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Process
produce results. Some of these are tangible and measurable at the time
they are generated. These we call Process Outputs. There are other
results that are not measurable until long after the outputs have been
delivered and often long after they have been used. These can be
considered to be the impact of the process on its surroundings
An
output of a process may have a detrimental affect on the environment.
Satisfaction of either customers or employees is an impact not an
output. However, processes can only be designed to deliver outputs
because the outputs are measured before they emerge from the process,
whereas, impacts arise long after the process has delivered its
outputs and therefore cannot be used to control process performance.
Any attempt to do so would induce an erratic performance.
In
reviewing the performance of a process we can note whether the outputs
and the impacts were as expected. What we are doing is reviewing the
process outcomes therefore we can consider outcomes to be outputs +
impacts. Results can therefore be considered to be a general term
because outputs are results, impacts are results and outcomes are
results.
So when
you ask what results does a process produce the answer can be in terms
of its outputs, impacts or outcomes. But when you ask what results
does a process deliver the answer should strictly be in terms of its
outputs. |
