Abstract

Since the emergence of the Theory of Scientific Management, a key dimension against which business processes have been judged is by their repeatability, consistency and efficiency. Transformational “manufacturing” processes have been designed with emphasis on controlling both the process in action (sequence), and the outcome (product). Conventional process standardization focuses on the avoidance of and control of exceptions in the name of quality. However, when dealing with service delivery, in which delivery quality is impacted by the ability to accommodate exceptions rather than by avoidance, a new approach to process standardization is needed, one that ensures that process services provided are performed consistently, while embracing the flexibility in delivery sequence and product composition required in service delivery. In this paper, using an analytic model we illustrate the limitations of the conventional process standardization approach vary with both the number of service providers and the amount of provided services.

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