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Tracking process flow to improve production speed

Whether you are a business manager, owner, or just a worker, you have most likely been concerned with your production speed at some point in your career.All businesses are always striving to improve their production speed, because a higher production speed yields a higher profit.And every business man and woman knows that a higher profit is good for everyone.So perhaps you're looking for new ways to improve your production speed, but you're not sure where to begin.Well this article is here to tell you that in tracking your process flow you can improve your production speed.And here is how to do just that.

Let's start with an explanation of process flow.Process flow is the steps of a procedure used in making, delivering, or accomplishing a product or service, and how it impacts the layout of your facility and your decisions about technology, as well as how your company works together.Process flow is an important aspect to building a strong company with a competitive edge.A given procedure can be classified as job shop or flow shop when applying the concept of "process flow."Flow shop is not a flexible procedure and uses specialized resources.Job shop is very flexible and uses general resources.

Process flow may also be familiar to you in the diagram form used by chemical and processing engineers.This diagram indicates the general flow of a factory or plant's processes and equipment.It is not, however, the definition we are looking for in this article and therefore we shall cease discussion of it.

With this overview in mind, let us now look at an example where tracking your process flow could improve your production speed.Let us imagine that you own a company that makes kitchen gadgets.In your company you have several divisions, including divisions that do the following things: order parts, sort through parts, divide parts into specified areas, assemble parts, check the product, package product and ship product.Lately your ordering division has been slacking in their workload.They haven't been ordering parts on time and so the parts haven't been arriving on time.And your checking division has been awfully lax about what quality of product they allow through, so packaging has been sending many products back to assembly to be fixed.

Because of these problems, your company has been behind in orders and customers are starting to complain.And along with that, workers from different divisions of the company are beginning to blame other divisions for the problems.Basically you're loosing money, your employees are unhappy, and your customers are thinking about buying another brand of product.

What can be done to remedy this situation?Well, for one thing, it sounds like you need to start tracking your process flows.Wait, you mean you don't have any idea of how they should be?Well then its time to start from square one.

First you need to make a detailed list of the steps that need to be followed in order to make your product.Start from the top (being you) and describe everything that should happen to the product before it hits the market.Then go through your list and write down how much time it should take each department to accomplish their portion of the job.Once you've done that, you're ready for a period of observation.

Take your list and make a similar list, but this time write down what actually happens to the product.How much time does it really take?Where are the problems or back-ups occurring?Once you know these things, it's time to start finding out why these problems happen so that you can fix it.Doing this will help you realize how much time it should actually take to accomplish tasks.Then you may remedy any unpleasant situations and thereby improve your production speed.

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