What are the best practices for managing uncertainty and ambiguity in process design?

Making/drawing a simple overall schematic / block diagram/ process flow diagram will help to analyse/refer the scope in a better and simple way without any confusion.

Lo que no se mide no se puede mejorar, tampoco lo que no se mide bien. Es muy importante contar con un sistema de control de varios niveles, recomiendo indicadores de primer, segundo y hasta tercer orden. Como otros indicadores afectan a uno principal?, por ejemplo la productividad, podemos tener un indicador diario, pero qué pasa si hay un mix de productos, la variación del mix afecta el indicador, la productividad por producto, las horas de proceso, la cantidad de personas que han asistido a laborar, el rendimiento, la variación de productos defectuosos, las paradas. Otro es no considerar la discretización de los controles. La frecuencia de estos no es adecuada y puede ser que existan variaciones entre las mediciones actuales.

Great article! This can be considered as Phase 1 in project management process for any project not only for process facilities but even others such as building, structure, etc. In addition to listing all essential requirements, constraints, and expectations of the stakeholders; assumptions and given aspects have to be addressed in the framing scope document. Also, the framing scope document should be updated every phase and whenever needed.

- In my view one can start with a constructive Mapping of process (Current Vs Future state) - Continuing with they can prepare different Block diagrams. - Lastly, perform different metrics

linked between the Drawing and Block diagram and Process flow are adequate to eliminate any discrepancy, at the end transfering this information to respective process owner also very important to

Thorough research and analysis, including examining current processes, market dynamics, and regulatory standards, is crucial for understanding and managing uncertainty. Tools like SWOT analysis and risk assessment help anticipate impacts and opportunities, enabling proactive decision-making and effective project management. This approach ensures teams are well-equipped to navigate uncertainties and achieve successful outcomes.

The iterative design process involves continuous refinement through cycles of prototyping, testing, and adjustment. By breaking the project into manageable phases, it enables ongoing adaptation as uncertainties are clarified. This approach accommodates evolving requirements and promotes flexibility in responding to challenges. Key characteristics include feedback loops, incremental progress, and a phased development approach. Benefits encompass early issue identification, enhanced flexibility, user-centric design, reduced risk, and optimized resource allocation. Implementation involves defining iteration goals, developing prototypes, testing, adjusting, and reiterating until finalization.

This is applicable for short term projects like software projects. However, performing a pilot test or Proof of Concept (POC) can be useful for some of long term projects.

In my opinion, one the best tools for reducing technical uncertainty during the process design phase, is itterative prototyping. This can be done by theoretical simulations, or batteries of scaled -but significant- process trials. And either of them, always driven by an optimised DOE. By means of the deployment of this powerful statistical technique, it is possible to efficiently determine what the effect on the process throughput of every chosen factor would be, if any, independently or in addition if they are correlated, within the selected factor's levels. Once this has been achieved, developers will be enabled for estimating the future effect of any factor's combination on the process output.

This can be clearly demonstrated in LACTI matrix which addresses the role of every stakeholder member: Lead, Approve, Consult, Tasked, Informed.

This is in the Monitoring and controlling phase which is ongoing process from initiation the project until closing phase. The process of documenting lessons learned in project management involves five steps: identify, document, analyze, store, and retrieve. These steps help in learning from mistakes, sharing findings with others, and improving future projects. It includes recognizing insights, recording them, analyzing causes and patterns, storing them in a central repository, and using them for reference and decision-making.

Continuous learning and improvement are essential for sustainable success in process design projects. By monitoring performance, gathering feedback from stakeholders, customers, and users, teams can adapt quickly to evolving needs and challenges. Documenting lessons learned, best practices, and improvement opportunities ensures that valuable insights are captured and applied to future projects, fostering ongoing enhancement and innovation. This iterative approach not only strengthens project outcomes but also cultivates a culture of continuous improvement within the organization, promoting long-term efficiency and excellence.

When I am building a pilot plant to test a process, there are lots of unknowns. You can’t afford to come up with a 100% proven design. Instead, I look at parts of the system that might not work as expected. As long as I know the fix if something doesn’t work, I will proceed forward without all the data. However, if I see a risk that something won’t work AND I don’t know how I would fix it, then more work needs to be done to review the design.

I think one of the key expectation is to stay calm which is a good way to manage an ambiguous situation. It helps you to pause, reflect and consider what you should be doing and what outcomes your actions can accomplish.

Think about all possible scenarios you can imagine within that ambiguity. Then, design a process solution that is able to work ok for as many scenarios as possible. And for those situations in which that solution wouldn't , make that solution's design easy to modify and adapt to them.

We faced lots of uncertainties and ambiguities in our lives. However, there are a couple of techniques which can clarify them and reduce their level & negative impacts; such as: benchmarking with similar business organisations, pilot testing, involving experts or SMEs from all relevant specialties/ fields, etc.

En mi opinión, en el entorno empresarial actual #VUCA o #BANI, cuando se dise?an procesos se debe despertar un "apetito" por el riesgo y volverse un cazador de oportunidades. - Dise?ar procesos que agreguen valor. Inspeccionar y adaptar frecuentemente. - Colaboración con el cliente sobre la negociación contractual. - Alinear Oportunidades con Fortalezas, en FODA Cruzado. - Seguimiento a las tendencias del mercado. - Actualizar los planes a medida que se avanza. - Aceptar y Gestionar el Cambio de forma sistemática. - Disponer de sistema de Toma de Decisiones. - Liderazgo ágil: flexible, equipos autogestionados, seguimiento a los resultados y no a los planes, etc. - Requisitos obtenidos de historias de usuarios. Yorbell.