Re: Process Flow Chart is a Work Procedure?
They are both procedures. A work instruction just happens to be more detailed.
Hardly there's any harm in calling both the documents as procedures but at some point we need to differentiate the two. 'Procedures' are normally defined at the 'Process or 'activity level' (largely at the functional/ department level) but certainly the work instructions come into way at the 'task level’. The task level is at the level of the individual. A process is not a ‘work’ (task) but a set of activities or tasks and hence the two cannot be considered as one and the same thing.
Procedures are infact documents (let's assume we are discussing in terms of written down documents) with detailed process descriptions which may have:
- Process objectives
- Process inputs and outputs
- Process standards
- Operating conditions and methods
- How this process interact with other processes
- Reference to required Records, specifications, guidelines, work instructions etc.
- Resources required
- KPIs
- Methods of measuring the process performance
- Troubleshooting guidelines etc. etc.
We can differentiate the two by looking at the big picture of the organization:
1. The organization is a system which comprises of business processes that mainly create and fulfill customer demands. Key documents required at this level are mission statements and
policies (organizational or unit level).
2. In order to fulfill the ‘demands’ an organization sets up some work processes which ISO 9001 defines as ‘Product Realization process’ (planning to post delivery activities/ processes). At this level, the organization defines its processes and
‘process descriptions’ which among other elements as mentioned above, do have standards (acceptance levels/ process specifications), plans, process/ deptt. level policies and
Operating Procedures (process or activity level documents).
3. Finally we arrive at the
TASK level where an individual needs ‘instructions’ on how to work /do (operate, use, handle, control, manipulate, run: (Oxford meaning)) a specific task in a specified way in order to achieve consistent results and the documents that describe ‘step-by-step’ instructions for carrying out a task, are normally known as
‘Work Instructions’.
Now I recognize that I am probably alone in this but feel that purchasing is not a process on its own but is an activity that supports a lot of the 'product realization' processes.
Since 'purchasing' fits well into the definition of a 'process', I know it as a 'process' but in the big picture (Product Realization), it can also be termed as a 'sub-process' (undefined). There's no fine line where we stop calling an 'activity' a 'process'. If you further go up, Product Realization Process may look like a sub-process of the 'Demand Fulfillment Process' which again is a subset of the higher level Business processes. It all depends on the way one looks at the things.
A flow chart can also describe a process. As soon as it prescribes the way of doing things then it becomes a procedure.
By your own reasoning, it can also be tagged as a Work Instruction (the way of doing things).
'things' is a confusing word - if you replace it with 'process or activity', then it's a procedure but if you replace it with 'work' or 'task', then it should logically be a WI.