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<\/a>The delivery of those processes is in constant evaluation and change, so further improvements can be developed and applied. The ruler to measure these changes is the efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility of these processes.<\/p>\n
Some see continuous improvement as a meta-process, such as W. Edwards Deming, an early proponent, who saw it as part of a larger system of organizational goals. But a bigger definition considers continuous improvement as a gradual and never-ending process that tries to increase effectiveness and efficiency to fulfill a company\u2019s objectives.<\/p>\n
The Continuous Improvement Process<\/h2>\n
The continuous improvement process is sometimes referred to as the PDCA cycle. That\u2019s the initials for each of the four steps in that process: plan, do, check and act. Let\u2019s take a look at each of those stages and how they work.<\/p>\n
Plan<\/h3>\n
To begin, brainstorm with your team and identify areas for improvement. Then, from these sessions, build an action plan<\/a> to implement the ideas that were developed to improve on the opportunities you identified.<\/p>\n This is the stage where you implement that plan. It\u2019s best to make the change on a small scale so that you can measure its effectiveness before going all in.<\/p>\n Monitor and test the results of the plan to prove that it is in fact improving whatever was targeted for improvement.<\/p>\n With the data collected in the last step, you can now make a decision as to whether to implement the change<\/a> full-scale or abandon it and try again.<\/p>\n While the title of inventor might be harder to pin on a specific person, W. Edwards Deming is considered one of the pioneers of continuous improvement methodology.<\/p>\n Some even refer to continuous improvement methodology as the Deming Cycle, though he credits Walter A. Shewhart, an American physicist, engineer and statistician, for the idea.<\/p>\n Deming went to Japan after World War II as part of an American initiative that sought to help Japanese manufacturers rebuild their factories and improve their efficiency. His work would inspire methodologies such as just-in-time manufacturing (JIT)<\/a>, lean manufacturing and kaizen.<\/p>\n The idea of evaluating a process<\/a> to come up with a plan to improve it has been applied in many ways. There are many types of continuous improvement methodologies. Here are just a few.<\/p>\n Kanban boards, the visual workflow tool, is a great fit for continuous improvement. It is by design evolutionary, encourages an experimental approach and fosters team collaboration. Kanban<\/a> provides visibility, metrics and the focus necessary for continuous improvement. You can identify problems on the board and then plan to resolve them.<\/p>\n Lean manufacturing<\/a> focuses on identifying value, value stream mapping, creating flow, establishing pull and continuous improvement. It uses just-in-time production to ensure that you have what you need when you need it without having extra materials in your inventory that will cost extra to the warehouse.<\/p>\n Six Sigma<\/a> is a process improvement methodology that minimizes the amount of variations in an end product. It uses statistical data to benchmark the process, which is considered optimized if it produces less than 3.4 defects per one million cycles. This reduces defects but also inconsistencies.<\/p>\n The idea of continuous improvement is to gain benefits that will make a company more profitable or competitive in the marketplace. But it’s also instrumental in improving product quality. It\u2019s given that continuous improvement will lead to an increase in efficiency and productivity.<\/p>\n That in turn creates decreased costs and reduced waste. Not only will companies discover that their customers are more satisfied, but the teamwork employed by workers will add to their satisfaction and retainment.<\/p>\n Some use “kaizen” as a synonym for continuous improvement. Kaizen<\/a> is a compound word made up of two Japanese works, kai meaning change and zen meaning good. As a method, it can be traced back to the book by Japanese organizational theorist and management consultant Masaaki Imai, Kaizen: The Key to Japan\u2019s Competitive Success.<\/em><\/p>\n Imai wrote on three main points of kaizen:<\/p>\n There are several other key features of kaizen as defined by Imai. He believes improvements should be based on building from many small changes as opposed to major changes. Also, if those changes and ideas are coming from the bottom and rising to the top, as in, from the workers, then those ideas are more aligned with the objectives of the organization and can be implemented easier.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Imai believes that ideas from the people working on the frontlines of the company\u2019s efforts are more attuned to how to improve processes than an outside consultant. Consequently, employees should always be looking for ways to improve performance.<\/p>\n Imai suggests that making workers take ownership of their efforts will improve their ability to offer realistic ideas to improve the overall business. Strategically, he believes in figuring out how to increase the effective delivery for the customer and how flexibility helps achieve that goal.<\/p>\n While the principles are outlined in Imai\u2019s book, they\u2019re worth repeating.<\/p>\n The overall benefit is in the name, continuous improvement. That\u2019s a no-brainer. But it\u2019s never good to take a concept at its word. What are the details, and how can it improve the business?<\/p>\n For one, it streamlines workflows. By constantly looking for ways to improve things, what happens is a reduction in operating overhead. That\u2019s a good thing. It saves time and money.<\/p>\n It can also reduce the cost of projects<\/a> and help to prevent overages. When constantly seeking improvement and evaluating processes, a greater knowledge of the overall costs of completing a project comes into sharper focus. If you can determine whether a project\u2019s constraints are likely to break, you can plan better to avoid those mishaps.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the flexibility inherent in the strategy. If you\u2019re always on the lookout for ways to improve, you\u2019re flexible. You\u2019re changing to take advantage of opportunities. This constant movement, if it’s tethered to a well-thought-out process, will reduce complacency and threats from the competition.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking to save time and cost but keep up the quality of the product, then a continuous improvement business strategy<\/a> is a good way to manage that difficult balancing act. By looking for opportunities to improve business and then evaluating those changes, an effective strategy is formed.<\/p>\n Some organizations aren’t set up to have their teams constantly practicing continuous improvement, but that doesn\u2019t mean that they can\u2019t take advantage of this useful strategy. For example, companies can schedule regular meetings to discuss ways to improve processes. These can be one-day events or last a week to dive deeper into ideas.<\/p>\n Whether you choose to adopt these techniques at every level of the operation of your business<\/a>, or you simply make continuous improvement business strategy one more tool in your toolbox, there are still opportunities to reduce inefficiencies and cut waste.<\/p>\n ProjectManager<\/a>, award-winning project management software, gives you all the tools you need to implement continuous improvement strategies. First of all, our software enables collaboration from everyone in the organization from the top down. This empowers workers to generate ideas on how to eliminate waste, and formally document them as a task to be addressed. From there, they can add comments and files as evidence, creating a culture of action around that task.<\/p>\n As more and more of these improvement tasks are recognized, they should be added to a formal plan. Use our online Gantt charts<\/a> to create a long-term plan to implement positive, incremental changes across the organization. You can put each task in a phase, so you can focus on changing discrete chunks of the organization at a time. You can also assign these tasks to team members, creating a culture of accountability to ensure that change is being addressed.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking of working with a strategy of continuous improvement, then you\u2019ll want a tool that can facilitate that process. ProjectManager<\/a> is online software that offers a real-time platform for teams to collaborate. Plus, there are tools to monitor and report on the progress of the changes you apply to your processes. Try it today and see with this free 30-day trial. <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Do<\/h3>\n
Check<\/h3>\n
Act<\/h3>\n
Continuous Improvement History<\/h2>\n
Continuous Improvement Methodologies<\/h2>\n
Continuous Improvement and Kanban Project Management<\/h3>\n
Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing<\/h3>\n
Continuous Improvement and Six Sigma<\/h3>\n
Benefits of Continuous Improvement<\/h2>\n
Continuous Improvement vs. Kaizen<\/h2>\n
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The Principles of Continuous Improvement<\/h2>\n
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Benefits of Using a Continuous Improvement Business Strategy<\/h2>\n
When Should You Implement the Continuous Improvement Model?<\/h2>\n
Using ProjectManager for Continuous Improvement<\/h2>\n
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