At Home Process Improvement Metrics

Process management is the function of planning, organizing, controlling and improving a process and measuring its utility in providing the desired end result, according to the 2006 ISM Glossary.

In days gone by, I believe I applied process management in running my household activities. The measurement was based on time. Every day activities were run on a time schedule. By a certain time I was to be at a certain level of completion on cleaning the house. On grocery shopping days, I was to be at the store, home with the groceries and have all put away by a certain time. No I was not entirely nuts, just trying to be efficient.

Years ago men talked about the stress of their jobs. Most jobs back then were 8 to 5. You did not have constant contact with phone and email. Women faced stress with maintaining the home and the children. You did not run out for fast food or pop something in the microwave. You had to cook.

The most common process improvement metrics include productivity, efficiency and cycle time, all of which have become even more important in today’s family life. Families have an efficiency plan now. Usually both parents work. Household chores involve the whole family. Parents have rigid schedules for taking the kids to different activities: sports, piano, dancing, karate and whatever else kids do these days. (What happened to kids just playing in the neighborhood?)

Cycle time is a measure of the total elapsed time needed to complete the process. Think about it—our cycle time starts when we get up in the morning till we go to bed at night. We are all engaged in process improvement in our lives. This is how we get things done and make them better.