Use of process maps to develop a management briefing sheet for a design consultancy
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 1 October 2005
Abstract
Purpose
Process mapping can lead to a more holistic understanding of how an organisation works. This paper seeks to discuss how an engineering design consultancy, which had developed a series of process maps on the design of steel frame buildings, developed a powerful management tool, the Management Briefing Sheet which has yielded numerous additional benefits enabling practice to be improved and quality procedures more easily accessed.
Design/methodology/approach
To maximise the knowledge and expertise of its supply chain partners and to better understand how it designed steel‐framed buildings, the engineering design consultancy undertook a process‐mapping exercise. Various techniques for documenting the process were considered, but a modified IDEF notation was chosen for its ability to capture the iterative nature of the design process and its methodical approach for deconstructing complicated activities.
Findings
Process‐mapping exercises can change the way organisations work and make them more efficient, but to do this the changes that would lead to improvements need to be implemented successfully. Carrying out a process‐mapping exercise in isolation from the end‐user can lead to complications.
Research limitations/implications
The key obstacle to implementing change identified by the engineering design consultancy, with whom the MBS was developed, was delivering the knowledge acquired from the process analysis in a format that end‐users could understand easily and adopt effectively.
Originality/value
This article will be of significant use to any organisation wishing to maximise the knowledge and expertise of its supply chain partners and identify inefficient working practices.
Keywords
Citation
Matsumoto, I.T., Stapleton, J., Glass, J. and Thorpe, T. (2005), "Use of process maps to develop a management briefing sheet for a design consultancy", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 12 No. 5, pp. 458-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699980510627153
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited