Continuous Improvement Toolkit
PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
A symbolic representation that illustrates the
sequence of activities within a process.
Used to record the activities that make up a process to
determine which steps add value and which do not.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Preferred over other process mapping techniques
when the process is sequential in nature and contains
no or few decision points.
Often includes the activities of an individual, a team, a
machine, a system, or combinations of all
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
A useful feature of the process sequence chart is that
it can be drawn up as the process is happening. So, it
provides an accurate description of the process.
By observing and recording, you can for
example follow a part, noting how and
when it is operated, moved, inspected and
stored.
This ensures that what is actually
happening gets recorded.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Later when analyzing the process,
some steps become obvious
candidates for improvement,
such:
Non-value-adding activities.
Long delays.
Excessive transportation.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Can be used to analyze value-added and non-value
added activities.
VA ENVA NVA
Step 1 Step 2 Step 3
Helps identifying all types of waste
within a product's value stream.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Used to show all the operation, inspection, storage, and
transportation activities that exist in a process.
From the receiving through the plant to the shipping
From order-taking through scheduling to delivery
From raw material through production to the hands of the customer
From concept through detailed design to product launch
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Tracks performance measures such as cycle times,
error rates, and distance travelled.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
The record of the process steps is made along a
vertical or horizontal line.
The line is used to show the sequencing
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
The process activities are displayed using common
symbols along with text.
The symbols indicate Receiving
the type of activities
being undertaken
Waiting
The text briefly describe
Inspecting the activities
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Operation Inspection Storage Transport Delay
These symbols have been accepted by many Lean practitioners
and organizations
Other categories and symbols can be used depending on the
situation
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Operation Produce, change, add or process something.
Inspection Checking of items for quality and/or quantity.
Storage The storing of items until later time.
Transport The movement of items or people between areas.
Delay The temporary waiting of something or somebody.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Operation Produce, change, add or process something.
Examples: Drilling a hole in metal and serving a customer at a call center.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Inspection Checking of items to ensure correct quality and/or
quantity. Does not add or change anything.
Examples: Checking for defects, measuring the dimensions of a product,
counting a received products, and getting feedback from a customer.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Storage The storing of something until later time.
Examples: Storing of finished goods in a warehouse and storing of the
received supplies in a storeroom as inventory.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Transport The movement of people, materials, documents,
tools, or other items from one location to another.
Examples: A forklift moving
Methods can be:
pallets from a warehouse
Truck
into a loading bay, a
Forklift
conveyer carrying a partially
Crane
completed product from
Trolley
one machine to the next,
Conveyer
and a customer walking
Hand
from sales floor to cashier.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Common categories and symbols are . . .
Delay The temporary waiting of something or somebody.
Examples: The time spent waiting for maintenance and repair activities,
and the time the customer spent waiting in a queue.
O
R
D
E
R
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Value-Added Activities and Waste
Operation Inspection Storage Transport Delay
Only operations will add value (BUT not all operations!)
Inspection, storage, delay, and transportation activities will add
no value from the customer's viewpoint
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Other symbols may be used . . .
Rework or scrap point Inspection while operating
Decision Operating while transporting
Longer-term storage (or when
Operating while being in storage
storage is larger than a container)
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Care should be taken when choosing the right
category, as a delay of a machine could be an
inspection made by an operator or a transportation
activity.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
There are three common types of process sequence
charts, based on what is being charted . . .
Man-type Material-type Equipment-type
charts charts charts
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Man-Type Chart
Shows the actions of a person or group of people
Take Go to QC Inspect Enter results Wait report
samples station samples into spreadsheet to be printed
Samples Inspection
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Material-Type Chart
Shows what happens to a product or item as it moves
Enter invoice Match invoice Send for Wait payment Back to Pay the
into system to PO authorization authorization Accounts supplier
15 minutes 10 minutes 5 minutes 60 minutes 5 minutes 30 minutes
Supplier Invoice Processing
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Equipment-Type Chart
Shows how a tool or an equipment is used
Waiting to Warming Waiting to Waiting to press Producing the
be turned on up place papers the copy button photocopies
Use of an office copy machine
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
A good practice is to chart the present process as
well as the future process in order to drive change and
continuous improvement.
A typical approach is to chart the AS IS
present process first and then
propose the improvement on a
second chart.
TO BE
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
When charting for the future, each step is subject to . . .
Elimination Combination Change sequence
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
The time for each process step and the distance
travelled should be calculated.
The reduction of both will help in cost reduction and
will justify any improvement proposal
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Improvements can be achieved as a result of the
reduction of the number of steps, the reduction of the
time for any of the steps, and the reduction of the
distance travelled.
3 2
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
How to Construct a Process Sequence Chart?
1. With your team, describe the process, the scope and the boundaries.
2. Observe the process, then record the activities as they happen, noting for
example how and when a part is operated, moved, inspected and stored.
3. Draw on a line the process activities as observed using the standard
set of symbols.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
How to Construct a Process Sequence Chart?
4. Label each process step with a brief description using as few words as
possible.
5. Add further details as necessary including the distance travelled, error
rates, and the time take to perform each activity.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
How to Construct a Process Sequence Chart?
6. Identify problem areas and improvement opportunities.
7. Produce the proposed chart trying to reduce waste and increase
the percentage of the value-added activities.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Example – The Present Method of
an Egg Tray Production Process
Paper waste Transfer to Pulping and Convey to Forming Drying
in storage mixer mixing forming machine
Inspecting Staking Packing Transfer to Egg trays
and counting for packing storage in storage
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Presenting the process activities and the related
information in the form of a table.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Allows to record further information about each
process step (time, distance, etc.).
vs.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Step #
Time Distance VA/NVA Process description
IN MINS IN METERS
Helps estimating key metrics such as:
1. The percentage of the value-added activities to the total activities.
2. The total time to perform the process.
3. The distance travelled.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Example – Supplier Invoice Processing
Step Time Distance Process description
# IN MINS IN METERS
1 15 X Enter invoice into system
2 10 X Match invoice to PO
3 5 85 X Send for authorization
4 60 X Wait payment authorization
5 5 85 X Bring back to Accounts
6 30 X Pay the supplier
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Example – Supplier Invoice Processing
Step Time Distance Process description
# IN MINS IN METERS
1 15 X Enter invoice into system
2 10 X Match invoice to PO
3 5 85 X Send for authorization
4 60 X Wait payment authorization
5 5 85 X Bring back to Accounts
6 30 X Pay the supplier
Number of steps 2 2 1 1 6 PROCESS
Time (minutes) 45 10 10 60 125 CHART
Distance (meters) – 170 – – 170 SUMMARY
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Key Metrics
Totals
Number of steps 2 2 1 1 0 6
Time (IN MINS) 45 10 10 60 0 125
Distance (IN METERS) – 170 – – – 170
Process time equals the sum of all times and delays, Distance traveled equals
except for the activities that can be done in parallel the sum of all the distances
Value-added time = Value-added operation time / Total time
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Key Metrics
Totals
Number of steps 2 2 1 1 0 6
Time (IN MINS) 45 10 10 60 0 125
Distance (IN METERS) – 170 – – – 170
Process time = 45 + 10 + 10 + 60 = 125 minutes Distance traveled = 175 meters
Value-added time = 45 / 125 = 36%
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Process Chart
Key Metrics
Annual Process Variable Number of times
Labor = time in cost per process performed
Cost hours hour per year
More advanced metrics can be calculated
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Further Information
Process charting is sometimes used in conjunction
with flow diagramming.
Inspection Receiving
A Flow Diagram
A drawing that is used to
IN/OUT analyze the movement
of materials, items or
people.
Typist offices Archive
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Further Information
Costing the present and future charts will be required
to justify any future improvement proposal.
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Further Information
What do we think of a process is not necessary what it
actually is . . .
What you think it is What it actually is What you would
like it to be
Hidden factors
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Further Information - Common Process Problems
Non-value
Errors and rework Duplication
adding steps
Bottlenecks Long cycle times Excessive delays
Missing steps Too many inspections Complex procedures
Departure from
Dead ends Costly steps
procedure
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
Start From IBO
Yes
Delay ?
De-Reeler
Lubricator Yes Yes
Delay ? Delay ?
BiDi
Cupper
Coater
BiDi BiDi
Yes
Base Rim
BRC ?
Coater Dropout Yes Yes
Body Maker 8 Body Maker 4 Fallen ? Scrap Dropout Fallen ? Scrap
Trimmer Trimmer
Coater Oven
595 Palletiser
Body Maker 7 Body Maker 3
Trimmer Trimmer
Body Maker 6 Body Maker 2 Yes
Delay ?
Trimmer Trimmer 240 Strapper
Body Maker 5 Body Maker 1 BiDi
Trimmer Trimmer
Decorator
2200 Strapper
Overvarnish
BRC
Decorator
Washer
Oven
Pickup to
Yes Warehouse
Light Tester Light ? Scrap
Dropout Fallen ? Scrap
Auto Sampling
Yes End
Washer Oven AV Camera Defect ? Scrap
Yes
Delay ? Inspection
Rogue Can Yes
Rogue ? Scrap
Yes Detector
Delay ? BiDi
Cold Room
BiDi
Yes
Delay ?
LSM 1 LSM 2 LSM 3
Processes can be too long as
LSM 4 LSM 5 LSM 6
this can making process
BiDi
IBO
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PROCESS SEQUENCE CHART
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