Turtle Diagram "template"

[QualityWorld1]

What is the best practice for a Turtle Diagram? Should I create Turtles based on Departments or create per Process?

Example:
1. Process: Create an individual turtle diagram for Calibration. Change Control, Rework/Repair, On-Time Delivery

OR

2. As all of them fall under Quality (in my organization), combine and create one Turtle covering all those processes under Quality.

Please provide your feedback. Thank you.

 

[Miner]

The central part of a turtle diagram is a process, not a department. The purpose of doing a turtle diagram is to fully understand a specific process. If you try to do it for a department, you will end up aggregating multiple processes and/or consolidating process fragments. This will end up confusing rather than clarifying.

 

[Jim Wynne]

The central part of a turtle diagram is a process, not a department. The purpose of doing a turtle diagram is to fully understand a specific process. If you try to do it for a department, you will end up aggregating multiple processes and/or consolidating process fragments. This will end up confusing rather than clarifying.

"Confusing rather than clarifying" is a feature of almost all turtle diagrams.

 

[QualityWorld1]

The central part of a turtle diagram is a process, not a department. The purpose of doing a turtle diagram is to fully understand a specific process. If you try to do it for a department, you will end up aggregating multiple processes and/or consolidating process fragments. This will end up confusing rather than clarifying.

So what do you guys suggest? To keep them based on different processes ??

Could you guys provide detailed insight on this matter!!

 

[Jim Wynne]

So what do you guys suggest? To keep them based on different processes ??

Could you guys provide detailed insight on this matter!!

The requirement is a description of the "sequence and interaction" of the quality system processes. You can't do this if it's based on departments, because many processes cross department lines.

 

[Golfman25]

What is the best practice for a Turtle Diagram? Should I create Turtles based on Departments or create per Process?

Example:
1. Process: Create an individual turtle diagram for Calibration. Change Control, Rework/Repair, On-Time Delivery

OR

2. As all of them fall under Quality (in my organization), combine and create one Turtle covering all those processes under Quality.

Please provide your feedback. Thank you.

I wouldn't get to granular on my processes. So in our case, we'll have a "big" process we call Manufacturing. Inside of that are several smaller applicable processes/procedures that are identified but not individually turtled.

 

[Michael_M]

To add further to what Golfman25 stated (we also have a "big" process we call Manufacturing), within the turtle as part of the support processes we have calibration and machine maintenance. Neither calibration nor machine maintenance are directly part of Manufacturing but are referenced within and are parts of different departments.

 

[John Broomfield]

Turtle diagrams add little or no value.

My clients would go straight to deployment flowcharting to:

1. Determine the processes that are key to the success of core process (from customer needs to cash in bank).
2. Determine the process necessary to support and improve the core process.

…these flowcharts would show the interactions of the key processes and for each of th key processes:

3. Determine who is involved, what they do and how they interact to fulfill process objectives.

By doing this they’d end up with an accurate picture of who does what to fulfill the mission of the organization and how it (the organization) works as a system.

Why have you decided to create turtle diagrams instead?

 

[Kronos147]

My clients would go straight to deployment flowcharting...

Smart, IMHO

 

[Golfman25]

Turtle diagrams add little or no value.

My clients would go straight to deployment flowcharting to:

1. Determine the processes that are key to the success of core process (from customer needs to cash in bank).
2. Determine the process necessary to support and improve the core process.

…these flowcharts would show the interactions of the key processes and for each of th key processes:

3. Determine who is involved, what they do and how they interact to fulfill process objectives.

By doing this they’d end up with an accurate picture of who does what to fulfill the mission of the organization and how it (the organization) works as a system.

Why have you decided to create turtle diagrams instead?

We use them as internal audit organization tools. So the person assigned to audit say "manufacturing" can refer to that and know inputs, outputs and what specific procedures may be hit.