AAOM Handbook

• A time lag. For example, the time delay between moving the rudder on a ship and its change in direction. • A step change (a significant change in output over a very short period of time). For example, the change in rock condition when blasting. If we wish to maintain low variation in the Process output then it follows that whenever there is either a time lag or a step change in the relationship between the application of the theory and the delivery of the output we must measure that the theory is being correctly and consistently applied. The minimum set of measures that fully represent these significant characteristics of the application of the theory of the Process form the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of that theory.

The first key element of the underlying theory of the Business Process Framework is;

Doing the right work, at the right time and in the right way will deliver the required performance.

This is true regardless of the type of Process. We used examples above of how doing the right work, at the right, and in the right way applies for drill and blast and for servicing your car. In a safety or environmental context it should be obvious that if there is a procedure for identifying/preventing a potential incident, and that procedure is applied ahead of a task or situation that could result in the type of incident, and the procedure is applied correctly, then there should not be any unwanted outcomes.

Measures of the Right Work, at the Right Time, and in the Right Way are leading (work management) indicators of the Process performance.

An effective management system must therefore include the steps necessary to define what elements of a Process (activities and hardware) are critical to delivering the intended outcomes, and the Production and Service strategies (the right work, right time and right way) needed to consistently deliver the outcomes to specification. This process of defining what is the right work and the right time must also take into account all standards and guidelines that are applicable to either the outcomes or methods for the work. This is an area where the contribution of specialised functions such as safety, environment or engineering groups feed into the Production and Service work for other Processes. Within the Business Process Framework these activities are incorporated in the elements for Setting the Production and Service Strategies. Each of the work activities derived from the Production and Service strategies will occur at different times and frequency over any period of Process operation. In order to forecast the results that will be produced by a set of Production and Service strategies, the schedule of the timing and frequency of each work activity must be forecast, and the collective impact of the activities on the Process output performance estimated. Regardless of the best efforts to consistently execute the chosen strategies there will be some variation in the outcome produced at each execution. This will produce some variation in the output performance of the Process.