An optimizing process is a quantitatively managed process that is adapted to meet current and projected business objectives. An optimizing process focuses on continually improving process performance through both incremental and innovative technological improvements. Process improvements that address common causes of process variation, root causes of defects, and other problems; and those that would measurably improve the organization’s processes are identified, evaluated, and deployed, as appropriate. Improvements are selected based on a quantitative understanding of their expected contribution to achieving the organization’s process improvement objectives versus the cost and impact to the organization.

Selected incremental and innovative technological process improvements are systematically managed and deployed into the organization. The effects of the deployed process improvements are measured and compared to quantitative process improvement objectives.

In an optimizing process, common causes of process variation are investigated to determine how to shift the mean or decrease variation in quality and process performance. Changes that support the achievement of the organization’s process improvement objectives are candidates for deployment.

A critical distinction between a quantitatively managed process and an optimizing process is that the optimizing process is continuously improved by addressing common causes of process variation. A quantitatively managed process is concerned with addressing special causes of process variation and providing statistical predictability of results. Although the process may produce predictable results, the results may be insufficient to achieve the organization’s process improvement objectives.