Abstract

The vital few cross-functional processes at a Borden Chemical plant have been managed for improvement. Management of these key business processes occurs in a system composed of a management team, department teams, and key process teams. Implementing the system took five steps. First, the management team identified goals to meet marketplace needs and business processes needed to reach the goals. The resulting key business processes were: inventory control, shipping, safety, continual improvement, and new product manufacturing. Second, process mapping and flowcharting documented these virtual processes. Third, the management team established a permanent team for each of the key business processes. Fourth, the teams developed measures for evaluating and improving process performance. At that time, the management team ruled that cross-functional needs were to take priority over department needs. Fifth, monthly team meetings handle process maintenance, process improvement, and team improvement initiatives. After more than four years of using this system, the shipping team has improved trucking productivity by more than 100%, and the inventory team has reduced inventory days outstanding by 33%. The other teams have produced comparable results.