--- title: Process Optimization description: Process optimization is the practice of adjusting a business process to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and increase throughput. Learners will understand how to analyze workflows, identify bottlenecks, and apply methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma to streamline operations. category: business-entrepreneurship subcategory: operations-management difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/process-optimization --- # Process Optimization Process optimization is the practice of adjusting a business process to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and increase throughput. Learners will understand how to analyze workflows, identify bottlenecks, and apply methodologies like Lean and Six Sigma to streamline operations. ## Available Resources 3 Books • 2 Courses • 5 Websites ## Courses ### 1. Introduction to Lean Six Sigma Methods (MIT 16.660J) **Author:** Earll Murman, Hugh McManus, Annalisa Weigel et al. Principles, practices and tools behind modern productivity improvement in aerospace, automotive and health care organizations. Offers 17 lecture videos with industry practitioner talks and instructor insights, giving learners a working grasp of lean waste reduction and Six Sigma process improvement. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/16-660j-introduction-to-lean-six-sigma-methods-january-iap-2012/ **Tags:** lean-six-sigma, lean-manufacturing, process-improvement, quality-management ### 2. Supply Chain Principles This course will provide a solid understanding of what a supply chain is all about. The course: - Provides an introduction to Supply Chain - Leverages graphics to promote the Integrated Supply Chain model - Emphasizes understanding the Extended Supply Chain - Presents a holistic approach – Incorporating People, Process, and Technology - Calls-out industry-specific supply chain - Leverages discussions, videos, quizzes, and questions for consideration - Provides awareness of career path opportunities - Presents emerging and futuristic trends in supply chain and given that at GT we are focused on developing what’s next in the world, we include Discussion of emerging and futuristic trends in supply chain. There is very little math involved in this course – so don’t worry at all about your math skills. The course incorporates reading materials that were developed as part of a $24.5M TAACCCT grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration to the LINCS in Supply Chain Management consortium. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.coursera.org/learn/supply-chain-principles **Tags:** supply chain fundamentals, logistics, procurement, warehousing, transportation ## Websites ### 1. IISE - Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers The professional society for industrial and systems engineers, publishing ISE magazine, a body-of-knowledge outline, webinars, and its Problem Solved podcast. Useful for mapping what the discipline covers and which specialisations—supply chain, healthcare systems, ergonomics—exist. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.iise.org/ **Tags:** industrial engineering, systems engineering, professional society, career resources ### 2. asq.org ASQ.org is the online home of the American Society for Quality, a professional hub for quality practitioners. It offers certifications, training, standards, articles, case studies, and tools on quality management, auditing, statistics, and continuous improvement. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://asq.org **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, industrial-engineering ### 3. lean.org Lean.org is the Lean Enterprise Institute’s resource hub for Lean thinking and practice. It offers articles, case studies, tools, guides, and training materials to help organizations implement lean manufacturing and continuous improvement. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://lean.org **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, industrial-engineering ### 4. hbr.org Harvard Business Review (hbr.org) offers research-based articles, case studies, and practical guidance on leadership, strategy, and organizational performance for managers and executives. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://hbr.org **Tags:** websites, business-entrepreneurship, business-fundamentals ### 5. gembaacademy.com Gemba Academy is a Lean manufacturing training platform offering video-based courses, tutorials, and practical guides for shop-floor Lean topics. It covers areas like 5S, value stream mapping, Kaizen, and Gemba walks through structured courses and resources. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://gembaacademy.com **Tags:** websites, engineering-manufacturing, industrial-engineering ## Books ### 1. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement **Author:** Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Jeff Cox Business novel following a plant manager who rescues a failing factory by identifying bottlenecks. Introduces the Theory of Constraints, so readers can find the constraint limiting a system's throughput and apply the five focusing steps to improve it. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0566074184?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, business-entrepreneurship, operations-management ### 2. Business Process Management **Author:** John Jeston, Johan Nelis Practitioner guide to running business process management programs, organised around a ten-phase framework from strategy through implementation and sustained performance. Covers process modelling, stakeholder management and governance, preparing readers to scope, lead and embed process-improvement projects in organisations. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0750669217?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, business-entrepreneurship, operations-management ### 3. Process Optimization: A Statistical Approach **Author:** Enrique del Castillo Graduate-level text on statistical methods for optimizing industrial processes: response surface methodology, design of experiments, robust parameter design and Bayesian approaches. Prepares readers to model a process from experimental data and locate operating conditions that optimize its response under uncertainty. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/8184894074?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, business-entrepreneurship, operations-management --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/process-optimization