The way we think about our process will shape the way we collect, analyze, and interpret our data when things go wrong. This in turn will shape the actions taken and the results obtained. In this column, we look at an example of the difference between the traditional approach and an alternate approach to thinking about your processes.

An example

Product 26 is a specialty chemical, produced by one supplier and used by one customer. The production of this chemical involves five different steps. Step 1 is the production of base fluid. The base fluid is shipped by truck to Plant 2 for steps 2, 3, and 4. The resulting intermediate product is then shipped to Plant 3 for Step 5. At the end of Step 5, Product 26 is placed in barrels and shipped to the customer. After each step, properties specific to that step are tested before the material is moved to the next step. Because the three plants are in different states, a batch of Product 26 takes at least three days to produce, and initially they were producing five batches per month.

Figure 1: Product 26 production process

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