Process Design Checklist

When people in our organization design new processes or significantly change existing processes, do they:

• Select processes for redesign that are important in achieving our organization’s mission, values, and goals?
• Select processes for improvements that have been identified in the literature, by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or by other national groups, as being high-risk, problem-prone, or important to evaluate?
• Clearly identify process improvement goals based on known problem areas and input from patients, staff, and other customers of the process?
• Include on the improvement team representatives from all departments involved or affected by the process?
• Consider process improvement suggestions found in current literature?
• Use benchmarking techniques to identify best practices from other organizations that can be incorporated into the process?
• Use clinical practice guidelines to identify important evidenced-based patient care recommendations that should be incorporated into the process?
• Identify the difference in performance between the current process and the processes suggested by current literature, practice guidelines, and benchmarking partners?
• Understand as much as possible about the details of the current process before making significant changes?
• Identify appropriate measures of success?
• Review the results of success measures in a timely manner to ensure that the process design/redesign has achieved desired goals?