Criteria

1.Timeframe: Process improvement must have been implemented within the past one to three years.

2. Must meet definition of “process improvement”.  A process improvement is defined as a documented series of planned actions or functions that bring about a sustainable result.  It involves making purposeful, not serendipitous, changes to a process which result in improved productivity or value.

3. Must define the business problem or opportunity the process improvement addresses.

4. Process improvement should highlight a specific best practice used within the organization.

5. Must have either internal or external customer input into process improvement.  Must be able to describe how the input was gathered and used.

6.Measures used to determine process performance must be described, including baseline measures.

7.A description of the improvement tools or methodology used to develop the process improvement must be included.

8. Results in terms of improvement trends must be shown utilizing charts and graphs

9. Must demonstrate process improvement to be sustainable.

10. Benchmarking efforts with other organizations are highly encouraged.

11. Only one process improvement application from the same organization will be accepted in a calendar year.

12. Formatting Requirements:

Specifications

• Application length - up to 3 pages, including graphs and charts
• Single spaced text
• ¾” margins on all sides
• 10 pt Times New Roman font

Content

1. Provide the name and a step by step description of the process being presented.
2. Explain how the process is key to your organization's performance. How does it relate to your organization's areas of greatest expertise - those capabilities that provide an advantage for your organization in your marketplace or service environment.
3. Provide a detailed explanation of the improvements made to the process compared to previous procedures. How are the key process requirements determined, incorporating input from customers, suppliers, partners and collaborators as appropriate? Include a description of the measures used to determine process performance. Include charts and graphs to show the improvement trends. Where appropriate show benchmarks to industry average performance.
4. Provide a description of any quality procedures, tools or methods used to develop the process improvements. Describe how the improvements were implemented.
5. Explain any plans or methods in place to sustain and further improve the subject process to achieve better performance, reduce variability and improve products and or services to keep current with customer requirements. Include any efforts to benchmark with similar and or competing organizations.