Process Management

Process Management is a systematic approach to identifying and aligning an organization’s processes, measurement systems, gap analysis and process improvement efforts to strategic business goals and customer requirements.  This holistic approach helps organizations create a structure that increases the ability to address efficiencies and effectiveness in a cross-functional, process focused approach in order to obtain higher levels of performance.

Performance Management

Performance Management is comprehensive process for establishing measurement systems that assess an organization’s ongoing ability to perform against strategic goals and customer requirements.  A good performance management system should:

• Create a link between process activities and strategic goals and objectives
• Identify key requirements for the customers and stakeholders
• Utilize well defined and communicated scorecards and dashboards
• Help to identify areas for improvement
• Track results – current day-to-day operations as well as continuous improvement gains
• Help to identify and document best practices and recognize excellence

Process Improvement

Continuously monitoring processes highlights areas where performance may not be optimal.  A structured process improvement methodology needs to be in place in order for organizations to take action based on the needs required:  process improvement, process design, or process redesign.  Process improvement is a natural outcome of a good process management system.

APQC’s approach is a model that blends all three aspects into one:  PPM Process and Performance Management. The diagram below shows how process and performance management (outcomes) must work synergistically to achieve results.

The most critical of all outcomes is student achievement.  As depicted in the next figure, many processes must be in place in order to positively impact student achievement.  All processes from utilizing a well defined curriculum to providing nutritious meals and safe transportation impact whether or not a student will be successful in school.

For this reason, APQC approaches student achievement in a more holistic manner, seeking causes for problem areas that may result in low achievement scores or in higher costs to the district, which may detract from the learning experience or instructional budget.

For example, one school district selected a transportation project originally seeking cost savings, but soon found a key metric for “late buses” was the impact to instructional hours lost each school year, when buses failed to ensure children were at school for the beginning of class.  This project team did save over $260,000, but were also able to reduce the number of instances late, and the number of minutes late for all bus routes.  They continue to monitor and improve this process as part of their sustainability plan.

Theory of Action

As one of the most desired outcomes of any educational organization is to increase student achievement,   we must learn to manage processes instead of trying to manage outcomes.  Simply telling educators to get better scores will not accomplish the feat.  Since everything we do all day – everyday – is a process, it makes perfect sense to implement a methodology for process management and continuous improvement.

As mentioned above, educational outcomes (test scores, graduation rates, AYP) cannot be improved if the processes that generate those outcomes are not improved. That includes processes in the classroom itself as well as support processes within other areas of the district. Many districts use savings from operational projects to assist with the instructional processes (money, labor hours or capacity).

APQC proposes to meet and exceed the needs of educational organizations by delivering PPM training and project coaching that mirrors training delivered to the APQC North Star project participants.  PPM is a high level quality assurance model and specifically will include how to:

1. Identification of key processes and Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
2. A structured plan for gaining specific and measureable customer requirements
3. Create a plan for identifying and prioritizing  opportunities for improvement;
4. Conduct process improvement implementation;
5. Design sustainability into improved processes,
6. Develop the best methods to translate the savings/gains across the district.

All training will be based on DMAIC, the most effective model used for process management and process improvement in the last 25 years.  DMAIC is an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.  This model has been used in a wide variety of organizations, ranging from high-tech and manufacturing, insurance and health care, banking and financial, travel and hospitality and more.  These organizations have achieved major improvements in organizational efficiencies and the ability to meet the needs of their customers (effectiveness).