Process STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship is defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.”

My assertion is that Process Stewardship is one of the vital ingredients in the building and creation of great processes. Process Stewardship ensures scalability and successful commercialization, and minimizes the risk of commercialization launch failures.

Why is Process Stewardship so important when creating new processes or perfecting existing processes?

• Process Stewardship means that someone owns the process and is responsible for creating a robust process. This ownership really matters. Important and significant things are not built without ownership.

• Making the process visible (ideally as visible as the equipment) and explicit is imperative for true process understanding. True process stewards are passionate and curious enough to make this happen.

• Stewardship implies long-term thinking and making the process durable and truly resilient, and avoiding Band-Aids.

What does Process Stewardship look like for different stage projects?

For R&D Projects:

• Research stakeholders view process development as a coequal activity with equipment development.

• Honest data-driven assessments of process potential are made early and ruthlessly.

• The process is iterated on in conjunction with iterations of equipment.

For existing manufacturing plants:

• The stability and health of key processes in manufacturing operations is understood at both statistical and engineering fundamental levels.

• Cost-optimization tools are consistently used to provide guidance.

• Continuous improvement efforts are directed towards projects that will make the process demonstrably more robust.

• Shiny equipment, for its own sake, is avoided.

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My main learning from this line of thinking is the power of Process Stewardship. This approach and mindset is like many things: simple to understand, but not simple to do in practice. Veteran process stewards know that nerves of steel and a non-negotiable commitment to robust processes are needed during the inevitable tough times.

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YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK

Please think about the most successful process building efforts in your organization over the past 5-10 years…

• Who were the “Process Stewards”? What systems and methods did they use to ensure success?

• How are you training and developing your Process Stewards of tomorrow? What best practices can be codified and shared to accelerate progress?

What are your thoughts about Process Stewardship and its role in successful innovation? I am curious and interested in your thoughts and experiences about this subject. Please give us a call to see how we can help you build robust and trustworthy manufacturing processes.

If you email us we'll get back to you promptly, thanks.

All the Best,

Marty

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