What does the character that actor Steve Martin portrays in the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen" have to do with process mapping? They were both inspired by the bricklayer turned management engineer Frank Bunker Gilbreth Sr. Gilbreth was consumed with the desire to improve the bricklaying process. This passion launched the birth of the process charts that are in use today.
- In 1885, Gilbreth began a career in construction as a bricklayer. He soon realized that his fellow bricklayers used a variety of methods to complete their bricklaying tasks. Gilbreth became consumed with the desire to discover and utilize the most efficient and productive methods. According to the collected writings presented by Michael C. Wood and John C. Wood in "Frank and Lillian Gilbreth: Critical Evaluations in Business and Management," Gilbreth's primary goal was "to eliminate fatiguing and time-wasting motions."
In 1921, Gilbreth presented his observations and recommendations at an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) conference. His presentation was titled: "Process Charts -- First Steps in Finding the One Best Way." - In "Work Simplification: From Bricklayer to Microcomputer," Dr. Ben S. Graham Jr. indicates that Gilbreth and his wife, Lillian Moller Gilbreth, had a great deal of respect for workers and the tasks they performed. By 1908, universities began teaching Gilbreth's methods to those seeking an industrial engineering degree.
The Gilbreths' benevolent approach toward workers was not always the intention of others that sought to implement their methods. Graham states: "However, there were those who used the techniques simply to get more work for less pay." - Alan H. Mogensen was a student at Cornell University during the 1920s. He studied the methods and tools established by Gilbreth while earning his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering.
Like Gilbreth, Mogensen understood the need to respect and value the workers and their input. Starting in 1937, Mogensen introduced Gilbreth's process chart and methods to the business world via his Work Simplification Conferences. By 1944, process charts were utilized by businesses such as Proctor and Gamble and the Standard Register Co. - According to Ben B. Graham (the grandson of a Mogensen student) in his book, "Detail process charting: speaking the language of process," Mogensen described the process chart as follows: "In order to achieve measurement, tools are needed and the most important of these is the process chart. The process chart is the lifeblood of work simplification."
After 25 years, Gilbert's process chart elements had stood the test of time. In 1947, the ASME established a formal set of process chart symbol standards.
. - Frank Gilbreth had an innate ability to ferret out the best ways of performing a given work process. This combined with his practical awareness of the importance of documenting his observations and findings made great contributions to the fields of industrial engineering, scientific management and business analysis. Gilbert's original process chart elements evolved into a solid set of symbols with the versatility to function across a variety of industries and work environments.
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