A Simple input/output process model is shown in Fig 1.

Fig 1. Input/ Output process model 

With reference to Fig. 1, the following characteristics of the input/output process model can be made.

✓ A process refers to business and production activities of an organisation. The process is the interaction between various inputs and outputs involved.

✓ A business organisation or service organisation can be regarded as system because their elements/activities are coordinated and integrated to achieve common organisational objectives.

✓ For example, production system is the sequence of operations which transform the given materials into desired products. This transformation from one form to another is carried out by one or a combination of different manufacturing processes. Feedback is provided in order to improve the process.

✓ In Fig.1, the element ‘conditions’ refer constraints related to policies, regulations, employee union issues, regulations related to environmental issues, ethical issues, and political issues.

✓ It can be understood that the five basic ways of improving the process are:

1. To reduce resources;
2. To reduce errors;
3. To meet or exceed customer needs;
4. To make process safer; and
5. To make the process more satisfying to the person doing it.

Now let us discuss the several different approaches towards continuous process improvement.