Total Quality Management - Department purpose analysis

What is it?
 Department purpose analysis (DPA) is a process for applying the concepts and principles of management in a practical way. It is designed to ensure that a department, team or group is achieving goals that contribute to the company's strategy and overall goals, and that the department's activities add value. A key step in the process is a clear focus on agreeing, measuring and meeting customer (internal and external) requirements.

When to use it?

•  As part of an ongoing improvement plan 
• Where there is confusion over roles, responsibilities or purpose 
• To highlight opportunities for improvement 
• To identify staffing requirements 
• When considering organisational changes so that roles and customer/supplier requirements are clearly understood 

What does it achieve?
DPA takes management concepts and principles and allows them to be applied in the work environment. The key ones are:

• Role/goal clarity 
• Meeting customer/supplier requirements 
• Clear performance standards (no 'license to fail') 
• Appropriate measurement 
• Focus on failure so that improvement opportunities are identified and actioned 
• Building in prevention of problems 
• Value-added job for all 
• Continuous improvement 

Key steps

 DPA is a five-step process, the objective is to ensure that a department 'Does it right first time'

Step 1 - key activity statement

• List department key skills 
• Identify and agree departments top ten activities 

 Step 2 – Purpose and goals

•  Identify company/group function, mission and strategies 
• Check that operations match organization, mission, goals and priorities 
• Check that management agrees 

 Step 3 – Customer and supplier review

•  Identify and talk to your customers and suppliers 
• Identify and agree requirements 
• Agree measurements 

 Step 4 – Time and skills analysis

•  Capture information on current activities 
• Track time and resource spent 
• Identify value-added activities 
• Focus on failure and identify opportunities for improvement 

 Step 5 – Action plan

•  Check value-added activities against mission, goals, priorities and customer/supplier requirements 
• Prioritise improvement opportunities and identify project(s) 
• Implement project(s) using 5 stage project approach 
• Identify and display key measurements 
• Review and monitor progress 

REMEMBER, DPA IS ONLY GOOD MANAGEMENT COMMON SENSE