A technique for revealing and agreeing an agenda for process improvement

Recent industrial trials with applying the technique ‘pragmatic modelling’ are producing positive results, according to the comments received from the companies taking part. Pragmatic modelling is a technique developed to examine the social interactions occurring in team-based product introduction. It is capable of capturing the subtleties of communication and can produce objective, impartial information which can go forward to an agenda for process improvement. The technique is empirically grounded and, unlike conventional modelling tools, is not biased due to preconceived notions or degraded because of the application of rigid modelling formalisms. It has been nicknamed ‘truth modelling’ by the industrial collaborators. This paper describes the technique in terms of the modelling approach, how the technique is applied, and the value it brings to understand team-based activity. An extract from a case study is included to provide a flavour of the type of information the technique can reveal.