- Continual improvement
Continual Improvement (also called "incremental improvement" or "staircase improvement") is a process or
productivity improvement tool intended to have a stable and consistent growth and improvement of all the segments of aprocess or processes. Continual improvement ensures the processstabilization and further improvement. When anorganization 's growth anddevelopment is intended, identification of all the processes and development of ameasurement analysis of each process step is necessary. Some of the continual improvement tools include thecorrective action analysis,preventative action analysis, andcustomer satisfaction analysis.ISO Management systems such asQuality Management orEnvironmental Management System use this to ensure that the overall objectives of the organization are achieved.Continual improvement is recognised as the most effective way for companies to improve efficiency and improve quality.
Prerequisites
Continual Improvement requires the following:
* Management support.
* Feedback and review process steps.
* Clear process ownership.
* Employee empowerment.
* Tangible metrics to be able to measure the result of process improvements.
Continual improvement can be performed as a result of a formal service review or escalation, or can be performed as a proactive activity by anyone performing a process.
It is strongly recommended that continual improvement be seen as a sustainable activity to be performed regularly rather than a bolt-on or quick fix.
In order to improve any process, the following must take place:* The original process must be clearly defined and documented.
* Several examples of process shortcomings must be made available.
* The stakeholders of a process must be involved in any improvement discussions.
* An environment of transparency is required when analysing existing processes, contributing factors to process shortcomings, and recommendations for improvement.
* Any process improvements must be agreed, documented, communicated and metrics measured within a suitable timeframe to measure the level of success achieved, and whether further improvements are required.
Continual improvement can often be achieved by reducing complexity, reducing potential points of failure (sometimes by improving communication, tools or automation) and putting the necessary checkpoints and safeguards in place to protect quality throughout a processes execution lifecycle.Some Continual Improvement Mantras
* Have I done everything I can do to make sure my employees are successful?
* Keep it simple stupid
* Garbage in garbage out
* Too many cooks...
* You're only as good as your last failure
* Trust but verify
* If you can't measure it you can't manage it
* If you don't measure it you probably don't care
* what is beautiful is always not goodSome Continual Improvement methodologies
*
Lean production
*Six Sigma
*Kaizen
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.