o prepare for this essay please read the required articles that is attached
Read the case study in the attached files then answer the following questions:
1.Comment on how process performance at D2D was reviewed and improved?
2.Could this approach be applied to process management in your company or another you know
well?
3.Explain with examples.
Process Performance Review and Improvement Case Study
Design and Distribution Ltd (D2D) underwent a global restructuring which was aimed at
keeping the company competitive, and at the same time ensuring that the products and services
to its customers were top quality. Before the restructure, D2D was based in five sites with a
workforce of 2000. After the review and improvement its processes, the company started
operating from a single site with a workforce of 700 (Surendran 2010). The review was a process
which involved all the employees, customers and suppliers of the company. The Company noted
that to be competitive, profitable and a world-class company, processes should be identified,
understood adequately and benchmarks set to ensure that progress is monitored and reviewed
periodically.
To embark on the restructuring activity, the top management at D2D identified the
processes that needed to be undertaken. Information was collected from various sources
including, customers’ data and feedback which aided the identification of faults in their products
and service delivery which required to be checked. Understanding that the success of any
organization was based on the relationship between the company, its suppliers and the
customers, all people involved were well trained on customer care and handling to ensure that all
processed were well managed and improved on. By involving all the stakeholders, D2D was able
to identify the processes that needed to be worked on, set benchmarks and targets that were
agreed across the board and be able to monitor and measure the results across the set targets
(Surendran 2010).
The next step was implementation of the correction processes as agreed by all
stakeholders which was to be done within the agreed timescales and the performance measured
across the set targets. A methodology on how this was to be done was drawn aided by flowcharts
with feedback loops was adopted to ensure that any corrective measures arising at any given
stage were able to be re-evaluated and incorporated in the overall process. Policy conformity and
standardization with international standards’ bodies were also prioritized to ensure that their
products conformed to the international standards. The company got Allied Quality Assurance
Procedure 1 registration followed by ISO 9002 Certification by 1988, which along with
periodical auditing of the systems by the British Standards Institution ensured that D2D aligned
the processes towards the right direction (Surendran 2010).
Evaluation of the impact of the acted upon processes on business was undertaken by the
unit heads and the set teams. This was done periodically on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly
and annual basis and the cost of quality versus the performance measured to determine the cost-
effectiveness of re-alignment and identify the corrective measures that needed to be adopted.
Customer satisfaction levels identified from their feedbacks were also evaluated to determine
product performance, and identify action plans that were to be deployed to ensure 100%
customer satisfaction (Surendran 2010). Continuous improvement of the performance and
quality of the products was made to an everyday activity in the organization with all the
stakeholders participating in the process. Continuous review of the performance of the processes
was put in-place and a system developed to ensure that the targets were reviewed periodically to
come up with competitive, cost-effective processes which in-turn would impact on the
profitability of the company. This way the objectives and the strategic goals of the company
were achieved.
The model applied at D2D can be applied at any given company to review and improve
on the processes and the quality of its products. Customer needs and satisfaction are two very
important aspects when it comes to reviewing of performance on any organization as this impact
directly on its profitability (Richards 2012). For instance Microsoft Inc. deployed a process
review improvement to check how licensing of its server software by one of its reseller
companies, VIGLEN could be tracked and improved (University of Liverpool n.d.). Microsoft
had issues with how licensing was being done since the process had become complex and this
was resulting to license purchases going unreported or missed by the reseller. The review was
aimed at ensuring that the process was streamlined and all the licenses issued and their payments
could be tracked. This was achieved by designing a methodology that was adopted the Microsoft
Team and involved having clear-cut procedures and identification of processes involved so as to
get the desired output. University of Liverpool Process Improvement team worked on the
processes and ensured that desirable corrective plans were deployed to ensure that the licensing
process could be monitored and tracked by Microsoft. As the same case was done at D2D to
achieve profitability in its processes; restructuring of the workforce at the reseller was done by
hiring the right people and proper training on the new systems done. Continuous review of the
processes in any organization is important as it ensures that the right actions are undertaken to
improve on the products and service delivery of the organization. Customer satisfaction, quality
products or services and competition are the driving forces behind process review and
improvement and any company that aspires to remain profitable should put in place a
methodology to achieve the same (Richards 2012).
References
Richards, Jarrod. “Total Quality Management.” Business Management and Strategy, July 1, 2012
: 2-4.
Surendran, S. Strategic Management. New York City: McGraw-Hill, 2010.
University of Liverpool. Computing Services, Process Improvement Case Studies. n.d.
