Product vs. Process — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on January 13, 2024
Product is a tangible or intangible outcome, result, or item produced. Process is a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end.
Difference Between Product and Process
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Product refers to the final outcome, which can be tangible like a smartphone, or intangible like a software application. It is what customers buy or use. Process is the sequence of actions or steps taken to create a product or to deliver a service. It encompasses everything from idea generation to the final delivery.
Product is the end result of a process. It is what a process aims to create or achieve. In a business context, a product is what a company offers to its customers. Process, on the other hand, is concerned with how a product is developed or how a service is delivered. It includes planning, development, production, and quality control.
In terms of importance, product is what generates revenue and customer satisfaction. It's the physical or virtual item that fulfills a need or want. Process is crucial as well, as it ensures that the product is created efficiently, cost-effectively, and to the desired quality standards.
Product innovation focuses on developing new or improved items to better meet customer needs. This could mean adding new features, improving quality, or reducing costs. Process innovation is about finding new ways to produce products or deliver services, which can include adopting new technologies or methodologies.
The value of a product is judged by its quality, functionality, and appeal to customers. It's what customers interact with and have experiences with. The effectiveness of a process is judged by its efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability to produce the desired product or outcome.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Outcome or item produced
Series of actions to achieve an end
Focus
End result
Steps and methods
Measurement of Success
Quality, functionality, customer appeal
Efficiency, effectiveness, adaptability
Innovation
New or improved items
New ways of production or service delivery
Customer Interaction
Direct
Indirect
Compare with Definitions
Product
The outcome of manufacturing or development.
The car manufacturer unveiled its new product at the auto show.
Process
A series of steps taken to achieve a result.
The manufacturing process ensures high-quality products.
Product
An item that is made or refined and marketed
Farm products.
Soaps, detergents, and similar products.
Travel products such as vacation trips.
Process
A procedure followed to complete an operation.
Their new hiring process is more efficient and effective.
Product
Such items considered as a group
Sold a lot of product in May.
Process
A series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result
The process of digestion.
The process of obtaining a driver's license.
Product
A preparation, such as a gel, used for styling hair
Began to use product soon after he became famous.
Process
A series of operations performed in the making or treatment of a product
A manufacturing process.
Leather dyed during the tanning process.
Product
A substance resulting from a chemical or nuclear reaction.
Process
Progress; passage
The process of time.
Events now in process.
Product
A direct result; a consequence
"Is history the product of impersonal social and economic forces?" (Anthony Lewis).
Process
The use of the law courts and other fora as a means of seeking redress
The adversarial process.
Due process of law.
Product
A person whose characteristics or abilities are the result of certain influences or kinds of experience
"She is the product of an America in which explicit displays of pride in intellect are considered unseemly" (Yuval Levin).
Process
The set of actions and events that constitute a legal proceeding or a significant portion thereof
The trial process.
The sentencing process.
Product
The number or quantity obtained by multiplying two or more numbers together.
Process
(Law) A means of compelling a person to appear in court, especially a summons ordering a defendant to appear in court.
Product
A scalar product.
Process
(Biology) An outgrowth of tissue; a projecting part
A bony process.
Product
A vector product.
Process
Any of various photomechanical or photoengraving methods.
Product
Anything that is produced; a result.
The product of last month's quality standards committee is quite good, even though the process was flawed.
Process
A running software program or other computing operation.
Product
The amount of an artifact that has been created by someone or some process.
They improve their product every year; they export most of their agricultural production.
Process
A part of a running software program or other computing operation that does a single task.
Product
A consequence of someone's efforts or of a particular set of circumstances.
Skill is the product of hours of practice.
His reaction was the product of hunger and fatigue.
Process
See conk3.
Product
(chemistry) A chemical substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction.
This is a product of lime and nitric acid.
Process
To put through the steps of a prescribed procedure
Processing newly arrived immigrants.
Process an order.
Product
(arithmetic) A quantity obtained by multiplication of two or more numbers.
The product of 2 and 3 is 6.
The product of 2, 3, and 4 is 24.
Process
To prepare, treat, or convert by subjecting to a special process
Process ore to obtain minerals.
Product
(mathematics) Any operation or a result thereof which generalises multiplication of numbers, like the multiplicative operation in a ring, product of types or a categorical product.
Process
(Computers) To perform operations on (data).
Product
Any tangible or intangible good or service that is a result of a process and that is intended for delivery to a customer or end user.
Process
To gain an understanding or acceptance of; come to terms with
Processed the traumatic event in therapy.
Product
A commodity offered for sale.
That store offers a variety of products.
We've got to sell a lot of product by the end of the month.
Process
To straighten (hair) by a chemical process; conk.
Product
Any preparation to be applied to the hair, skin, nails, etc.
Wash excess product out of your hair.
Process
To move along in a procession
"The man in the panama hat offered his arm and ... they processed into the dining room" (Anita Brookner).
Product
Illegal drugs, especially cocaine, when viewed as a commodity.
I got some product here – you buying?
Process
Prepared or converted by a special process
Process cheese.
Product
To produce.
Process
Made by or used in any of several photomechanical or photoengraving processes
A process print.
Product
Anything that is produced, whether as the result of generation, growth, labor, or thought, or by the operation of involuntary causes; as, the products of the season, or of the farm; the products of manufactures; the products of the brain.
There are the productOf those ill-mated marriages.
These institutions are the products of enthusiasm.
Process
A series of events which produce a result (the product).
This product of last month's quality standards committee is quite good, even though the process was flawed.
Product
The number or sum obtained by adding one number or quantity to itself as many times as there are units in another number; the number resulting from the multiplication of two or more numbers; as, the product of the multiplication of 7 by 5 is 35. In general, the result of any kind of multiplication. See the Note under Multiplication.
Process
(manufacturing) A set of procedures used to produce a product, most commonly in the food and chemical industries.
Product
To produce; to bring forward.
Process
A path of succession of states through which a system passes.
Product
To lengthen out; to extend.
He that doth much . . . products his mortality.
Process
(anatomy) Successive physiological responses to keep or restore health.
Product
To produce; to make.
Process
(legal) Documents issued by a court in the course of a lawsuit or action at law, such as a summons, mandate, or writ.
Product
Commodities offered for sale;
Good business depends on having good merchandise
That store offers a variety of products
Process
(biology) An outgrowth of tissue or cell.
Product
An artifact that has been created by someone or some process;
They improve their product every year
They export most of their agricultural production
Process
(anatomy) A structure that arises above a surface.
Product
A consequence of someone's efforts or of a particular set of circumstances;
Skill is the product of hours of practice
His reaction was the product of hunger and fatigue
Process
(computing) An executable task or program.
Product
A chemical substance formed as a result of a chemical reaction;
A product of lime and nitric acid
Process
The centre mark that players aim at in the game of squails.
Product
A quantity obtained by multiplication;
The product of 2 and 3 is 6
Process
(transitive) To perform a particular process on a thing.
Product
The set of elements common to two or more sets;
The set of red hats is the intersection of the set of hats and the set of red things
Process
(transitive) To retrieve, store, classify, manipulate, transmit etc. (data, signals, etc.), especially using computer techniques.
We have processed the data using our proven techniques, and have come to the following conclusions.
Product
A physical item produced for consumption.
The new smartphone is the latest product from the tech company.
Process
To think about a piece of information, or a concept, in order to assimilate it, and perhaps accept it in a modified state.
I didn't know she had a criminal record. That will take me a while to process.
Product
A result of a creative or industrial process.
Their new software product revolutionized data management.
Process
To develop photographic film.
Product
Something made available for consumer use.
The bakery's product line includes both bread and pastries.
Process
To take legal proceedings against.
Product
An item created to meet a market need.
Their eco-friendly cleaning product has become very popular.
Process
To walk in a procession
Process
The act of proceeding; continued forward movement; procedure; progress; advance.
The thoughts of men are widened with the process of the suns.
Process
A series of actions, motions, or occurrences; progressive act or transaction; continuous operation; normal or actual course or procedure; regular proceeding; as, the process of vegetation or decomposition; a chemical process; processes of nature.
Tell her the process of Antonio's end.
Process
A statement of events; a narrative.
Process
Any marked prominence or projecting part, especially of a bone; anapophysis.
Process
The whole course of proceedings in a cause real or personal, civil or criminal, from the beginning to the end of the suit; strictly, the means used for bringing the defendant into court to answer to the action; - a generic term for writs of the class called judicial.
Process
A particular course of action intended to achieve a result;
The procedure of obtaining a driver's license
It was a process of trial and error
Process
A sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states;
Events now in process
The process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls
Process
(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents;
The process of thinking
The cognitive operation of remembering
Process
A writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
Process
A mental process that you are not directly aware of;
The process of denial
Process
A natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant;
A bony process
Process
Deal with in a routine way;
I'll handle that one
Process a loan
Process the applicants
Process
Subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition;
Process cheese
Process hair
Treat the water so it can be drunk
Treat the lawn with chemicals
Treat an oil spill
Process
Perform mathematical and logical operations on (data) according to programmed instructions in order to obtain the required information;
The results of the elections were still being processed when he gave his acceptance speech
Process
Institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against;
He was warned that the district attorney would process him
She actioned the company for discrimination
Process
Shape, form, or improve a material;
Work stone into tools
Process iron
Work the metal
Process
Deliver a warrant or summons to someone;
He was processed by the sheriff
Process
March in a procession;
They processed into the dining room
Process
A method or technique for accomplishing a task.
The company improved its customer service process.
Process
A progression of actions or operations toward a goal.
The process of software development involves several stages.
Process
The act of performing tasks to produce a product.
Quality control is a vital part of the production process.
Common Curiosities
Can a service be considered a product?
Yes, some products combine goods and services, like software with customer support.
What does a process represent in manufacturing?
Adaptability in a process is important to respond to changing market needs and technologies.
In manufacturing, a process represents the sequence of steps to create a product.
Why is adaptability important in a process?
What is a product in a business context?
Environmental considerations can lead to developing eco-friendly and sustainable products.
A product in business is what a company offers to its customers, either tangible or intangible.
How do environmental considerations affect product development?
Yes, customer needs are central to developing relevant and successful products.
How does market research relate to product development?
Does the product always have to be physical?
Product success is measured by sales, customer satisfaction, and market impact.
Technology can significantly enhance process innovation by introducing new methods and efficiencies.
Is cost-effectiveness a concern in process management?
Yes, a service can be considered an intangible product.
Can a product be both a good and a service?
No, products can also be intangible, like software or services.
How do companies measure product success?
Can a process impact the quality of a product?
Yes, the quality of a process directly affects the quality of the product produced.
How important is process optimization in business?
A process manager oversees and improves the efficiency of business processes.
Process optimization is crucial for efficiency, cost reduction, and quality improvement.
What is the role of a process manager?
What role does technology play in process innovation?
Yes, cost-effectiveness is a major concern in managing and optimizing processes.
Are customer needs crucial in product development?
Market research helps identify customer needs and preferences, guiding product development.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
