The idea of modeling and implementing processes is to transform initial resources into final resources with the highest possible added value for all market participants. An example of this approach is the essence of the process category proposed by M. Christopher: a process is any type of activity within which value is added to initial resources and the product is passed on to an internal or external customer. However, does added value mean the same thing from the point of view of the customer (external customer) and from the point of view of the enterprise (internal customer)? The answer to this question draws attention to the goals for which the process was established. The classification of goals on the customer scale and the enterprise scale is schematically presented in Figure 1.
Knowledge of the goals of logistics processes is an essential stage in identifying threats that prevent their implementation and, to a large extent, determines the final effects of process implementation, which are the creation and realization of added value for market participants. What part of the total added value generated by the company’s processes is attributable to logistics processes, and what increase can we count on after implementing an integrated risk management system? This question leads to showing the way of perceiving and interpreting the creation of added value within logistics processes. The analysis of processes in terms of creating and realizing added value is presented by the algorithm in Figure 2.
Assessing the manifestations of creating and delivering added value in logistics processes requires answering two key questions: can the process be eliminated without detriment to the benefits achieved by the customer, and can the process be eliminated without harm to the processes cooperating with it? If the answer to both questions is negative, it means that the implemented process is directly related to the creation and realization of added value. An affirmative answer suggests that we are most likely dealing with a process that does not create added value. However, not all processes that do not directly create added value are processes that require removal from the structure of the enterprise’s process chain. To properly evaluate this group, one should use auxiliary questions: is the process necessary; do customers expect it; does it improve operational efficiency; is it necessary for business operations? Negative answers confirm the lack of connection between the examined process and the creation and realization of added value. On the other hand, if we are able to answer at least some of them affirmatively, it means that the process is indirectly or relatively related to the creation and realization of added value. The groups of processes obtained in the algorithm find their interpretation in the division described by P. Schuderer into:
• processes directly creating added value, characterized by a direct and close relationship with customers – so-called primary processes, basic processes, among which one can indicate:
– main processes, starting and ending (through contacts with the customer) on the market, creating and delivering appropriate, from the customer’s point of view, values and benefits in the form of a product, service, or support,
– support processes, triggered by the main processes and necessary for their very existence, to a slightly lesser extent related to the wishes and expectations of customers,
• processes indirectly creating added value, characterized by an indirect relationship with customers
– so-called secondary processes, which – by supporting processes directly creating added value – thereby contribute to increasing this value
• processes relatively related to the creation of added value, showing a relative (conditional) relationship with customers – so-called tertiary processes, to a large extent, especially in terms of time and subject matter, “distant” from primary processes
• processes not creating added value, showing no relationship with customers – so-called potential manifestations of waste.
The division of processes in terms of their impact on the creation and realization of added value leads to the development of a map of creating and delivering added value for all market participants, illustrated in Figure 3.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 1/2009.