ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter is for those individuals who are just beginning a process improvement program. This chapter focuses on defining what a process is and why it is important; gives a brief comparison of improvement models; offers suggestions of where and how to start your program; and discusses some of the problems you can expect to encounter. This chapter also contains information on different types of process improvement approaches. This chapter should be considered introductory only. For more information, please read later chapters that delve into how to write processes and procedures, and how to set up your process improvement program.
