Practicing Continuous Improvement: A Common Sense Approach
The concept of practicing continuous improvement takes me back to my farming roots in southern Alabama. We raise pigs and my dad practiced Systematic Process Improvement before all these terms were written in the textbooks! Every time we sold a load of pigs (or cows) his question was “How can we get more weight next time with less feed?” He identified the real problem in any business process: How can we do the job better next time?
Continuous improvement is simply doing the job better and better, whatever the job at hand in any process. It is more formally defined as “recurring activity to increase the ability to meet requirements.” (See ISO 9000, 3.2.13). A requirement is defined as a “stated, usually implied or mandatory need or expectation.” (ISO 9000, 3.1.2).
Sometimes the problem is more a matter of an organization’s systematic process for improving its operations. A proven model involves these basic steps:
1. Identify your key (core) processes with their process steps, inputs and outputs
2. Identify your support processes with their process steps, inputs, and outputs
3. Involve knowledgeable people in the analysis of each process
4. Define the objectives of each process
5. Ask people how we can do the job better, more effectively, more efficiently, less costly at each process (perhaps even at each step in some cases)
6. Act on what you’ve learned (that’s always the hard part)
7. Document what has been done and what has been learned
8. Compare the results with what you expected
9. Act on the difference
10. Do it over and over and over again (it’s a never ending journey)
In reality, it is simply the simple Plan-Do-Check-Act process of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the late “quality guru.” It’s easy to overcomplicate some of the things we do. Just take a simple, common sense approach. Keep busy with the things you can do. Don’t waste time making grandstanding that won’t get implemented! Practice continuous improvement using this model and avoid a lot of frustration.