Continuous Improvement

Capture

Opportunities for Improvement

Before a process or condition can be improved, the current state must be understood.  Thus, the first step in continuous improvement is identifying and capturing opportunities for improvement. These opportunities should come from across your organization - particularly from the front lines, as these are the people doing the work and are therefore most qualified to improve it.

You should have a standard method for capturing improvement at all levels, including daily improvements as well as those relating to your larger strategic projects and rapid improvement events. Tracking where opportunities are coming from helps you capture the pulse of your improvement culture and determine how far your improvement methodology has spread.

Implement

the Opportunities

Continuous improvement requires that once an opportunity for improvement is identified, it is prioritized and resources are allocated to instigate change.  Often cross-functional teams are involved to maximize the positive impact of improvement across the organization.

Organizations with a successful culture of continuous improvement implement at least 80% of the ideas that their staff identifies. This isn't to say that the ideas they get are better than those in an organization with a lower implementation rate, but rather, that they work to find an implementable solution to every opportunity that is identified. Sometimes that required providing additional coaching to staff, encouraging them to identify simpler solutions to the problems they've discovered. 

Tracking your implementation rate is key to establishing a sustainable improvement culture, as it allows you to evaluate and adjust frequently to meet the changing patterns of your organization.

Measure

Impact, Activity, and Engagement

An important aspect of continuous improvement is documentation of results and ROI.  An improvement is complete or an issue resolved only when the target KPIs have been achieved and a record of the change has been made. This documentation makes it possible to apply the principles and, sometimes even tactics that were successful in one situation to others, accelerating the pace of future innovation.

Understanding the impact of their improvements is vital for engaging employees in the process. It shows them that even the smallest, most incremental changes are worthwhile - a concept that also applies to sharing reports with senior leaders who also need to buy into continuous improvement. 

Other important metrics are your engagement and activity levels, as these show the depth and breadth of your improvement culture. This allows you to identify bottlenecks to the improvement process before they impede progress, giving you time to coach and adjust as needed.

Improvements and Projects

Continuous improvement software provides a standard way to capture opportunities for improvement  from across the organization, from small daily improvements and "Just Do Its" to those that are a part of larger strategic projects and rapid improvement events.

Putting all of the work in one spot makes it easier to capture, implement, measure, and share improvements, in addition to increasing engagement and accelerating your rate of change.

Team Collaboration

Both local and dispersed teams collaborate more effectively when using continuous improvement software, as it increases communication, visibility, and accountability. All tasks and communication are stored in each improvement so that nothing falls through the cracks and no time is wasted in email.

Continuous improvement software makes it possible for dispersed teams to improve together with a single source for all improvement information, synced digital improvement boards, and remote digital Huddles. Local teams benefit from all of this as well as improved face-to-face communication. 

Smart Notifications

When trying to sustain a rapid cycle of improvement, it's critical to keep each improvement moving forward. Continuous improvement software sends the right information to the right people at the right time so that everyone stays apprised of what they're supposed to be doing, upcoming due dates, missed deadlines, and team updates.

These smart notifications can be customized and are well-timed so that everyone gets the information they need without feeling overloaded.

Digital Boards

Customizable boards give everyone in your organization a unique view that details what they need to know at any given time. Boards can be as basic as displaying your current improvements and tasks, or as detailed as showing the relationships between projects, events, improvements, and key metrics.

Improvement coaches can view Kaizen boards from across the organization from their desks, using that information to decide what areas they should visit next.

With digital boards that update in real time, that are visible from anywhere, and that can be displayed in the same places your physical boards are now, the opportunity for spreading improvement is endless. 

Charts and Data

Continuous improvement software lets you track the data you're trying to improve right alongside the improvement work itself so that everyone can see the progress made by the team and the impact on key metrics.

For example, Pareto Charts and Run Charts can be logged with improvements, projects, or as stand-alone metrics. Why not keep track of everything in one spot?

Comprehensive Reports

Understanding your activity, engagement, and impact metrics is vital to maintaining a healthy improvement culture. With detailed reports that give an overview of the entire organization and drill down to a granular level, it's possible to see what areas are performing well, which need additional coaching, potential bottlenecks to the improvement process, and who deserves recognition for outstanding participation. 

Calculating these numbers and drawing up reports takes most improvement leaders a significant amount of time. Continuous improvement software tracks all of it for you so that they reports are ready when you need them.