Workflow Analysis

A universal way to describe any kind of work done by organizations is that inputs (I) are gathered, put through some kind of process (P), and result in outputs (O). This simple IPO model describes the machining and assembly of parts to make a jet engine, the treatment given to patients in a hospital, the education of students in a school, or any other kind of organizational work. The key to creating the outputs is the workflow, an organizational process that is designed to result in a specific kind of output. Workflow analysis is a technology for both describing an existing workflow and for evaluating it to allow change and improvement.

Workflow analysis is like building a jigsaw puzzle. Individuals may go about assembling a jigsaw puzzle in any way they choose, and in a group of people, different approaches will be observed. A designed workflow might specify that the first step is to find the four pieces with right angles—the four corners of the puzzle—then sort through the pieces to find ones with properties similar to the corners (color, pattern, etc.) before trying to fit them together, and repeat these steps and progressively build inward toward the middle. An organization needs to design its processes to ensure its outputs will meet all specifications, including cost, schedule, and quality.

It might seem that once a workflow is designed, it will remain that way indefinitely. That is almost never the case—workflows change and evolve over time. When a worker is hired, that person brings attributes that affect the way he works. For example, an accountant who is very proud of never making mistakes checks everything three times but seldom gets things done on time; a highly efficient nurse skips recording patient data until the end of a shift but, therefore, makes dangerous mistakes. Temporary changes to organization structure become permanent; a one-time project evolves into a new product line, for example. Workflow change is usually evolutionary, so change creeps into a workflow slowly and accumulates over time, bringing both positive and negative effects.

Workflow analysis can bring enormous benefits. One major hospital did a workflow analysis of processing a pneumonia patient through treatment and found that 17 of the 68 total steps were helpful while the other 51 steps were not. To obtain an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9002 process certification at a facility in England, a major chemical company found from its workflow analysis that only 1,100 of 3,000 process tests were needed, that cycle time fell from 15 to 1½ days at one plant, and that first-pass yields of product increased from 72% to 92% at another. A major [Page 849]analysis of avionics maintenance processes in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War resulted in a sixfold increase in productivity that saved hundreds of millions of dollars in terms of acquisition of new testers.

This entry focuses on technologies associated with workflow analysis, including a discussion of their strengths and weaknesses and whether such technologies compete or complement each other.