It can. Having a process for playwriting is not that different from creating one for any of the other industries. And the process itself will not be much different. It basically consists of analyzing an idea, defining and planning, developing it, doing some initial trials, and then unleashing it when it's ready.
Why a Process?
Organization is one major benefit from having a process in place. With good organization, one knows where one is spending time, one knows where to find all the components (notes, snippets of dialogue, etc.), and one can feel more in control. The successful use of processes by the other industries gives credence to using the methods, and the biggest reason overall: they work.
When processes become standard practices, time savings are a major result. By doing good planning, outlining, and ensuring that the play's idea merits the efforts, the actual work of writing the script can become shorter, since very much of the play may already be fleshed out before the intense writing sessions even begin.
Every good writer develops a "voice," that signature style that assures the readers or listeners that they are experiencing the works of a particular author. Just listening to passages, one can easily tell a work by William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Sam Shepard, or Neil Simon. The way they write stays consistent and is heard in the dialogue. With a good, repeatable process, you can focus on your voice, on how you will present the topics, themes, jokes, etc., without so much focusing on the administrative aspects of the project.
Using a repeatable process, you can start applying estimation techniques, to not only help schedule the work, but as your boundaries grow, as you may start working for commission or facing deadlines, such estimating techniques will help you set dates and deliver on them.
And process will help develop consistent work habits. Defining the schedule takes into account all other aspects of your life, such as family, outside job, or other commitments, so that when you do get the opportunities to sit down at the keyboard, they can be quality sessions.
