The Power of Process

A Story of Innovative Lean Process Development

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Harness the Power of Process

Have you ever been part of an initiative or improvement event that had impressive results, but in reality, it was only fixing problems that should not have existed in the first place?  Welcome to the world of Touzen, or improvement that should not have been necessary.  The unfortunate truth is most improvement efforts are essentially rework of this nature.

It was the very situation that inspired authors Eric Ethington and Matt Zayko to write their new book, The Power of Process: A Story of Lean Process Development.  In this book, Matt and Eric distill their combined sixty years of work into 6 phases - the 6Con Model - to guide the development of great processes.

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What’s the 6CON model?

We’re glad you asked! This video explains why we wrote the book, The Power of Process – A Story of Innovative Process Development and provides a brief overview of the 6CON model in 3 mins 34 seconds. 

The 6 Con Model

CONtext

Context comprises of creating a common understanding of what is valued by all stakeholders: Customer, Employees, Shareholders and Community.  A well-developed context provides a critical lens by which the process creation team can view the project and make well informed decisions.

CONcepts

The concepts phase leverages the team’s creativity and skills to develop multiple ideas to fulfill the value defined in CONtext.  By forcing the creation of multiple options, the team will establish a solid foundation from which to experiment, learn and ultimately develop a high performing system.

CONverge

Converge involves testing the concepts, allowing them to morph and merge, and eventually settling on a process design with the best projected payback.






CONfigure

Configure focuses on the interdependent configuration of the value-producing process steps, along with connecting of the material & information systems to get the right materials to the right location and the exact right time.

CONfirm

Confirm utilizes the installation and testing of the new process to verify the value parameters established during the CONtext phase are actually achieved.  The approach utilized allows problem areas to be clearly seen early on, so the team can make adjustments to ensure a successful launch.

CONtinuously Improve

Continuously Improve is purposefully last.  This is where true continuous improvement should be applied – after a lean process has been deliberately created and launched.  There is no steady-state: you are either putting energy into a system to improve it or it is in decline, so continuous improvement is a must.

What People Are Saying

  • “Eric and Matt have thought about why most kaizen is really rework for poorly designed processes. They have developed a way to align all parts of an organization to eliminate waste of all sorts in production processes before the start of production. I’m delighted with their important contribution to Lean Thinking that goes far beyond 3P and other methods of process development.”

    James P. Womack, PhD

    Co-founder of the global Lean movement

    Co-Author, Lean Thinking and The Machine That Changed The World

    Founder, Lean Enterprise Institute

  • “Making things is important. Making things well with high quality, on time and low cost with improvements everyday leads to success and prosperity. The Power of Process both outlines the end goals and provides a realistic story of the path for getting to extraordinary goals. The book is well worth an investment of time and energy.”

    Don Runkle

    Senior Multi-Industry Executive

    Former CTO & Board Member, Delphi Automotive Systems

    Former Engineering VP, General Motors

  • “With The Power of Process, Matt Zayko and Eric Ethington give us something unique in the world of books about continuous improvement, management, and work design, which typically focus on either the product or the people creating it: this book shares a practical approach for engaging people in developing great processes. Anyone involved in designing or managing work should keep this book handy for quick reference on their physical or digital desktop.”

    John Shook

    Chairman Lean Global Network

  • “The timing for this book could not be better. Many organizations are so very frustrated with their lack of CI progress. This framework is certain to help them to close the gap and adds context to demystifying lean transformation. And I love the presentation of learning through doing using case studies to cement the approach.”

    Crystal Davis

    Founder & CEO, The Lean Coach Inc.

    Experienced Operations and Engineering Leader at Fortune 50 Companies

  • “Finally, a book that lays out how to apply lean concepts to the process development phase through launch. The authors have done an excellent job of showing the benefits of engaging a cross functional team early on in the process so that touzen (rework) does not take place after launch. I only wish this book would have been in print earlier in my career. “

    Mary O'Neill

    Senior Vice President Lean Manufacturing

    Gates Industrial Corp

  • “The Power of Process is a remarkable guide and a must-read primer for anyone considering embarking on their own process design transformation. Through this self-reflective story, we are challenged by the reality in which we live today and inspired to drastically change our future - NOW. “

    Mari Cummins

    Retired Vice-President of Operations Excellence, Cardinal Health

    Coach for the Master of Business of Operational Excellence at Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University