When it comes to executing process improvement initiatives, it is essential to start small. Small-scale experiments or minor changes are easier to manage than large-scale modifications, and they can help refine new processes, demonstrate their effect on practices and results, and gain more support from stakeholders. Additionally, measurements can be used to determine ways to enhance the components of your program in particular ways. ISO 9001, CMMI and Six Sigma standards all put special emphasis on metrics, as they provide valuable data for making informed decisions.
While experience, judgment and intuition are invaluable assets for process improvement strategies, data is an important complement to these elements. It is essential to comprehend your products and customers so that your process program can constantly reflect their needs. Text-based process management methods are not effective for process improvement as they do not link the work being done and the way it's completed. By committing to taking the right steps to improve processes, companies can save money, drive innovation, improve talent retention and create more value for their customers.
Continuous improvement is the continuous practice of process improvement; it is process improvement that is part of daily work, as opposed to process improvement that is done once a quarter (or less frequently) without follow-up. To guarantee that process improvement initiatives are properly implemented, it is important to review the program in depth at certain defined intervals. This should be integrated into daily, routine business activities and kept alive in the organization's daily culture. If properly documented and stored in a process library, you can have access to them and their features.
It is also important to publicly announce progress and objectives in terms of improvement from time to time. A mapping process can be used to draw a graph of the process and all its phases, helping identify causes of delays and points for improvement. To obtain the best result faster and with fewer resources, it is important to prioritize communication, commitment and participation of all stakeholders affected by the QI process. Finally, before continuing with the next step of process improvement, expected results for each of the changes should be analyzed.
