Process Efficiency
Inputs and Outputs

There are only two types of inputs to any Process or Task. They are information and physical materials. Information is always one of the inputs for every Task or Process.

One of the most important points we can stress about Process efficiency is that in order for a Task or Process to execute efficiently, the Task or Process must be ready to be executed at initiation and run to completion without need to modify inputs at any point in the execution cycle. They cannot do this without all the required inputs being complete and correct. All too often, this is not the case in many business Processes.

It's not hard to see why this is so important. A fundamental principal of efficiency is to have a minimal set of actions (and variations) to perform so as to achieve a high level of repeatability. A Task in a Process needs to be as independent as possible from the rest of the Process so that evolution in the Process can occur without affecting the Task's performance. This means that the sources of Task inputs can change over time. In order for a person who executes a given Task to correct one of the inputs, they have to stay aware of the rest of the Process and what the sources of its inputs are. Therefore, the focus and potential efficiency of a Task is severely affected when the completeness and correctness of its inputs cannot be counted on.

Although the completeness and correctness of a Task's inputs should not be the responsibility of a Task's execution to achieve high efficiency, the requirements of the inputs should be. The person or person's executing a given Task know the specific details of all the actions required to complete the Task. If it is determined that the Task can be performed more efficiently with a modification of its inputs, the inputs need to be able to be specified accordingly without having to get concurrence from the rest of the Process. A mechanism must exist that sees to it that the new input requirements are met in one or more of the other Task's outputs. This function could be performed by a Process manager that makes the determination of the most appropriate source for any new input requirements imposed by Tasks in the Process.

Where Task outputs are concerned, the details of a Task's outputs should be determined by the needs of the business in conjunction with the input needs of successive Tasks in a Process. A business may have specific Quality criteria it needs to enforce on Process outputs which effects one or more Tasks in the Process. These requirements need to be readily available for reference during Task execution for high efficiency. As mentioned, the nature or specifications of Task outputs need to be determined by the inputs needs of successive Tasks to assure the condition that every Task has exactly what it needs to commence execution. To put it simply, Tasks in a Process must meet each other's input needs for a Process to achieve a high level of efficiency.