The process refers to the actions or activities we will take to achieve our objectives.  This link to specific objectives is essentially the rationale for the process. In our previous example, the Systems Engineering group may have requirements elicitation activities as well as concept generation and critique actions culminating in system requirements specifications.  These various steps may have some guidance for the method to achieve or perhaps detailed step by step instructions, either of which are processes.

The process may be for things like:

• incoming inspections
• work instructions for doing the work
• material handling
• scope identification (clear objective)
• planning and scheduling
• reviews and audits

At the top level, the process may describe how the various processes work together, the output of one, is the input of another depending process.

With our process documented, we will then train our people in the reasoning behind the process and the workings.  With a documented and performed process, we are now able to take key measurements to assess process capability exactly as a manufacturing line would.