In the last few decades Continuous Improvement has become a topic in most organizations. When I was the Quality Management Director at a Grand Rapids based manufacturer we achieved our ISO9000 and QS9000 certifications in the early ‘90s. A big focus on these Quality Standards is process improvement which includes Continuous Improvement Projects (CIP), Corrective Action Projects (CA) and Preventative Action Projects (PA). Because I was the System Director that responsibility fell on my shoulders.
After a few years of “trying to push a boulder uphill”, we figured out why we were having a difficult time getting any meaningful results in our projects. The answer came down to the responsibility for and management of the projects. The issue was simple; ownership. We recognized that our Leadership Team, area managers and employees all saw CIP, CA and PA as “Tom’s job”. They were not resistant to helping, but it was not their priority. They had “their own job to do”.
As we looked around the organization, we realized there were other areas of the business that employees did not see as “their job”. We gave this paradigm a name. The things that are “not my job” became known as the “other”. The Continuous Improvement process was an “other”. “Others” are never a priority.
We came to realize that if our employees did not have improvement as their own priority we would always be “pushing the boulder uphill”. So we connected Continuous Improvement to our business plan. Our major goals for the year became CIP’s headed up by the leadership person responsible for that area. They in turn started whatever additional teams they needed to accomplish the organizations goal. Continuous Improvement became at atmosphere not “Tom’s job”.
The keys to a successful continuous improvement projects are as follows-
1. Define the outcome you are seeking to improve. Without good definition you cannot solve any problem. You will simply be chasing symptoms of the problem “around the plate”.
2. Determine how you will measure the progress and ultimate success. If you cannot measure it you will never know if you have improved it or if you just feel good because you did something. Remember this saying, “If you shoot at nothing you will probably hit it”.
3. Determine who is the “champion” or “mentor” of the project. The mentor guides the team and removes obstacles as they arise. The mentor is not a team member. They are the overseer with responsibility back to the Leadership Team.
4. The mentor needs to pick a facilitator. This is the hands-on leader of this project. The facilitator is not the dictator. The facilitator must pull the other teammates into the process and keep them accountable. This usually takes facilitator training. It is a good training ground for future leaders in the organization.
5. Determine who should be on the team. Remember to “surround” the problem. There should be representatives from all affected areas of the organization and from any outside sources that have a direct impacted.
6. Give the team a firm dead line and the resources (time, dollars, equipment time, etc.) they need to complete the project. Hold them accountable. The mentor is responsible to determine the resources they can use. If the team feels they need more resources they need to convince the mentor why they need more.
7. When the team is successful, be sure to celebrate publicly. Nothing brings project volunteers out of the woodwork faster than the success and recognition of others.
If you have any questions please contact me. I would gladly help you get a good process in place. Make continuous improvement an atmosphere, not an “other”.
Christian Life Coach 