Duration 2 days -14 hours

 

Overview

This hands-on course equips participants with a structured approach to improve business processes from end to end—understanding the current process, identifying inefficiencies and bottlenecks, analyzing root causes, redesigning workflows, and implementing improvements with measurable results. The training combines practical tools from Lean and PDCA (with light Six Sigma thinking) and uses workshops, templates, and case exercises so participants can apply the methods immediately.

 

Objectives

• Explain process improvement fundamentals and common causes of inefficiency.
• Define process goals aligned to customer needs and business outcomes.
• Map processes using SIPOC and swimlane/current-state mapping.
• Identify waste, bottlenecks, delays, rework loops, and handoff issues.
• Apply root cause analysis tools (5 Whys, Fishbone, Pareto).
• Design a future-state process that improves flow, quality, and accountability.
• Prioritize improvements using impact-effort and risk considerations.
• Build an implementation plan with owners, timeline, metrics, and controls.
• Sustain improvements through standardization, monitoring, and governance.

 

Target Audience

• Team leads, supervisors, and managers
• Process owners, process analysts, and improvement champions
• Operations, shared services, customer service, and support teams
• Quality, compliance, risk, and internal control teams
• Project team members involved in fixing recurring operational issues

 

Prerequisites

• None required (beginner-friendly)
• Recommended: basic familiarity with your work process and challenges
• Optional: bring one real process issue (delay, error, rework, backlog) for workshop use

 

Course Outline

 

Day 1 — Process Understanding & Diagnostics

Module 1: Foundations of Process Improvement

• What a process is and why it matters
• Outcomes: speed, quality, cost, customer experience, risk
• Reactive vs proactive improvement
• Roles: process owner, contributors, stakeholders

Module 2: Voice of Customer & Process Performance

• Internal vs external customers
• Defining process requirements (CTQs / must-haves)
• Choosing KPIs: cycle time, throughput, defect rate, SLA, backlog
• Baseline vs target: setting measurable goals

Module 3: Process Mapping Tools (Current State)

• SIPOC: suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers
• Swimlane mapping (roles, handoffs, decision points)
• Right level of detail and scope boundaries
• Validating the map with stakeholders

Module 4: Identifying Waste & Bottlenecks (Lean Basics)

• Value-added vs non-value-added work
• Typical wastes: waiting, rework, over-processing, handoffs, motion
• Bottleneck and constraint thinking
• Quick diagnostics: queues, delays, rework loops, approvals

Module 5: Workshop 1 — Current-State Mapping

• Build SIPOC + swimlane map for a case process (or participant process)
• Mark pain points, delays, rework, and handoff risks
• Share-out and feedback

 

Day 2 — Root Cause, Future State, Implementation & Sustainment

Module 6: Root Cause Analysis for Process Problems

• Symptom vs cause vs root cause
• 5 Whys (proper chaining and validation)
• Fishbone/Ishikawa (structured cause categories)
• Pareto (focus on the vital few)
• Evidence and confirmation: avoid “guess causes”

Module 7: Designing the Future-State Process

• Simplification: remove steps, reduce approvals, shorten handoffs
• Improving flow: batching vs one-piece flow basics
• Standard work and checklists
• Error prevention (light mistake-proofing concepts)
• Balancing efficiency with compliance and risk controls

Module 8: Prioritization & Solution Selection

• Idea generation techniques
• Impact vs effort matrix
• Risk-based prioritization and trade-offs
• Quick business case: time saved, defects reduced, cost avoidance

Module 9: Implementation Planning & Change Enablement

• Action planning: owners, timeline, dependencies
• Pilot vs full rollout approaches
• Stakeholder communication and training needs
• Managing resistance and sustaining adoption

 Module 10: Measurement, Control & Sustainment

• Leading vs lagging indicators
• Control plan: what to monitor, how often, escalation triggers
• Updating SOPs and documentation
• Continuous improvement cadence: reviews and retrospectives

Module 11: Capstone Workshop — Improvement Proposal

• Create a mini improvement proposal including:
  • Problem statement + baseline KPI
  • Root causes
  • Future-state map
  • Implementation plan + success measures
• Presentation and peer/facilitator review