Learning Packet 4: Process Design

A. Learning Goals & Objectives

At the end of this module, you can:

1. design a production process in operations management

B. Integration of Faith and Learning/Values

1 Corinthians 14:40: But all things should be done decently and in order.

Act in a way that is decent, rational, and composed so that you do not
dishonor God during your worship.

Paul concludes 1 Corinthians 14 with this general rule. It is part of a

passage that runs from verse 36 to 40, where Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for
their extreme pride in having spiritual gifts and their childish behavior in the
congregation. The Corinthians were so self-absorbed that they behaved in some
sort of uncontrolled manner that was different than other churches. The Bible
does not tell us exactly what they did, only that it was a misuse of their spiritual
gifts and disgraceful to God.

Paul gave the Corinthians this simple rule to follow to guide their actions
in matters related to their worship of God. This included such things as the
customs they would follow and how they would act so that they could properly
glorify God and be an example for non-Christians in order to convert
unbelievers.

Earlier in 1 Corinthians 14 and in previous chapters, Paul had given the

Corinthians various rules to guide how they should be acting, such as what they
chose to do even if it is perfectly legal to do so (1 Corinthians 10:23), how they
eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31) and whether people should have long or
short hair (1 Corinthians 11:14). Here, in this verse, Paul is telling the
Corinthians that it is less important that they are burdened with specific rules
than that they use a general rule of decency and order to guide their behavior.

As an example of the acting in a “fitting and orderly way,” Paul told the
Corinthians that we should prefer the spiritual gift of prophecy over that of
speaking in tongues because prophecy is a more useful spiritual gift. Speaking in
tongues can be useful if there is an interpreter so that the audience can
understand the message, whereas prophecy has no need for an interpreter.
 C. Core Issues

1. What is process design?

2. What is process planning?
3. What are the types of process design?
4. What are the process types in operations management?
5. What are automated approaches to processing?

D. Lesson Content

1. Process Design

Process Design is the act of transforming an organization’s vision, goals,

and available resources into a discernible, measureable means of achieving the
organization’s vision.

Process design may start with process analysis; best practices from similar
organizations; process reference models from industry‐standards organizations
or third party consultants; or “green field” — ideas coupled with the experience
and insights of the process design team. Process design focuses on defining what
the organization will do to achieve its financial and other goals.

A successful process design has to take into account the appropriateness of

the process to overall organization objective. Process design requires a broad
view of the whole organization and should not have a myopic outlook. And the
process should deliver customer value with constant involvement of the
management at various stages.

In order to achieve a good process design, effective process strategy is

required, which deals with a singular line items required to manufacture the end
product. Effective process strategy deals with raw material procurement,
customer participation, technology investment, and others.

2. Process Planning

Process development for process design can be summarized through

following steps:

a. Process Requirement: The very 1st step is to collect and gather

information to give structure with the end objective. That is to make
process requirement document highlighting various stages, risk and
stakeholders for production. This will include assessment of available
 technology, raw material requirement, factory/plant layout and demand
forecast.

b. Team Building: Once the process requirements are finalized, for each
objective, a team is finalized based on skill level and experience. Function
of the team is to get familiarize with the whole process.

c. Planning and Implementation: Process planning team will develop

module; policies and procedure require for production, which are after
required approval internal as well as external is implemented.

d. Audit: A regular audit is carried out to ensure that process thus

implemented is in line and delivering value to customers.

e. End of Life: Over a course of time there may be enhancement of the

product or product may get discontinued in these circumstances, process
thus develop is discontinued.

Production Process

Based on the nature of product and service production or

conversion process can be divided into two broad categories, continuous
production (assembly line, oil refinery) and intermittent production (job
work, service).

Production process for both manufacturing industry and service

industry can be classified into broad categories based on standardization of
product or service. It can range from single project assignment like a
building or bridge (manufacturing) to interior design (service) and mass
production project like a car (manufacturing) to a fast-food joint
(Services).

3. Types of Process Design

Simply put, a business process is how work gets done. Processes that are
stable, repeatable, and produce consistent results allow managers to accurately
gauge how change to a business system will affect an outcome. When processes
and systems (a set of interacting processes) are defined and have predictable
outcomes, business managers are able to accurately predict costs, outputs, and
schedules.

Process designs play a large role in how well the processes meet business
needs. Three categories of process design can be used to differentiate the types
of process design: Analytical, Experimental, and Procedural.
 a. Analytical or Attribute Centered Design. Attributes of the objects
required for the design are the primary point of consideration. When all
attributes desired are met, the objectives of this design type are considered
completed.

For example, if a new process has a set of criteria, and the available
resources have a set of constraints, when the completed design meets both
the criteria and constraint, the design is considered adequate.

b. Procedural or Operation Centered Design. This design type focuses on

changing a specific object or process to have a desired set of traits or
attributes. Review of what the process is currently capable of and what
changes need to be made to accommodate the new criteria is the primary
focus.

Specific procedures or methods are applied to the addressing current

deficiencies in the process and how changes can be made. Process changes
typically fall within this design type as they focus on existing and
implemented processes which can be altered to accommodate new
requirements, though design of new processes and systems may be an
outcome of the design process as the old processes may be determined to
be inadequate.

c. Experimental Object or Search Centered Design. Experimental object

design focuses on testing specific objects to determine suitability. This
type of design heavily focuses on experiments and outcomes. The list of
possibilities are captured up front, and each possibility (or object) is
reviewed, tested, or prototyped to determine which has the best set of
attributes which meet the design needs.

4. Process Types in Operations Management

Most manufacturing environments fit into one of five general categories:

Repetitive, Discrete, Job Shop, Process (batch), and Process (continuous).

a. Repetitive Processing. Repetitive processing has dedicated production

lines that produce the same or similar items consistently without change. It
requires minimal setup or changeover, so it can be accelerated, slowed
down, or another production line added.

b. Discrete Processing. Discrete processing is also an assembly or

production line process, but it is highly diverse, with a wide variation of
setups and changeover frequencies. The variation is based on whether the
products being produced are alike or very disparate. If the latter is the case,
setup and tear-down will require more time.

c. Job Shop Processing. Job shop processing has production areas, rather
than production lines. One or a number of product versions are assembled
in the areas. If demand deems necessary, the job shop operation is
converted to a discrete processing environment with automated equipment.

d. Process Manufacturing (Batch). This type of operation is analogous to

discrete and job shop processes. The process can run produce one batch or
several, depending on requirements. Continuous batch processes are
possible when the composition of raw materials can’t be made to a strict
standard. Design considerations and disciplines are more diverse.

e. Process Manufacturing (Continuous). This type of processing is similar

to repetitive, in that they run 24/7. The main difference is that the products
are gases, liquids, powders, or slurries. Or in areas like mining, they can be
granular materials. With continuous process manufacturing, the disciplines
to create the product are more diverse.

How Process Manufacturing Is Different than the Others

Repetitive, Discrete and Job Shop processes produce a final

product that is made of separate parts and components that can be put
together or taken apart. The end product must be exactly the same
composition; if one part is missing, the final product is defective; there is
no variation. The manufacturing process can be stopped at a certain point,
and restarted at that point at a later time without affecting the final
product.

These processes use complex multilevel bills of materials (BOMs)

and require sophisticated planning, scheduling and tracking to be
successful. Examples of products that use these types of manufacturing
processes are automobiles, computers and various types of machines.

Process Manufacturing, on the other hand, uses formulas to

develop products. Recipes or formulas are used to mix or blend materials
to make the final product. These recipes can be altered, as desired, with a
variation of ingredients and amounts. Unlike the other processes, where
the product can be dissembled and reused, the materials used in these types
of products cannot.

Process manufacturing operations benefit from sophisticated

tracking and scheduling automation for peak efficiency. Examples of
 products where process manufacturing is used are pharmaceuticals, foods
and beverages, paints, etc.

The biggest difference between process manufacturing and the

other types of operations is that you cannot reverse, or halt and restart, the
process manufacturing process. Process manufacturing depends on lot
potency and shelf life for their requirements, while the others use BOMs,
serial numbers and the like.

5. Automated Approaches to Processing

Automation is the art of making processes or machines self-acting

or self-moving. Automation also means the technique of making a device,
machine, process, or procedure more fully automatic. Automated
machinery may range from simple sensing devices to autonomous robots
and other sophisticated equipment. Automation of operations may
encompass the automation of a single operation or the automation of an
entire facility.

There are many different reasons to automate. Increased

productivity is normally the major reason for many companies desiring a
competitive advantage. Automation also offers low operational variability.
Variability is directly related to quality and productivity. Other reasons to
automate include the presence of a hazardous working environment and
the high cost of human labor. Some businesses automate processes in
order to reduce production time, increase manufacturing flexibility, reduce
costs, eliminate human error, or make up for a labor shortage. Decisions
associated with automation are usually concerned with some or all of these
economic and social considerations.

For small business owners, weighing the pros and cons of

automation can be a daunting task. The speed with which technology is
advancing combined with a natural resistance to change makes it easy for
a business owner to put off changes in the hope that by waiting he or she
will be able to acquire more powerful automation equipment for less in the
near future. But consultants contend that it is important not to put off
implementation of new and more efficient technologies.

Some of these types of automation include:

a. Information technology (IT) encompasses a broad spectrum of

computer technologies used to create, store, retrieve, and
disseminate information. It is in the area of information technology
where most of the more flexible and non-industry-specific
advances are now being made.

b. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) refers to the use of

computers in the different functions of production planning and
control. CAM includes the use of numerically controlled machines,
robots, and other automated systems in the manufacturing process.

Computer-aided manufacturing also includes computer-aided

process planning (CAPP), group technology (GT), production
scheduling, and manufacturing flow analysis. Computer-aided
process planning (CAPP) means the use of computers to generate
process plans for the manufacture of different products. Group
technology (GT) is a manufacturing philosophy that aims at
grouping different products and creating different manufacturing
cells for the manufacture of each group.

c. Numerically controlled (NC) machines are programmed versions

of machine tools that execute operations in sequence on parts or
products. Individual machines may have their own computers for
that purpose; such tools are commonly referred to as computerized
numerically controlled (CNC) machines. In other cases, many
machines may share the same computer; these are called direct
numerically controlled machines.

d. Robots are a type of automated equipment that may execute

different tasks that are normally handled by a human operator. In
manufacturing, robots are used to handle a wide range of tasks,
including assembly, welding, painting, loading and unloading of
heavy or hazardous materials, inspection and testing, and finishing
operations.

e. Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are comprehensive

systems that may include numerically controlled machine tools,
robots, and automated material handling systems in the
manufacture of similar products or components using different
routings among the machines.

f. A computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) system is one in

which many manufacturing functions are linked through an
integrated computer network. These manufacturing or
manufacturing-related functions include production planning and
control, shop floor control, quality control, computer-aided
manufacturing, computer-aided design, purchasing, marketing, and
 other functions. The objective of a computer-integrated
manufacturing system is to allow changes in product design, to
reduce costs, and to optimize production requirements.

E. References

Harmsen, J., de Haan, A. B., & Swinkels, P. L. B. (2018). Product and process design:
Driving innovation. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.

amprecht, A. L. & Margaria, T. (2014). Process design for natural scientists: An agile
model-driven approach. Springer.

Perkins, J. D. (2014). Interactions between process design and process control. Elsevier.