Operation Improvement Inc.

When I talk to clients about business processes and the importance of process knowledge, they often confuse process with procedure. The mix-up is understandable—both involve intentional ways of doing business, and procedures are far more familiar than true processes.

Procedures are more common likely due to lower cost and skill requirements. Building them is akin to on-the-job training: designate a top performer, observe their actions, and have a technical writer document steps for others to replicate.

In contrast, process-building is an engineering endeavor. It starts with the objective, then explores means to achieve it. Drawing on scientific principles, available tools, alternatives, costs, and quality, it outlines a cause-and-effect-based method that’s tested and then implemented.

Often, no current worker meets the ideal standard before a true process is designed. That’s why approaches that begin by mapping “what we do now” are inferior to a genuine process mindset, which asks: “What result do we want, and what activities does it depend on?“

Procedures preserve the status quo by replicating what works. Processes aim higher.

Procedures

Procedures are activity-focused. They provide step-by-step instructions on what to do, with little explanation of why. Essentially, they say, “Trust me,” and the good operator is one that obeys!

In manufacturing, procedure sheets or “recipes” are common. Years ago, I worked with a client producing cast aluminum parts. They had thousands of recipes detailing mold numbers, fill pressures, times, and cooling durations.

Operators followed these faithfully, but yields worsened over time. The facility’s thermal and mechanical traits evolved with age, maintenance, and repairs—it was no longer the same machine.

Each year, more recipes became outdated, forcing operators to run trials and errors to identify the remaining formulas that produced acceptable parts.

Processes

A Process approach made it possible to involve the operator’s judgment, and to account for the change in the machine over time. The good operator is one that thinks!

By grounding methods in cause-and-effect relationships and process knowledge, we enabled operators to detect and correct recipe errors before casting, thereby preventing waste.

Within a work center, a business process is a designed baseline for roles, stations, tasks, and targets. It’s organized knowledge of who does what, where, and when.

Regular measurements check if the process aligns with the baseline or if something has shifted.

Understanding the process’s anatomy—its cause-and-effect links—helps interpret variances and pinpoint corrections.

Need an Example?

A simple analogy clarifies the distinction. It occurred to me while figuring out our last digital camera.

The procedure for a quick start: 1) Turn on the power. 2) Set the program dial to P. 3) Frame your subject in the viewfinder. 4) Press the shutter button. This got me my first photo but didn’t make me a photographer.

For over a century, photography’s science has revolved around light, lenses, focal points, and image planes. Photo-experts understand that the process begins with the end in mind: a captured image controlling illumination, color, contrast, depth of field, and motion. Key metrics include light sensitivity, grain (or megapixels), aperture, exposure time, and filtration.

From Brownie box cameras to advanced digitals, the core process remains stable, even as procedures vary by model and setting.

Professional photographers leverage this knowledge alongside real-time observations—like lighting, motion, colors, and backgrounds—to adapt and excel.

Process knowledge is the pro’s edge. Without it, you’re just someone with a camera.

Conclusion

In modern business, it’s unacceptable for gauges, controls, metrics, and adjustments to be mysteries to operators who merely follow recipes. This leads to a gradual erosion of competitiveness that may go unnoticed until it’s too late. You can avoid this by capturing, organizing, and sharing process knowledge. The outcome? A robust, consistent operation that thrives amid change.