial management workshop the main process map and the critical success factors- the areas in which the firm must excel in order to reach it’s strategic goals- was defined. This also clarified which processes were the most important. In a series of workshops in which a large share of the employees from various departments participated the processes were mapped in detail. During the workshops the process owners for both main and sub processes were also appointed.

The end of the project was marked by a training course for all process owners that combined theory with realistic exercises and workshops on how the process organisation was to function in practice. To follow up the management system internal audits where to be conducted in chosen areas.

The roles in the implemented process organisation:

In the process council the performance and improvements of the processes are dicussed by the management team, line managers and process owners.

The result

• Implemented process organisation:
  How the process organisation was to function in practice was decided during the training course. Parts of this included the creation of so called process councils where the process owners jointly discuss the processes, their performance and improvements. In order to ensure the handover from the project to the organisation an action plan was created during the training course. This was done in collaboration with the process owners and detailed the activities that were to be carried out within the next few weeks after the closing of the project.
• Mapped processes and appointed process owners:
  The majority of the processes of the firm were mapped during the project and as a part of this process owners where appointed with the responsibility to monitor and improve the processes. As a first step focus lies on having the organisation work according to the mapped processes. The processes will in the next step be a powerful tool for identifying improvements in the firm.
• Actively used management system and maintained certificates:
  The mapped processes were documented in an IT-system that all employees have access to and as a first step the existing documentation is linked to the processes. In the future new documents will be created as needed and put into the system. During the project an external audit was conducted which resulted in maintained certificates with positive remarks.