Diagnosing and designing process stability and adaptability at Transpower New Zealand Limited using the Process Warrant of Fitness and the Viable Process Model : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Quality Systems at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Abstract

This research developed an evaluative model and tool incorporating principles and practices of the Work Systems Method (WSM) and Viable System Model (VSM) to assess the viability of processes at Transpower NZ Limited, a New Zealand State Owned Enterprise. The assessment tool looks for opportunities to sustain process identity, as well as identifying the potential for enhanced planning, control, and coordination of the work, and preserving connections to the outside world, including suppliers, customers, and regulators. Eight employees took part in interviews to reveal Transpower’s collective process requirements. These requirements became a key input into the assessment tool, called the Process Warrant of Fitness (WOF). The tool was tested on a range of Transpower processes, successfully identifying viability enhancement opportunities. The assessment tool was then tested on two non-Transpower processes to gauge its applicability outside of Transpower. To lower the barriers to adoption of the tool, an end to end user participation format, called the Viable Process Model (VPM) was also developed, further drawing on WSM and VSM principles. The VPM guides the user to identify processes to assess, apply the assessment tool, and undertake post-assessment activities. While each workplace may appear to have its own unique process viability challenges, the assessment tool and user participation format showed potential as a universal pathway to process viability, having identified opportunities in the organisations that had its processes assessed.