2/5/2015 Process vs Procedure

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Processes

Processes produce results by converting. transforming or simply using inputs to create outputs. An input couldbe material, information, people or a set of conditions and these are passed through a sequence of stages duringwhich they are either used, transformed or their status changed to emerge as an output with differentcharacteristics. Hence processes act upon inputs and are dormant until the input is received. At each stage thetransformation tasks may be procedural, but may also be mechanical, chemical etc. Inherently processes do notnormally recognize departmental or functional boundaries (but are often hindered by them) nor the boundariesbetween customers and suppliers. Each process has an objective with both quantitative and qualitative measuresof its outputs directly related to its objectives. The transformation or process stages are designed to ensure thecombination of resources achieves the objectives ­ the desired outputs. Of course this means that the processhas to receive the right inputs to deliver the desired outputs and that the correct resources are applied at the rightstages, in the correct quantities and in the right manner It is true that a process can be illustrated as a sequenceof steps just as a procedure is illustrated, but the similarity ends there.