Methods and Techniques of Quality Process Improvement in the Milk Industry in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

A long standing presence of process orientation in economic theory and practice reflects its use for achieving the goals of the company and its stakeholders. However, this does not mean that there is no space for improvement in this area. On the contrary, the context in which companies do business is changing significantly, even on a daily basis, and therefore it is necessary to look for new ways for process improvement in order to meet not only current, but also future needs of the consumers. The main aims of the study are to define concepts related to business processes and business process management, and to research the application of methods and techniques of a continuous improvement of processes and management systems in general. The aim is also to research the application of methods and techniques for quality process improvement in milk production companies in the Republic of Serbia, with the starting hypothesis that quality process improvement directly influences the competitive position of the company. Relevant literature has been used for the theoretical part of the study dealing with process management and quality management, while a structural questionnaire on which the whole research is based has been used for the empirical part of the study. Based on the data analysis it can be concluded that in the milk production companies in the Republic of Serbia there is a dominant use of the method based on the PDCA cycle for business quality improvement